Today’s entry from Mme. Ferris is “embrace creativity and enjoy the benefits.” While all of us are creative in one way or another, it’s interesting to note that many of us immediately protest that we’re not.
This is one area in which I think Mme. Ferris is hitting the bull’s-eye of the target. We ARE creative – whether we knit, play music, cook, solve puzzles, bake, scrapbook, paint, throw pots, or any number of other things. I think so many of us have simply lost touch with what we deeply enjoy and we learned to minimize our own desires and interests. Perhaps we also fear being judged that our efforts aren’t “good enough” to be considered creative, so it’s safer to just deny our creativity.
Well, it’s time to knock that off!
Embrace the fact that you are creative. Think about what you enjoyed when you were a child – there’s a good place to start. Did you devour the Nancy Drew or Harry Potter series? Go to the library and re-discover them! Did you love drawing? Go to a craft store (or the dollar store!) and get a set of colored pencils and a blank sketchbook! No one needs to see your work unless you want to show it to them. (And if you DO show it to them and they’re not supportive of your efforts – that’s on them, not you. Keep doing what you love and just never let them see it again. There’s no benefit in consorting with heathens.)
The benefits of creativity are well-documented. It’s good for our minds and our spirits to regularly make time for the activities that relax us and allow our brains to concentrate on “non work” activities. (Aside – also, it’s amazing how often solutions for work problems come when our brains are engaged in “non work” activities! The brain is an incredible thing!) It’s far too easy for us to fall into the trap of taking life too seriously. Creativity as expressed through hobbies are a fantastic way to stay in touch with our whimsical, imaginative sides.
I’d scheduled a 12-hour vacation for today and I wanted to put this into practice. I puttered around the house a bit, hanging some prisms and glass globes to make the windows of my study more eye-catching. Decorating is a creative activity, you know!
While I was doing that, I came across a cross-stitch project I’ve had for yearsandyears. (Cross-stitch is the extent of my needlecraft skills.) I had a huge, complicated project that required too much concentration (well over 40 colors and some intricate stitching instead of the regular “X” I’m used to), so I’d put it aside. This project, though, was perfect to start on a 12-hour vacation – it’s a simple, repetitive pattern for the border and a straightforward design for the interior. I should be able to finish it in a week or so.
I go through bouts of journaling and sketching and I received a lovely set of top-notch colored pencils for Christmas, along with a sturdy case. Once I had the case set up the way I liked, I whiled away part of the day doing simple coloring from a Vogue coloring book. (I couldn’t resist “L is for lipstick!”)
Mme. Ferris is quite right – there are definite benefits to engaging in creative activity. So don’t put those things that help you stay centered and calm last on the list!
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