Creative Musings from a Beautifully Imperfect Masterpiece
If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I want to share transparently about my background and experience as a creative.
I’ve dabbled in all things creative and 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 then, I have eagerly explored many different creative adventures. Despite the challenges I faced in those 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 in conquering a new creative technique or skill, so I will sometimes create 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. I like to make gifts for those whom I care the most. Creativity is a way of connecting and creating meaningful moments for myself and with others.
In my case, my barriers 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!? Factors that have often gotten in my way of creating include the more obvious things like maintaining a full-time job, family priorities, household duties, educational pursuits, volunteer obligations (although, I am very careful these days 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! 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?
