Articles written by Sondra Deuber in Arts & Humanities

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About me - Sondra Deuber

Liberated Writer: After many years of writing in corporate environments where subject matter is somewhat restricted to one's area of expertise within the company and which, of necessity, must be relevant to the company and departmental missions, I am enjoying

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Arts & Humanities > Thoughts on Writing Being successful as an artist without 'the formula': 3 of 18

The question: can an artist be successful without "the formula." My initial response: Which formula? I'm a fairly new freelance writer and have been a Heliumite for less than a month, so there's still much for me to learn. I have not yet learned about "the formula" or how I can be successful as an artist without it or, for t... More..
Arts & Humanities > Thoughts on Writing Commentary: The flaw of simple writing: 1 of 3

The flaw of simple writing, as has been stated by others, is that it encourages simple reading and simple thinking. I believe it also produces readers who are more likely to unquestioningly believe what they read or hear in the media because they have not learned to consider other points of view. They take what they read at ... More..
Arts & Humanities > Arts & Humanities (Other) Color and its impact on the world: 3 of 8

Assuming that you have normal color vision, it's extremely difficult to comprehend the impact of color blindness in our very colorful world, or to understand what the world would look like if all the colors were suddenly converted to black, white, and shades of gray. In addition to the privilege of being able to see an amazi... More..
Arts & Humanities > Thoughts on Writing Why writers write: 73 of 191

Is there a simple explanation of why writers write? If there is, I'd love to read it and offer a rebuttal. It may be nurture or it might be nature. I come from a family of seemingly compulsive writers. My mother wrote, and even when she was in a retirement home, but before her Alzheimer's took her ability away from her, she ... More..
Arts & Humanities > Theater & Drama Acting: How to learn lines: 13 of 33
My tips are important parts of a unique directing technique, so you won't be able to use them all unless you're fortunate enough to work with a director who uses this method. Take what you'd like to add to tips from other articles on this topic. I worked backstage; as an assistant director; and as an actor with an amazing di... More..
Arts & Humanities > Making Art Digital art: Making the leap from traditional to computer art: 7 of 17
Unlike other writers on this topic who have gone through the process of switching from traditional to digital art, my introduction to visual art came when I was about 40. I was a good amateur photographer, but was convinced that I could not draw a straight line. My photography and life-long participation in the performing ar... More..
Arts & Humanities > Thoughts on Writing Writing as cheap therapy: 24 of 36
Writing as cheap therapy? Count me in! In my vast experience in this area, I long ago decided that spilling my guts out to myself was a lot cheaper than going to a therapist (the cost of pencils and legal pads or, more recently, software upgrades, notwithstanding). It also takes a lot less effort and can be at least as thera... More..
Arts & Humanities > Meaning of Life Understanding happiness by focusing on your life in this world: 5 of 6

While contemplating how to approach writing about understanding happiness by focusing on your life in this world, I realized that I might be getting into risky territory. It is, after all, a deeply personal subject for all of us, and my own questions and beliefs are probably significantly different from yours. That does not ... More..
Arts & Humanities > Art Appreciation Art: A waste of time or meaningful expression?: 35 of 39

Beauty, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder, and the same might be said regarding the evaluation of art as either meaningful expression or a waste of time. That too is in the eye of the beholder. And I, for one, believe either-or questions do not take into consideration the hundreds of possibilities between one arbitra... More..
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips Using your own life as inspiration for comedic writing: 20 of 22

Using your own life as inspiration for comedic writing has some distinct advantages over writing about someone else's life. The primary advantage may be that nobody will sue you for slander or libel, although it would be interesting to sit in the courtroom and listen should you decide to sue yourself. It would certainly prov... More..