I often talk about creativity on this blog because creating is an activity that’s essential to my life. In fact, I think it’s essential to everyone’s lives. There is something quite miraculous about making something yourself, taking materials from nothing to something, whether it’s ingredients for a meal or pieces of fabric or yarn.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, to create means to “bring into existence.” This is a very powerful definition, and perhaps scary to some people, but in truth it was not too long ago that if we didn’t create or make something, it didn’t exist.
Think about hunters and gatherers inventing new tools to better feed themselves, or pioneers sewing their own clothes. We have come a far way from that—practically everything we own (and even things we eat) was made in some far-off land by a whole fleet of laborers we don’t know. Maybe things have gotten too easy—so easy that we take it for granted that we’ll be able to acquire everything without any effort. But despite this, even if just for ornamental reasons or pure fun, many of us keep coming back to making things by hand.
I am constantly inspired by all of the crafters and artists that continue to create new and beautiful things by hand. I am also continually inspired by the process of making things and how it uses a whole different part of me. Making things is a cycle of fulfillment—you get to choose inspiring ingredients or materials, experience the process of making, and then appreciate the product—either by using it, looking at it, or sharing it with someone else.
If you’re not already experiencing this cycle, I highly recommend jumping in—you can start with anything! Make a handmade card, decorate a pot, bake cookies, make a collage, create a scrapbook, cook dinner from scratch, plant a garden . . . the list goes on to infinity.
In fact, let’s inspire each other with our creativity—what are you making/have you made recently/would you love to make?
We’d all love to hear about it! Post a comment here, add a link to a picture of your project, if you’d like!
I’ll start:
I am currently making some new greeting cards and another sewn house drawing.
I would love to make a dress for myself and handmade tortellini.
I am currently making valentines (some of which will be late, whoops).
I am always making a quilt, the same one.
I am making a community garden in my neighborhood!