I've begun painting again after work and marriage stalled this practice for nearly 16 years. I no longer worry about it being profitable and make no effort to sell it, I am just enjoying the flexing of these old muscles and improving the ability to get close on paper what I see in my heart. It brings joy.
Creativity apart from career and family seems to drift away. It may be little pricks at the back of the mind, but to actually put something into a more permanent form seems to be silly or too personal. We get critical of the "product" rather than just enjoying the process. Why reclaim it? Why not? There are words or sculptures or crafts just waiting for you to create for your eyes only, for you to share with someone, or to inspire someone else.
Oh this struck a note with me this week!!! I've been on a knitting rampage and having a wonderful time :)
I have knitted since I was in third or fourth grade, but in waves. I'll go years without touching yarn, then I obsessively churn out hundreds of items to sell or give away, then go silent again, moving on to some other creative outlet (quilting, writing, etc).
A month ago I discovered a wonderful new book that has a hat pattern for each of the National Parks (written/designed by Nancy Bates). She also has patterns on her website, and I bought one that creates a hat like monarch butterfly wings, to go with the latest Cherrywood Fabrics quilt challenge theme that is underway. I made two to send to the owner of Cherrywood, and she posted them online and I've sold two more (so far) when people saw the hats.
The National Park Hat book is marvelous and inspired me to dig into the closet under the stairs where my two giant yarn bins were (we'll not talk about the explosion that is now my studio -- but imagine someone digging into bins, tossing things off to the side, going "OH MY GOSH! I REMEMBER THIS!" and setting it onto a table, digging into the bins again....etc.
Oh the treasures I've uncovered! Some physical, but also lots of memories :)
I've organized my knitting needles (for some odd reason I have about 10 pair of size 8 needles, 15 pairs of size 5 needles, etc), crochet needles, afghan needles, and yarns. I've spent considerable time sitting on the floor flipping through old pattern books, finding the patterns for sweaters that I made for my daughter and the children of friends as they were born and were toddlers.
The joy of finding these things again! And putting them to use again!! I even found the very first little tiny pamphlet that I used to further my knitting after my Camp Fire Girls leader taught us to knit one day. (Years later, after winning a ribbon for a very large lace table cloth that I knit, I contacted her to thank her; she thinks I'm the only one who kept it up).
I've made several hats from the book so far, and also designed several of my own, based on themes in a series of books so that as I sell my own book, I may also be able to sell some of these hats.
My creativity is churning as I think of knitting stitches that can represent trees, or wheat, or prairie flowers, or creeks, or snow banks.
I'm either having a great deal of fun with an old skill right now or I've gone off the deep end due to this ridiculously snowy winter ;)
I've been writing (and publishing) children's books. Number 9 is coming out very soon and 10 and 11 are getting illustrated. I like to do lots of crafts, especially paper. I just did a buffalo needle felting kit for a granddaughter attending Colorado University--this was an entirely new craft for me. It's a little bit skinny, but recognizable.
I illustrated the first book, then connected with Fox Pointe publishing (foxpointepublishing.com) to publish. Fox Pointe has illustrators on board that get assigned the books submitted to them. I have had 4 of them work on my books--most have been done by Kayla-Olson Surface. Fox Pointe also has the editors and designers I have used.
I’m happy with my creativity…actually increased with my aging. What I’d like to “reclaim” is my childhood “carefree” self :))
I've begun painting again after work and marriage stalled this practice for nearly 16 years. I no longer worry about it being profitable and make no effort to sell it, I am just enjoying the flexing of these old muscles and improving the ability to get close on paper what I see in my heart. It brings joy.
Creativity apart from career and family seems to drift away. It may be little pricks at the back of the mind, but to actually put something into a more permanent form seems to be silly or too personal. We get critical of the "product" rather than just enjoying the process. Why reclaim it? Why not? There are words or sculptures or crafts just waiting for you to create for your eyes only, for you to share with someone, or to inspire someone else.
Oh this struck a note with me this week!!! I've been on a knitting rampage and having a wonderful time :)
I have knitted since I was in third or fourth grade, but in waves. I'll go years without touching yarn, then I obsessively churn out hundreds of items to sell or give away, then go silent again, moving on to some other creative outlet (quilting, writing, etc).
A month ago I discovered a wonderful new book that has a hat pattern for each of the National Parks (written/designed by Nancy Bates). She also has patterns on her website, and I bought one that creates a hat like monarch butterfly wings, to go with the latest Cherrywood Fabrics quilt challenge theme that is underway. I made two to send to the owner of Cherrywood, and she posted them online and I've sold two more (so far) when people saw the hats.
The National Park Hat book is marvelous and inspired me to dig into the closet under the stairs where my two giant yarn bins were (we'll not talk about the explosion that is now my studio -- but imagine someone digging into bins, tossing things off to the side, going "OH MY GOSH! I REMEMBER THIS!" and setting it onto a table, digging into the bins again....etc.
Oh the treasures I've uncovered! Some physical, but also lots of memories :)
I've organized my knitting needles (for some odd reason I have about 10 pair of size 8 needles, 15 pairs of size 5 needles, etc), crochet needles, afghan needles, and yarns. I've spent considerable time sitting on the floor flipping through old pattern books, finding the patterns for sweaters that I made for my daughter and the children of friends as they were born and were toddlers.
The joy of finding these things again! And putting them to use again!! I even found the very first little tiny pamphlet that I used to further my knitting after my Camp Fire Girls leader taught us to knit one day. (Years later, after winning a ribbon for a very large lace table cloth that I knit, I contacted her to thank her; she thinks I'm the only one who kept it up).
I've made several hats from the book so far, and also designed several of my own, based on themes in a series of books so that as I sell my own book, I may also be able to sell some of these hats.
My creativity is churning as I think of knitting stitches that can represent trees, or wheat, or prairie flowers, or creeks, or snow banks.
I'm either having a great deal of fun with an old skill right now or I've gone off the deep end due to this ridiculously snowy winter ;)
Because it is self nurturing. As Atwood mentions, it can also be a way to address your past in a new manner.
I've been writing (and publishing) children's books. Number 9 is coming out very soon and 10 and 11 are getting illustrated. I like to do lots of crafts, especially paper. I just did a buffalo needle felting kit for a granddaughter attending Colorado University--this was an entirely new craft for me. It's a little bit skinny, but recognizable.
I illustrated the first book, then connected with Fox Pointe publishing (foxpointepublishing.com) to publish. Fox Pointe has illustrators on board that get assigned the books submitted to them. I have had 4 of them work on my books--most have been done by Kayla-Olson Surface. Fox Pointe also has the editors and designers I have used.