Music and opportunity go a long way to sparking that thing we call “creativity” but it’s more of a lifestyle choice than a talent. People choose to look at things from a different angle and that gives them the edge that makes a difference.
I picked up a copy of Elinor Peace Bailey’s book “Mother Plays with Dolls” at Half Price Books and am again impressed with her work. She gives us permission to explore all the mediums available to us. So many of us limit our creative adventures with our mindset about what “real” art is and fail to see that creativity creeps in to every aspect of life if we allow it entry. Elinor reminded me to look at things as parts of the whole, to value my vision and to explore with an open mind.
Her story is interesting because she created a line of patterns and wrote books while raising a large family. She just had the need to create and she didn’t ignore it. How many times have you told yourself “later, I’ll be an artist, a musician, a writer later, when the kids are grown, when my mother is well, when my husband gets his next promotion”? It’s what we tend to do, yet, she created anyway and encourages all of us to find our voice and let it out.
Maybe this generation has already figured it out, though. My daughter makes time for her crocheting even though she has a baby and a full time job. I admire that quality in her. Perhaps she saw that I never got back to those things until I felt everything else was done.
Perhaps she is just as compelled as Elinor to make that commitment to her creativity. Whichever it is, it’s a good thing.
What creative project have you left behind in the pursuit of life? Take the time for yourself; go back to it today. Spend some time nurturing your creative urges and see what happens: you might surprise yourself. Taking time to create gives you the energy to do more and enjoy each moment more completely. Go create something!
By Deborah Linnekin
www.norcalnomad.net