Creativity

Who would have thought that a little white-walled living room in a Montrose condominium could be such a hotbed of literary energy? Vicki Abelson did, and she still does as she moves into year two hosting monthly literary salons in the vein of 20th-century writer Gertrude Stein, who held salons in her Paris home. What started as a platform to workshop her recently completed novel, Vicki Abelson?s Women Who Write has become so much more. Accomplished writers and singers share their latest work in front of a welcoming and often raucous group of 30 or so women who may or may not be writers themselves.

While the spirit of the holiday season is permeating through Burbank, it was the spirit of creativity and collegiate pride that overtook the seasonal excitement at two recent events. Burbank-based Cartoon Network Studios opened its doors last week for an art show reception that served as a fundraiser for BCR ?a place to grow.? Established in 1963, the organization provides daily activities, extended day care programs and numerous programs and events for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

BURBANK ? The first Creative Talent Network Animation Expo kicked off Friday at the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Burbank, drawing hundreds of students and professionals for an exhibition in a region that is widely acknowledged as the animation capital of the world. The event featured seminars from innovators like ?Hellboy? comic book creator Mike Mignola and entrepreneurial animator Don Bluth, who split off from major studios to create ?The Secret of NIMH.? The event was an opportunity for animators to learn from industry pioneers, while also promoting their own work, said Tina Price, who founded the Creative Talent Network.

DOWNTOWN — Before embarking on an Alaskan cruise, Fred Baldino took the early-morning rains to mean that his lawn could go the week without water. So the 87-year-old did what city officials for years have been instructing: He shut off his water. But when he and his wife returned to their North Keystone Street home, the lawn had severely dried. “It was so brown that we tried . . . three different kinds of fertilizers,” Baldino said. “And nothing worked.

BURBANK — Burroughs High School students Desiree Martinez and Brittany Lewis spent their Saturday night sleeping in a cardboard box. Desiree and Brittany were two of about 100 volunteers who set up camp for the night in the parking lot of First Presbyterian Church on Olive Avenue for Cardboard Box City 2009, a fundraiser for Family Promise, a nonprofit organization that works to mobilize communities to help homeless families. “We both really like doing things for other people,” Desiree said Saturday afternoon while sitting in the fairy-themed treehouse she and Brittany had created out of a cardboard box. Family Promise works with various faith organizations across the country to provide food and nighttime shelter to homeless families.

The Burbank offices of LAgraphico and Midnight Oil Creative, sister graphic solutions companies that design and print promotional materials for movie, television, video game and retail clients, are liberally sprinkled with award-winning posters, 3-D stands, packaging and interactive content. But for a nose-pressed-against- the-vinyl perspective, the folks here recommend getting a little closer to the action — say, by flipping through Creative Director Max Cameron’s sketchbook.

Eighty-four-year-old Clarence Johnston didn’t hold back on the drums and tapped relentlessly on the crash cymbal and floor tom as guests bobbed their heads Saturday to his band’s music at the Burbank Senior Artists Colony. Johnston, who has played with jazz legends such as Miles Davis and Charlie Parker, also entertained the crowd at the colony’s second annual EngAGE in Creativity Celebrating the Arts for All Ages event with stories about performing with Davis, who he said always asked for a dollar.