I've been thinking a lot lately about creativity and how different it looks from what we see online. The perfectly curated photos can make us feel "less than" when we look at our homes: WIPs tucked here and there, last night's dishes in the sink, kiddos clamoring for attention and laundry waiting to be folded. Can you relate?
At this stage of my life, creativity fits in where it can.
Between a full-time job, keeping our 24-year marriage strong, being a caregiver, running a business, keeping up with board responsibilities and trying to remember what day it is, there isn't much time left for making things. And then winter finally steps in.
We’re in prep mode around here. The garden is being put to sleep. This picture shows part of our work yesterday on this pulled out zinnia patch. I'm also on the cusp of moving the chickens into their winter accommodations, clearing inventory out of the garage to make room for my car and the list goes on.
For a long time, I thought if I couldn't devote myself to a project, then I was somehow a "less than" crafter. As a kid, it was the Bucilla plastic canvas project. Then there was cross-stitch. In my early married years it was quilting. (My cross stitch Santa however did turn into my magnum opus in my mid-20s thanks to weeks of cancer recovery. Mom still puts it up every Christmas and I remember how it was my stitch-therapy.) Now I’m in my crochet phase.
But as I've gotten into my 50s, I finally realized everyone is facing the same thing. We're all tucking our fun, and hopefully relaxing, projects into the margins. And you know what? It makes them even more special.
So as you walk through autumn, begin to noodle on what you want to work on this winter. Collect your yarn, your fabric, or your IOD and enjoy the quiet of winter. Sure, we all rush through Christmas but then things come to a screeching halt from December 26 through February. Instead of dreading the cold winters (at least here in the north), look forward to creating something that you'll not only enjoy when it's complete, but you'll also enjoy the hours spent making it.
This year, when the Christmas tree comes down, I'm going to put a cozy chair right next to the fireplace, light a fire on some weekends (which we rarely do), and enjoy some "me" time. I say that fully realizing Mom's bedroom is just around the corner and as soon as she hears me rustling around, she'll be calling my name. 😊
Love and rolling pins,
Melissa