I’m not sure anymore…I was a writer and performer and these days, my creativity is more diffuse, and I feel it’s in my heart, in the way I look at things.
I enjoy taking different craft projects in group settings. I find a lot at the local libraries. I will be doing a sea glass mosaic mason jar next week after work. It is fun being creative.
Funny you should ask. I am just back from choir rehearsal. Music nurtures my soul and makes me whole. And the Easter music is so joyous! I am profoundly grateful to all of those who have supported me and those who continue to support me on my musical journey.
It is working with my hands mostly as a woodworker and antique furniture preservation and conservation. But reflecting for a few moments, I also find creative expression in the garden and through writing.
when I’m in the kitchen I feel myself ‘at home’ either we can work together or as a one man show. As I was trained to be a line chef. Afterwards, I simultaneously ran several restaurants, both in the day and the evening serving lunch and dinner.
I learned how to cook spiritual food for an ashram which meant that while cooking is only done as offering, or as a blessing from God’s and for His pleasure as He has described in literature the types of food He enjoys which are in the mode of goodness. It is hard not to taste the preparations while cooking which can be challenging. But, it helps in knowing how to combine the flavors to produce a thousand varieties of palatable dishes.
I learned to knit and tat from my maternal grandmother, learned to sew and cook from my mom, and learned to play piano and flute from school and lessons, so thinking about my creative outlets is also a memory exercise.
Some of my creative outlets have been unavailable to me for months thanks to breaking my wrist. I’ve likely been able to resume them for a while and haven’t; this is a reminder to find out how much I can do before it aches. I’ve done a bit of knitting already and know I can do some but not a lot; I’m working on a deep blue scarf in linen stitch that is taking me forever because our cat eats yarn and I can only knit when traveling or if he’s asleep in his carrier. I call him the Merino Muncher, among other nicknames.
One creative practice that has stayed available that I’m doing more of these days: Write posts for two blogs, one more personal and one focused on bicycling and transportation.
Other things I do: Paint small rocks with tiny pictures or sayings, then leave them in the parks I walk in for others to find. Do Zentangle, a meditative practice that lets me create small, wonderful and fantastical drawings without being a “Capital A Artist”. Cook and bake–I’m especially good at creating delicious soups and making funs hors d’oeuvres, like stuffed mushrooms. I used to sew and will take that up again one of these days; right now my conscience tells me I should catch up on the mending that awaits (the cat eats holes in clothes, too…) before starting a new project. I’ve been collecting scraps of various materials to be ready for some ideas I have for future projects that might involve some kind of mixed-media treatments applied to various prints (think of a bicycle image from a calendar with things on top so it has more dimension and some whimsy). I make candles occasionally to repurpose the ends of ones we’ve burned; no special shapes or decoration but it’s enjoyable. I don’t often play piano, although we have one and I’ve been meaning to play more as therapy for my wrist. I’m also creating the plan for how our yard will change as we shift it gradually from a neglected patch full of false dandelion and burdock to an outdoor living space for us and for the creatures that fly and creep and scurry, with space for us to grow food. It’s already better than it was, with more to do (future rain garden, more naturescaping).
Love the question!
I feel fortunate to have had so many people to teach me things. We were always making things in my house growing up and did a lot of imaginative play; both of these embedded lifelong tendencies and habits.
Reading replies from others and rereading my own I thought of another expression of creativity: I create connections between people. In my work in particular, I have many conversations with people who aren’t yet connected and who might create something more if they knew each other and collaborated. I make those connections in a way that lets them know why I think they may find value in knowing each other. I don’t do any steering or follow-up from there–what happens is up to them. I guess I’m scattering seeds and hoping things grow.
Creativity and expression have always
been something that I’ve desired.
Both of these things require a confidence
that I have lacked due to my childhood
situation. Only now, in my late fifty’s, do
I feel comfortable expressing myself.
I love playing music and singing, even though
I am mediocre at best, but I still get so much
enjoyment from it, and my work with
video gives me ample opportunities to
create. I also feel like riding downhill
on my mtn. bike, is a creative expression.
I even think being in the moment is an
act of creativity.
Charlie T, I hear you. It’s so easy to forget that we are human BEings not human DOings. Even when we produce something, it’s a wonderful feeling if we can BE in each moment it took to DO it.
For me, to be creative is to see with new eyes. When I write meditations and poems, I’m seeking contact with a greater self awareness. I’m sharing my vulnerability to connect with the vulnerability of others. I’m craving a relationship with reality. I spent many years acting in community theatre. I did a stint as a blues singer on Bourbon Street and sang in church choirs. I used to say I traveled between the saloon and the sanctuary and didn’t find them much different. Both are filled with people searching for meaning and I can relate.
“When we trust our creativity, we encounter a supreme kind of enjoyment – an amazement at the natural unfolding of life beyond our ordinary way of looking at things. Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
This quote grabs me! What does it mean to“trust my creativity?” How often do I allow myself to pause, stop and enjoy the “natural unfolding of life?” How often do I let go and let life flow in and through me? If I truly believe that life is trust worthy, that I will always be shown a way through, why is it so hard for me to relax?
Perhaps, the challenge is my “ordinary way of looking at things.” I still, after over 80 years on this earth, fear failure, crave acceptance, struggle to feel of worth. I am wounded. We are all wounded but to quote Henri Nouwen, “May we become wounded healers.” Perhaps the key is the word “creativity.” How often do I remember that we are all Creator? What we think, what we do matters. And so I pray: May I, May you, May we all develop a healthy love and acceptance of self that shares, cares and creates a kinder world.
You’ve lived such an amazing life! You’ve mentioned the Bourbon Street singing before. I’ve only been in New Orleans a couple of times on business travel but this fascinates me. Definitely not something everyone has on their resume.
I removed it from my resume several years ago. You wouldn’t believe how many people think that if you sang on Bourbon Street, you were also a stripper!
I’m not a painter/sewer/arts&crafts type of person (which to me are very creative kind of ppl) so for me, I enjoy decorating seasonally, or perhaps cooking. I recently did try making homemade vanilla extract and I’ve also have made homemade Amaretto and Limoncello. Once in awhile I do like to create a haiku. (5-7-5)
I love the weekends
I get to sleep in longer
Grateful for this site
I don’t feel as though I have a creative bone in my body!! But, I do like to make good meals and read recipes…almost a hobby! I also like to keep a nice home…simple things.
An example was a few weeks ago when I installed a new after market operators seat, arm and back rest on my late model John Deere tractor. The bolt hole patterns matched up but the bottom was recessed where the original bottom was flat. I needed to make some sort of spacers a couple of inches thick and 10 inches long. I had some survey stakes that I cut to size and drilled a couple of bolt holes in each. It took two, sandwiched together for each side. For the back rest to be installed I used a portion of the old bracket. I needed to heat it up, hammer in a couple of 90 degree angles and drill a couple of holes. It took a bit but I now have a new seat parked atop the bracket of an old tractor. I told my therapist I McGyvered it. She said it sounded to her more of a creative solution to a problem!
Joseph, I also enjoy creative
problem solving and I love having
the tools to tackle most situations.
I’m sure your new seat will grace
that tractor for many years.
Joseph, What a gift you have! My late husband had a similar gift and my son inherited it–the ability to analyze a challenging situation and improvise a solution. Such ingenuity!
I share creativity by practicing and playing my guitars and keyboard. Thanks to modern technology I am able to record myself and share over social media with others. I find it therapeutic and a way to relieve stress.
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I’m not sure anymore…I was a writer and performer and these days, my creativity is more diffuse, and I feel it’s in my heart, in the way I look at things.
I enjoy taking different craft projects in group settings. I find a lot at the local libraries. I will be doing a sea glass mosaic mason jar next week after work. It is fun being creative.
Funny you should ask. I am just back from choir rehearsal. Music nurtures my soul and makes me whole. And the Easter music is so joyous! I am profoundly grateful to all of those who have supported me and those who continue to support me on my musical journey.
It is working with my hands mostly as a woodworker and antique furniture preservation and conservation. But reflecting for a few moments, I also find creative expression in the garden and through writing.
when I’m in the kitchen I feel myself ‘at home’ either we can work together or as a one man show. As I was trained to be a line chef. Afterwards, I simultaneously ran several restaurants, both in the day and the evening serving lunch and dinner.
I learned how to cook spiritual food for an ashram which meant that while cooking is only done as offering, or as a blessing from God’s and for His pleasure as He has described in literature the types of food He enjoys which are in the mode of goodness. It is hard not to taste the preparations while cooking which can be challenging. But, it helps in knowing how to combine the flavors to produce a thousand varieties of palatable dishes.
Food preparation
Make Polish stars
Make greeting cards
Hospitality
Pay it forward
Tutor
Help seniors be healthier
Finding solutions to problems.
I learned to knit and tat from my maternal grandmother, learned to sew and cook from my mom, and learned to play piano and flute from school and lessons, so thinking about my creative outlets is also a memory exercise.
Some of my creative outlets have been unavailable to me for months thanks to breaking my wrist. I’ve likely been able to resume them for a while and haven’t; this is a reminder to find out how much I can do before it aches. I’ve done a bit of knitting already and know I can do some but not a lot; I’m working on a deep blue scarf in linen stitch that is taking me forever because our cat eats yarn and I can only knit when traveling or if he’s asleep in his carrier. I call him the Merino Muncher, among other nicknames.
One creative practice that has stayed available that I’m doing more of these days: Write posts for two blogs, one more personal and one focused on bicycling and transportation.
Other things I do: Paint small rocks with tiny pictures or sayings, then leave them in the parks I walk in for others to find. Do Zentangle, a meditative practice that lets me create small, wonderful and fantastical drawings without being a “Capital A Artist”. Cook and bake–I’m especially good at creating delicious soups and making funs hors d’oeuvres, like stuffed mushrooms. I used to sew and will take that up again one of these days; right now my conscience tells me I should catch up on the mending that awaits (the cat eats holes in clothes, too…) before starting a new project. I’ve been collecting scraps of various materials to be ready for some ideas I have for future projects that might involve some kind of mixed-media treatments applied to various prints (think of a bicycle image from a calendar with things on top so it has more dimension and some whimsy). I make candles occasionally to repurpose the ends of ones we’ve burned; no special shapes or decoration but it’s enjoyable. I don’t often play piano, although we have one and I’ve been meaning to play more as therapy for my wrist. I’m also creating the plan for how our yard will change as we shift it gradually from a neglected patch full of false dandelion and burdock to an outdoor living space for us and for the creatures that fly and creep and scurry, with space for us to grow food. It’s already better than it was, with more to do (future rain garden, more naturescaping).
Love the question!
Barb, You have so many talents!
I feel fortunate to have had so many people to teach me things. We were always making things in my house growing up and did a lot of imaginative play; both of these embedded lifelong tendencies and habits.
Reading replies from others and rereading my own I thought of another expression of creativity: I create connections between people. In my work in particular, I have many conversations with people who aren’t yet connected and who might create something more if they knew each other and collaborated. I make those connections in a way that lets them know why I think they may find value in knowing each other. I don’t do any steering or follow-up from there–what happens is up to them. I guess I’m scattering seeds and hoping things grow.
Creativity and expression have always
been something that I’ve desired.
Both of these things require a confidence
that I have lacked due to my childhood
situation. Only now, in my late fifty’s, do
I feel comfortable expressing myself.
I love playing music and singing, even though
I am mediocre at best, but I still get so much
enjoyment from it, and my work with
video gives me ample opportunities to
create. I also feel like riding downhill
on my mtn. bike, is a creative expression.
I even think being in the moment is an
act of creativity.
Charlie T, I hear you. It’s so easy to forget that we are human BEings not human DOings. Even when we produce something, it’s a wonderful feeling if we can BE in each moment it took to DO it.
For me, to be creative is to see with new eyes. When I write meditations and poems, I’m seeking contact with a greater self awareness. I’m sharing my vulnerability to connect with the vulnerability of others. I’m craving a relationship with reality. I spent many years acting in community theatre. I did a stint as a blues singer on Bourbon Street and sang in church choirs. I used to say I traveled between the saloon and the sanctuary and didn’t find them much different. Both are filled with people searching for meaning and I can relate.
“When we trust our creativity, we encounter a supreme kind of enjoyment – an amazement at the natural unfolding of life beyond our ordinary way of looking at things. Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
This quote grabs me! What does it mean to“trust my creativity?” How often do I allow myself to pause, stop and enjoy the “natural unfolding of life?” How often do I let go and let life flow in and through me? If I truly believe that life is trust worthy, that I will always be shown a way through, why is it so hard for me to relax?
Perhaps, the challenge is my “ordinary way of looking at things.” I still, after over 80 years on this earth, fear failure, crave acceptance, struggle to feel of worth. I am wounded. We are all wounded but to quote Henri Nouwen, “May we become wounded healers.” Perhaps the key is the word “creativity.” How often do I remember that we are all Creator? What we think, what we do matters. And so I pray: May I, May you, May we all develop a healthy love and acceptance of self that shares, cares and creates a kinder world.
Carol, as usual, your words speak
to me. Thank you 🙏
You’ve lived such an amazing life! You’ve mentioned the Bourbon Street singing before. I’ve only been in New Orleans a couple of times on business travel but this fascinates me. Definitely not something everyone has on their resume.
I removed it from my resume several years ago. You wouldn’t believe how many people think that if you sang on Bourbon Street, you were also a stripper!
I’m not a painter/sewer/arts&crafts type of person (which to me are very creative kind of ppl) so for me, I enjoy decorating seasonally, or perhaps cooking. I recently did try making homemade vanilla extract and I’ve also have made homemade Amaretto and Limoncello. Once in awhile I do like to create a haiku. (5-7-5)
I love the weekends
I get to sleep in longer
Grateful for this site
I use seasonal decor on my mantles and art shelves, and sometimes change out a blanket/throw on the couch to reflect the season.
lol, I always write out my reflection first before I read others … yours made me smile realizing I’m the same:)
I don’t feel as though I have a creative bone in my body!! But, I do like to make good meals and read recipes…almost a hobby! I also like to keep a nice home…simple things.
An example was a few weeks ago when I installed a new after market operators seat, arm and back rest on my late model John Deere tractor. The bolt hole patterns matched up but the bottom was recessed where the original bottom was flat. I needed to make some sort of spacers a couple of inches thick and 10 inches long. I had some survey stakes that I cut to size and drilled a couple of bolt holes in each. It took two, sandwiched together for each side. For the back rest to be installed I used a portion of the old bracket. I needed to heat it up, hammer in a couple of 90 degree angles and drill a couple of holes. It took a bit but I now have a new seat parked atop the bracket of an old tractor. I told my therapist I McGyvered it. She said it sounded to her more of a creative solution to a problem!
Haha I was thinking the same thing when I was reading your post “MacGyer”. Certainly is creative thought!
Joseph, I also enjoy creative
problem solving and I love having
the tools to tackle most situations.
I’m sure your new seat will grace
that tractor for many years.
You’re a problem-solver like my husband. He does many of these kinds of “make it work so we can reuse or repurpose something” projects.
Joseph, What a gift you have! My late husband had a similar gift and my son inherited it–the ability to analyze a challenging situation and improvise a solution. Such ingenuity!
I share creativity by practicing and playing my guitars and keyboard. Thanks to modern technology I am able to record myself and share over social media with others. I find it therapeutic and a way to relieve stress.