Sunday, January 24, 2010

Creativity Defined

Goal Area #1- Craftastic



Theoretically, I think that making things, being creative, can be a calm and restorative and growth inducing thing. Right now, that's not often true for me.

I was talking with one of my oldest and closest friend this weekend about making crafts and art and feel stress or pressure about it. She made the comment that it seemed, for both of us, that the stress level depended on whether the project was intended for us or for someone else. In her theory, we get a lot more stressed out about things we are making for other people due to the stress of trying to make something PERFECT that the someone will love MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD. I think that is part of the story for me. But there is also a part where I don't do a lot of the projects just for me or don't do them as well because the project is JUST for me and it doesn't really matter that much.

I am going to make a list of projects or tasks I can do that are creative. At the beginning of each month, I will make a more specific list. I know I said this project wasn't about DOING. Well, its a little about doing. I have to DO in order to change the way I THINK. And I need to legitimize creative tasks as a valid use of my time. Which, is sort of the twisted purpose of this whole damn thing.

List of fun pretty things to do (of course there are tiers and categories, that's how I role):

COOKING
*Use Ingredients I usually avoid: swiss chard, most greens, whole versions of any meat, figs, most root vegetables, meat with bones, quinoa, lemongrass...
*Try Techniques I usually avoid: anything involving the words reduction, braise, glaze, bake, roast...
For example, this looks delicious but SO many scaring ingredients and methods. Yes, bones are scary. And parsnips, yikes!
*Make Desert once a week: Maybe if I obsess about making a fancy dessert, I won't eat so many Milky Ways. Mmmm.....this looks so good. I could eat goat cheese ALL DAY LONG.

MAKE
*Gifts: spoil nieces and nephews
* Projects for myself: headbands, make article of clothing from scratch
* House things: felt pillows, light bulb terrariums curtains, new apartment stuff


I can't wait to make these pillows featured on The Purl Bee. So lovely . 
        * Group Crafting: It is SO much easier to have fun when other people are there. 


These cupcake garlands from 100 Layer Cake blog might make a great group project.

INSPIRE AND ORGANIZE
* Organize is self explanatory
        * Find pretty things
                Such as head decoration ideas for Alma and me. Check out these from the Giant Dwarf Etsy Shop



Or, these amazing pieces of furniture from Greg Hatton. 





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