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As a kid, I thought being creative meant you were an artist…somebody who painted or drew pretty pictures.
It wasn’t until I was in college and an instructor tagged me for turning in a creative music education project that I realized I needed to expand my definition of creativity. Fast forward to a few months ago and another paradigm shift: the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) in Raleigh hosted Rolling Sculpture, an exhibition of 14 rare cars and 3 motorcycles representing the best designs from Art Deco period of the 1930s and 1940s. Hmmm. <All sorts of wheels turning here>
Join me at the museum, and see for yourself. 
Rolling Sculpture: art on wheels in an old-timey Delahaye
I never thought of automobiles as art.
Though my gear head Spouse/Editor could've told me otherwise. According to the NCMA, its Rolling Sculpture exhibit offered examples of car design with artistic flair, innovation and elegance. It showcased ...decorative arts with industrial design, luxury and glamour…a perfect metal canvas. The detail work on these beauties was AMAZING! The Art Deco influences and craftsmanship screamed hubba-hubba!!! ....car design with artistic flair, innovation and elegance. Decorative arts with industrial design luxury and glamour…a perfect metal canvas Bugatti’s Aerolithe concept car was the only one of its kind ever assembled. It looked like a helmet worn by the Flash or a Roman soldier back in the day. I wouldn’t mind driving one around town for groceries or a trip to the library, especially if Señor Bugatti was good on gas. 
Bugatti Aerolithe Concept Car
Sweeeeeet!
My favorite was the 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow. The Arrow simply oozed class. This beauty was the glam Jean Harlow of automobiles of its day….gleaming, sleek and sexy. (Mercy! Did I just call a car sexy?!?!?)
The builder of the 1936 Voisin C28 Clairiere wanted to give the impression you were driving an airplane. What do you think?
It could also serve as a car pool vehicle for Voldemort’s lesser minions. I'd let the Malfoys ride in it (they were nasty but turned out ok in the end.) 
Art? Chrome? Auto? All of the Above?
Wouldn't you love to cruise down the highway in this sleek 1930 Henderson KJ motorcycle or this '41 Chrysler's eye-popping red convertible? What do you think about creativity and chrome now? Where do you and your young readers find creativity? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section.
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There’s something to be said for setting aside projects, decompressing and tackling them later with fresh eyes and gray matter.
That’s what happened to me in January when I started a video preview of my fourth book, Sweet T and the Turtle Team. Using a trusty tablet video app, Irene A. Jahn’s dazzling illustrations, and snippets from my book, the first pass was okay. But it didn’t knock my socks off. I put the video aside for a while. Then tucked it away with all my writing projects for several weeks after dad’s passing this winter. I tried tweaking it again in early spring. Better, but not there yet. Something was missing, but I couldn’t put my finger on what. 
Creating KidLit book videos: a LABORED labor of love
Motivated by the approaching summer release date, I recently retrieved the preview from virtual mothball storage. I notched up to a faster, perkier instrumental audio. Added beach-y photos from free Creative Common sources. Whipped out my ‘big’ vid-making app, i-Movie, to tack on frills and flourishes.
Voila! It was a keeper. Ecstasy! Making videos to share with you is a labor of love, and a true L*A*B*O*R. I want them more than a ShapChat clip. Vid-creation takes time. I toil at it, though it’s getting easier with each one under my belt.
I’d be over the moon if you and your young reader will take a 60-second trip to North Carolina's Gull Island with me. Feel the summery ocean breezes and wiggle your toes in the soft sand? T will ask you to steer clear of fragile sea turtle nests that dot the beach.
 Sweet T with sister Jenna, Aunt Mae, and Billy
Please click the green button below to start your summer adventure on Gull Island with Sweet T, Jenna, Fuzzy, new Island friend Billy, and Aunt Mae. (btw....Aunt Mae is named after a real person from my tribe of readers. She follows my What’s Up monthly newsletter and won naming rights for a character in my book. Mae is pictured in the illustration above ---um, holding a pelican. Ya gotta read the book to find what that's all about!) Video Preview:
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 Cat MichaelsBlogging about books, writing, family life, travel and more good stuff. Meet Cat
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