Book Signing: Say Yes! to Your Creative Self

Say Yes! to Your Creative Self and Find New Answers in Today’s Changing World

“Say Yes!” says Old Saybrook author and artist Mary O’Connor, extending the invitation to those who think they don’t have a creative bone in their body or simply want to strengthen them. Bemused by how often she has heard people lament their lack of creativity, Mary set about putting that thought to rest with her latest book, Say Yes! to Your Creative Self.

Curious? Come meet Mary and get your own copy of Say Yes! to Your Creative Self at a book signing on Saturday, July 13 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Guilford Art Center (411 Church Street, Guilford). There will be give-aways, and a chance to see the national juried exhibition Ceramics Biennial 2024 during your visit.

Say Yes! provides readers with tips, examples, and practices designed to boost ways of seeing the world through the lens of creative thinking. As Mary explains, “Creativity is here for us all, regardless of where your interest lies, and its effect extends far beyond artistic expression. Being creative involves repackaging beliefs and ideas in ways that unlock and revamp thinking. It can help us deal successfully with the social and environmental issues of today’s rapidly changing world.”

Beginning with an overview of the ins and outs of creativity, the full-color illustrated book offers tidbits of research — such as how color and music can affect your creative output — as well as prompts and exercises. How-tos, such as how to strengthen ways of seeing with a pocket-size inspiration bag, how to build connections through the creation of a circle poem, or how to unblock a stuck thought through squiggly lines, complement a tour of the role of our natural senses in creative expression. It is, Mary says, a compilation of ways to tickle our creative bones, accompanied by original poems and photographs.

“The spark is there. It’s just waiting for us to build on it. The images, verse, and prompts in this book help us to play with embryonic thoughts, to see things from different perspectives than expected.”

A writer, poet, painter, and lover of nature, Mary shares the magic of the commonplace and captures its delight through her previously published joy-centered books: Passing Shadows – Images and Words of Inspiration; Life Is Full of Sweet Spots – An Exploration of Joy, as well as Dreams of a Wingless Child, a collection of award-winning nature and inspirational verses.

Experienced in journalism, marketing, and the arts, she often complements her writings with photographic images, as well as paintings in watercolor and acrylics. Her work has been exhibited by area art associations, and her people and pet portraits are treasured by individual owners.

A popular public speaker and workshop facilitator, Mary has taught poetry writing at the York Correctional Institution for Women, is a former Executive Director of Guilford Art Center, served as a docent at the Florence Griswold Museum, and has volunteered in numerous community positions.

Published by Three Chairs Publishing, Say Yes! to Your Creative Self is available at The Shop at Guilford Art Center, as well as the Florence Griswold Museum (Old Lyme) and Pieces for Home Decor (188 Main St., Old Saybrook), from online retailers, and from Three Chairs Publishing. (Say Yes! to Your Creative Self by Mary O’Connor, 5.25 x 8, paperback, 132 pages, $24.95)