Sometimes, I hear people say things like "I don't have time to make things" or "I'm not creative" and I wanted to write about why I do find the time and why I think everyone can be creative in some way if they want to be.
First of all, I don't really "have" the time to be creative-instead, I make the time.
Being a good mom to my two little boys is my main priority here at home, (and of course, being a supportive wife to my husband).
But parenting comes with endless piles of laundry, dishes, diapers to change, messes to clean up, training, books to read, meals to cook, activities to keep them learning and entertained, and the list goes on and on.
I decided I could either become obsessed with having everything done at home and have a "perfect" house, or I could stop and take the time to do something fun and relaxing for myself.
And let some of those things go just a little bit.
Because, as soon as everything would be "perfect", one of my sons would decide to get sneaky and color on a wall with peanut butter, or some other kind of craziness and I would exhaust myself by constantly cleaning up after them.
Don't get me wrong-I love being a mom, love my boys and am thankful to be able to stay home with them. But, I realized something about myself-that I get easily frustrated with tasks being unfinished-which, of course things always are as far as housework. Have you heard it said that "cleaning up after kids who are playing is like trying to shovel snow while it's still snowing?" So true!
But when I complete a project or blog post or both, it makes me happy-something got done! And I made something really cool.
So, I carve out time pretty much every day to write or create, or both. It helps to have this blog reminding me to be intentional about creating. When my kids are napping/having quiet time or at night while they're sleeping I will pull my supplies and get to work. I have a crafting space that has my materials (somewhat) organized and ready to use when I get the chance so it makes creating more convenient.
Sometimes I'm exhausted and really have to lay down and rest. But, as a person who has a hard time sitting still (ADD??) I will often make something while watching TV or a movie. Or, sometimes I'll get my kids involved in making things with me-even though at their young ages they don't have much of an attention span. I take a deep breath, pull out the paint and let them get messy.
Now, to that person who doesn't think they're creative-let me say this: I think we as humans are all creative in some way simply because we were made in the image of Creator God-the
one who decorated the earth and universe with so many amazing colors and living things.
Maybe we just don't have the experience and confidence to think we can create.
And, society does a great job stifling creativity with all it's rules and formulas. I can remember being in Kindergarten-I was having fun one time with a bunch of crayons in my hand making huge circles, and loving my colorful picture. Then, the teacher came up to me and told me this was just scribbling and not to do that anymore. Even thought I was only 5, I can remember feeling sad and even annoyed at her.
And, I almost became an Art major-but decided it wasn't really practical and majored in Social Work instead. Guaranteed jobs in this field, for sure! And I don't regret that decision-I've been able to helps so many people in this field and get exposed to the need for adoptive parents, too. (Which led me to my beautiful sons!)
But, thankfully my whole life I was surrounded by family that encouraged the arts and made lots of amazing things-like oil paintings, woodworking, knitting, sewing, poetry, furniture revamping, and music. I would get these little craft kits as gifts and would have fun figuring out how to make stuff like pom-pom teddy bears, latch hook, basket weaving and more.
And, I can remember taking my science books home as a kid to do the experiments in them that the teachers never did with the class-they would always do paper work (boring!). I was such a hands-on learner I had trouble focusing in school even thought I always got good grades.
So, I continue to love thinking outside the box and trying new things. And there have been a lot of craft and decorating fails for every successful project I've done. (Like when I thought it was a good idea to paint my walls burgundy and paint copper criss-crosses all over the walls. Yikes!)
I think it helps just to not be afraid of failing and to be free to try new things. Hey, you can always paint over things, right?
I'm not sure who this quote is by, but I think it really applies to me: "The creative adult is the child who survived". So true!
So, what about you? Have you ever thought about why you do or don't create? And what has influenced you along the way? C'mon. It'll be fun to analyze yourself!
Thanks for visiting ReMadeSimple today and I hope you enjoyed your time here!
