Creative Musings from a Beautifully Imperfect Masterpiece
If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I’d like to share transparently about my background and experience as a creative.
I’ve dabbled in many things creative and have been creative for as long as I can remember… my first memory of making something with my hands was at the age of 8.
My mother had been sewing for as long as I could remember, but it was my grandmother who had the patience to teach me how to sew by hand. I made some clothes for my dolls and I was hooked.
I will always remember the very powerful sense of accomplishment and pride I felt. “I made this!”
Ever since my first “make,” I have eagerly explored many different creative adventures…crochet, cross-stitch, embroidery, knitting, ceramics, sewing, plastic canvas embroidery, scrapbooking, paper crafting, card-making, collecting art supplies (😉), acrylic and watercolor painting, gel printing, collaging, stencil-making [commercially published, I might add ☺️]…and many others.
Despite the challenges I faced in my early years, I could always count on feeling a personal sense of accomplishment, pride and joy that could not be striped away from me when making something with my hands.
I create/make for a number of reasons. For me there is an inherent challenge and sense of accomplishment when conquering a new creative technique or skill.
I will sometimes create from a place of curiosity or simply for the thrill of learning something new. This often results in a feeling of wonderment and that I must have superpowers! LOL!
I love creating beautiful and practical objects; some become gifts for my loved ones; other times I make what I want to see, need and use.
Creativity is a way of connecting and creating meaningful moments for myself and with others.
I love creating with others, especially those who declare, “I’m not creative!” I enjoy seeing them light up with their own sense of wonderment as they admire their creations.
As a creative, there are times, though, when the creative mojo stops “mojo-ing.” Can you relate?
In my case, the hurdles to creating have changed over the years. I am a lone parent to one gorgeous & fierce young woman. I had a lot of help from our village, because who really ever really raises a child without ANY help!?
Oftentimes, there is little energy to create after working a full day, prioritizing family and household duties, educational pursuits, volunteer obligations (although, I am very careful to align my volunteerism with my talents and passions), etc.
On a more personal note, my own mental health has sometimes been a factor that affects my motivation to create…which is quite ironic because there are sooo many studies that have proven the benefits of creating, especially for improving mental health!
I find inspiration in watching others create until I can carve out time to create and/or my creative mojo returns. Aren’t we all beautiful, imperfect masterpieces?!
Will you share your own feelings about creating, the practical reasons for creating and the things that get in the way of creating on this survey? I look forward to learning more about why you create!
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