I’ve been thinking a lot about creativity recently, having been immersed in it, in one way or another, since the first New Moon of the year, when I began writing Heartmade Gifts. Writing and making things with my hands, from my heart … for me, this is pure bliss!
I was going to post this on the Heartmade blog, but feeling a little guilty at neglecting Words and Pictures, I decided to post it here. Although it is about Heartmade, about the underlying philosophy, it’s also a wider call to arms needles, craft-knives, crayons and paintbrushes!
It’s about tapping into and nurturing our own sense of creativity.
I can’t count the number of times someone has said to me, “But, I’m just not creative, Dianne! I can’t write, or sculpt, or sew … “
This always amazes me! Everyone is creative.
My answer to those who doubt their own creativity is:
“Maybe not. (Maybe not.) But you can cook beautiful, exotic dishes or make a meal from hardly anything/stop folk in their tracks with your gorgeous garden/organise fantastic highdays and holidays/decorate a room so people feel happy and loved in it/put together such funky, colourful outfits that always make me smile/tell the kids rollicking stories … with the voices and everything! I wish I could do that!”
Creativity goes far beyond the limits of crafts, or even Art in the wider sense. We are being creative when we do all kinds of daily activities, perhaps without even realising
Heartmade is not just a labour of love for me, it’s a mission statement. I want to encourage everyone to find their own creativity and to relish it. To revel in it. Creativity is such a rewarding experience and I did that! is such a lovely feeling. But perhaps more importantly, the actual process of creativity is a wonderful learning curve, an expression of love, a joyful adventure.
So, Heartmade is not just a series of craft projects. It’s not a book of How-To-Do-Somethings, it’s more about encouraging your own sense of wonder and curiosity. Your own creativity.
Try something new. Experiment. Have fun. Try and remember what it was like as a child to just mess around and see what happens, to approach things with a sense of playfulness and no fear of ‘failure’.
So. How creative are you? (Bet you’re more creative than you think!)
What do you enjoy doing? How can you use that to make someone happy?
Happy Valentine’s Day! X
I wish you the gift of recognising and relishing your own creativity! :O)
[...] Creativity is a rather like a muscle, I think. In that, the more we use it, the stronger it gets. Or perhaps a firing neuron is a better analogy … the more we are creative, the easier it gets. It becomes second nature to live a creative life, to use creativity in all arenas of life and in all kinds of small and simple everyday activities. [...]