My creative manifesto, part 2.

 

I can just hear the collective, "Huh?!"  In a nutshell, I'm a practical girl.  Although I haven't fully determined my Style Statement, the word pragmatic often comes to mind.  I like to make things that have purpose.  (This is probably why quilting is such a perfect hobby for me.)

Yesterday I simply stated that I love to create.  I love sewing, baking, keeping scrapbooks.  I could do it all day long, every single day.  The most important statement in my creative manifesto:  I create because I enjoy it, because it makes me feel alive.

Creating means keeping meaningful scrapbooks for my kids.  Not over-creating means not burdening my kids with a whole library full of scrapbooks to store and maintain.  I mentioned yesterday that I turned to my core set of beliefs in order to set parameters when I started Juliet's first scrapbook (almost 12 years ago, sniff sniff).  You can read more about the results here.  I choose to create...but I also want to choose what, when, why I create.

Creating means spending time on the crafts I love.  Not over-creating means not spending all my time crafting so that I forget about the rest of life.  Not to mention, the rest of life provides an awful lot of inspiration.  William Carlos Williams was a poet, but also a doctor.  I like to think the doctor part was a wellspring of inspiration for his creative life.

Creating means trying new techniques and projects.  Not over-creating means not using all the world's resources for my own individual pleasure.  Enter my idea journal.  And the recent revelation that just because I can make something doesn't mean I have to make it.  Supporting other artists feels just as good -- or even better -- as making it myself.  Sometimes I realize that the amount of time spent on a particular project might not be "worth it."

More than any other belief in my system, this is the one I revisit the most.  How will this notion change with experience?  I definitely should have asked Terry about it when I was in Alabama.

Comments

[Kelly in Canada]

i so agree with what you have written today. unfortunately, i have had to learn the hard way. now i realize that quilting (and stitching) and scrapbooking along with keeping my art journals is what works for me. i recently sorted and tossed several photos that could have been put in scrapbooks but that really didn't tell new stories or enhance any i have already told. i want to cut and paste your words into my journal to use as part of my manifesto but i promise i won't do that.
kelly
ps...i think my style statement is understated creative.

[Sarah]

Sometimes restraining ourselves can be liberating. Such an important idea, and one I struggle with everyday. Thank you for reminding me that there is such as thing as too much.

[terry hendrickson]

In the past few years I have come to realize that time and life will always prevent me from over-creating. I never want the day to end, and wish that sleep were unnecessary. At the end of the day I often have unrealized plans. I believe that this will always be the case with me. Knowing that not everyone is wired this way has been empowering, and I think that the counter balance of restraining myself is even more empowering. It is liberating to know that, I am, after all is said and done, in control of how much I invest in every creative activity I engage in. Be it cooking, painting, sewing, daily chores, or spending time with my family and friends, it is all a part of the creative time I have at my disposal each day.

[~M~]

I looooooooved the pictures of your scrapbook pages in the entry you linked. Did I emphasized enough? LOOOOOOOVED.

I am so so so sooooo tired of seeing pages around the ole Internetz that consists of like, 2 small photos in a corner and a whole bunch of the "hottest new product" piled all over them. Or one photo and a giant title and little else. People can do what they like, I am just so not inspired by any of that.

I love that the pages I saw had hand lettering, numerous photos, simple accents, wonderful color, and meaningful text. What a treasure.

[chel]

Oh my goodness, you have hit the nail on the head with this entry. One of the reasons I stopped scrapbooking is because it so overwhelmed me. After I originally found your blog and seeing your pages, I felt refreshed and brave enough to dip my toe back into the deep and swirling waters of it again. But it's not a constant, I do it when the mood strikes (which, I admit, has not been for a very long while).

Thank you for articulating this challenge I think so many of us all have with being creative. Some people are able to just fully commit to crafting and are able to work at it 24/7 without feeling sort of overwhelmed by it all. Now I understand a little better about what I've been struggling with these past few years. It's okay to create without becoming an expert creator. It's okay to play. It's okay to just dip my toes into the waters of crafting and creating and being inspired without jumping headfirst and getting my clothes soaking wet.