March 28, 2012

where craftiness comes from: where it takes you

create print by stephanie corfee - click image for more info

When I first started this column over a year ago, I was interested in finding out where our creativity actually comes from. Was it our upbringing or formal education? Was it just natural or something that we have to find for ourselves?

The answer is not as clear as I thought it might be. It is all of that and more.

There is creativity and craftiness within each person you meet.

There is no one way to find it; it can be encouraged or supported or it can be found through something that you learn. I spoke to many creators in all different fields for this column, and I found that creativity can just appear when you need it most.

For many of us it is an outlet, first and foremost, before it’s a job or a career. It allows us to be ourselves in the best kind of way. It is something that makes our hearts light up and feel just what we need to.

Many people talk of creativity in terms of following our dreams and making a difference, and that is true, but it’s not all of it. Craftiness comes from the heart. It’s in our everyday decision-making and there when we take the biggest leaps, whatever they may be.

I’ve learned that there is a big, friendly community out there that is just waiting to support and encourage that creativity, even if we can’t find it within our own family or friends. There are people out there who get it and know the ups and downs. I think it’s important to realize that, and to cherish it for what it is.

Support can come from the strangest of places, if we only care to look.

Craftiness and creativity are a journey where we grow and learn, not only about the craft itself but about who we are as people and where we want to go. It gives us a chance to believe in ourselves in a world that doesn’t always think that that’s ok.

I think, in the end, what I learnt from this column and all the awesome people I interviewed is that it isn’t really about where your craftiness comes from, but where you take it, and where you let it take you.

If we can all embrace the creativity we have and the creativity that we see in others, we can make a better future for all of us.

Don’t you think so, too?

This is my last column for Scoutie Girl. Thank you so much for reading, it’s been a pleasure to go on this journey with you. – Dannielle

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February 15, 2012

where craftiness comes from: building memories

for like ever wood sign by williamdohman - click image for more info

The one thing that I love about craftiness and creativity is how it brings us together. In a world where things are fast and everyone seems constantly in a hurry, creating is the one thing that helps us to slow down and take stock.

No matter what the activity is, from sewing with friends to crafting with children, we naturally slow down and relax into the here and now. It gives us space to breathe and time to think. It lets us laugh, and just have fun.

How many of you remember the times spent at art classes or with parents or grandparents creating something? It wasn’t always about the finished product that you created but the time you spent creating.

It’s the memories we create that live on, sometimes much longer than the activity itself.

I remember one summer, I babysat my younger cousins who were 6 & 8 at the time, 3 days a week for the whole summer. We spent those days creating scrapbooks of places they’d like to visit on vacation and learning about the cultures of other countries. Eight years later, we still talk about the fun we had that TV free summer.

The scrapbooks weren’t perfect and the information in them is out of date, but the memories have stuck like glue. I think sometimes we can let these opportunities slip by through busyness and the feeling that we don’t deserve or haven’t earned the time to relax. But it’s amazing what an afternoon of fun creating can do to clear your mind and help you focus next time you need to be on the ball.

Creative sparks of brilliance come when you least expect them.

I think our creativity comes from inside our clever brains and our happy hearts. Sometimes we just need to stop, listen, and give it time to come to the surface.

Do you agree?

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January 25, 2012

where craftiness comes from: your creative calling

blue light disco blue agate and sterling silver earrings by mich vanetta - click image for more info

Throughout this column I have explored the idea of craftiness and where it comes from. It has allowed me to realize that craftiness and creativity are within all of us, no matter what upbringing we had.

These often show up as part of our personality and the way that we live our everyday lives, in the way that we create for our families, or the way that we prepare food, or even in our careers. Craftiness is something that can be nurtured from childhood, or something that we choose to pursue without that familial support.

Your creative calling will find you.

This is not to say that you don’t have to work to make dreams come true, but that there is creativity and craftiness within you, no matter how much you see it as something that other people do. It is in the way that we think and the way that we problem solve our day-to-day lives. It is the common ground that brings us closer with others, something that we share in common.

Maybe we just need to change our definition of creativity to see that it is just part of us, rather than something only a special few have.

Some people aren’t ready to see their creative side until later in life and others know what they love from the time they are children. Sometimes you stumble upon it when you think you’re looking for something else.

From writing this column I have learnt that it is all about being true to who you are and the rest will come. Don’t write off your creative strengths just because it’s not traditional, or it doesn’t make you money. Creativity and craftiness are so much more than that.

Don’t you think so, too?

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January 11, 2012

where craftiness comes from: letting creativity shine through

crochet teacup golden yellow by sheepish knitting & crochet - click image for more info

Craftiness is a gift that each and every one of us possesses. If may not be something that we use in our every day lives, but it is there.

Craftiness is something that we use to solve problems and to see the world in our own way. Everyone’s creative background is different, but at some point you are likely to have been exposed to making, creating and creativity and it isn’t until the moment comes that you realize what you already know and who you learnt it from.

Everyone has a different skill that they can excel at, it’s just a matter of finding it.

For each person this will be different. Some people find their creativity in their childhood and keep it with them along their journey. For others, it isn’t realized until much later in life; it is in there waiting for the perfect moment to reveal itself.

Your craftiness doesn’t have to be your day job for you to call yourself creative.

Many of the people I have interviewed for this column have made their craft their profession, but each person had a very different upbringing and a way of finding what their creative strengths were and how they wanted to use them. Some people find that they prefer their creative pursuits to be something that they do on the side. Having something fun to relax with in their down time.

There is no one-size-fits-all in creativity. We can all work together and alongside one another doing what we love when it suits us best. The creative world is (and should be) a supportive one where we recognize the skills of others and allow them and ourselves the chance to shine.

Do you think so, too?

Filed Under: Read & Play, Where Craftiness Comes From Tagged With: , , , , , 7 Comments
January 1, 2012

Busting Free from the Automaton Phenomenon

winter robot print by ljbe - click for info

The following is a guest post by Syndee Stein.

Creativity can be defined as something transcendent, something groundbreaking that travels way out into the beyond; something that interrupts prescribed patterns. I love that. It’s a much needed re-frame from the idea that creativity is about making things. Think about it. Someone can be a prolific maker of things and not be especially creative. Likewise, you could never make a ‘thing’ in your entire life and be insanely innovative and creative.

Creativity really isn’t about things. It’s about expansion.

It’s about being on the edge of the known world, feeling for the boundaries and giving them a nice solid nudge.

Creativity isn’t a matter of thought. It’s a faculty of the moment. It’s the byproduct of receiving input in any moment and responding to it without planning. It’s alive, dynamic, and unfolding.

I go through ‘making things’ phases. Sometimes it’s painting, sometimes writing, playing guitar, or making crazy delicious sugar-free chocolate decadence, but it’s not what I’m doing that makes me creative, it’s the spirit I bring to what I do. It’s the sharpness of my presence and the depth of my availability in any given moment.

Sometimes I think too much. Sometimes I’m so fixated on circumstances working out a certain way that I squelch the spirit of whatever I’m doing. I miss the person I’m talking to. I’m impatient and rushing. I don’t wait to be informed, I jump to fill in the space before it’s filled with feeling. In those moments I’m not creative, I’m on automatic.

We’re all crafty kittens around here, of that I have no doubt. What I want to know is, are you being creative right now? Are you approaching your tasks with expansive, pattern interrupting availability?

Are you busting free from the automaton phenomenon?

Syndee Stein, creatrix of Deeper Ground, is a rocket-fueled trail guide for your inner evolution, a bodyworker, movement teacher, visionary of vibrancy, and an enthusiast of all things life, including YOU! Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

Filed Under: guest posts Tagged With: , , , , 3 Comments