Mouse Clix

By: Hobie Lunin

The computer as a creative outlet.

I had a letter from a reader this past week that indicates that she is a “shut-in,” likes the computer and feels that she is a creative person. She asks what kinds of things can she do on the computer. This is a great subject as I like to “make things” on my PC too. Turning out something, using the computer, is great fun, satisfies creative urges and usually results in a useful product. What follows here is some thoughts on this subject.

The first thing most people think of is making greeting cards. It sure satisfies a need that occurs regularly and it is reasonably easy. The thing to learn is how to create your own graphics and designs rather than just using whatever is offered in the program. Making it look like your work or coming up with something unusual will satisfy the creative urge. There are imaginative things you can do to the envelope for your card as well. Making your work a joy and a surprise to receive is great! Instead of using the canned text in the cards, create and personalize your own. The same with the graphics; put in pictures that the recipient will recognize. Write some of your own poetry or add a family anecdote on a birthday card. In addition, do not forget you can make your own thank you cards, memos, note cards and business cards and be creative in the process.

Closely associated with cards are picture calendars, which can be generated on your PC. Kits are available to do this at the popular office products chains. Covered previously was making tee shirts. How about making a baby a tee shirt with his/her hospital photo on the front? Or designing your own family logo to put on shirts for your family? If you can work one out with ink on paper, you will need to scan it into your computer or use a digital camera to take a photo of it. An alternate is to use Text Art in Word to make one. More about this in a future Mouseclix column.

And there are other items on which you can make creative designs such as: sweat shirts, canvas bags, bookmarks, caps and hats, table scarves and book bags. Make a book or family magazine by culling photos, adding text and getting it spiral bound at an office supply store inexpensively. A family newspaper or newsletter can be generated easily in Microsoft Word and even more creatively in Microsoft Publisher. You can create a screen saver for your own personal use and for friends and family,

Probably the most creative media available today is the Web. Making a web page allows you not only to be creative, but also to have an extremely large audience. The subjects are endless. A family tree, family photos, an autobiography, a collection of your favorite jokes or cartoons. The story in words and pictures of any event in your life; like a move to another location or a family reunion, can be the subject of a multi-page web site. These are not as hard to make as you might think. What takes the time is coming up with a good design. Actually, using available templates at whatever site you choose to be your host can even shorten that. I have many pages on Tripod (www.tripod.com) and in the 3 years since I made my first web page there, they have made it very easy to get started. If you really get into it, you will want to get a reference book on HTML code so that you can change the basic template to make it suit your own designs. Moreover, you can add music to the pages without difficulty. Music (midi) is available on the web and takes up a lot less room and download time than MP3 or .wav files. Try to find music that you think will go well with your pages and remind surfers to turn on their sound when they see your page by adding a note to that effect.

Putting a design on a coffee mug is not something you can do easily yourself, but you can make a design for one and have it printed on at www.iprint.com.. For the next birthday in your family, buy some banner paper and make a long banner to add a nice touch to the party décor. Many card programs offer that feature. Check out thoroughly what any card or creative program in your computer has to offer.

Stationery (letterhead) is another area in which you can be creative and you can print them up a dozen at a time. When you are ready to send a snail mail letter, type it up in your favorite Word Processor, allowing room at the top and put the new stationery in the printer to produce a nice looking letter. Or make your own note cards from heavy “index” wt., 120# paper. These will really wow your friends.

Many programs offer origami as a something to make. Try it. Use paper that is heavier than letter paper but not as heavy as index paper, which may not fold well.

I have seen paper airplanes that can be printed out, cut out and folded. You can add designs on the plane wings before you sail them out your window. Enjoy being creative on your computer.

Dear Readers: Sorry, but my new e-mail address at Netscape.net is another disaster. I cannot access this account regularly to get my mail. I know that Yahoo has a lot less problems with the mail and so I am changing my address once again. To contact me with questions please write: mouseclix2@yahoo.com

Hobie Lunin is a Computer Instructor and Consultant. To see previous columns and other information, go to http://mouseclix.tripod.com