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Thursday, September 10, 2009

Amusing myself and indulging creativity

Angela asked, in a comment on my last post:
And what does it take to amuse yourself and indulge the urge for creativity? I used to plan creativity days and invite friends over for a messy day of tiled birdbath making...like that.

Just like to know more...


Thanks for asking!
I have a room full of junk. Yarn, scrapbooking supplies, bookmaking materials, fabric, ribbon, pens, paints, papers of all varieties, large sheets of artist's board and foam core and watercolor paper. There are crochet hooks and scissors and assorted paper cutters, from punches to rotary to my big swing-arm cutter. And then there are boxes of photographs, three cameras, and an extra lens or two. In the backyard, there's a dog and a kayak. And there's a kitchen, with all manner of fun things to play with.
So, to amuse myself and stimulate my creative urges, I might sit out with the dog and read a book or watch the clouds. I might roam the interwebs looking for ideas, too, or I might take the kayak and/or the cameras out for a wander.
I like to make handmade books, and I'm still learning to take photographs (film only, of course...digital's not for me). I used to scrapbook a lot; now I use those skills and materials to create custom mats for picture frames and to make collages. I sew, a little, mostly tote bags and the occasional pulpit stole. Sometimes I make beaded bookmarks to give away.
Occasional, really, is the operative word here. Because I am a full-time pastor and also writing a doctoral dissertation this year, there's not as much time as I'd like to play. I'm working on cooking a little more, and it would have been a good idea for me to stay home today and make things for a bake sale this weekend, but instead I'm in the office trying and failing to work on the outline of my dissertation. Maybe I should go back home instead!

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like you've got an artist's studio going! I used to audaciously call my stuff room a studio--and did like doing quilts (traditional and art) before the advent of child #1. I need to clear some cutting and thinking space in there before I start working again! Thank you for answering my question...

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