Homemade Love Affair

For those of you who don't know me very well, I'm about to get really personal. (If you’d like to skip it, then please scroll down to the bottom for the link)

I have had, and will always have a love affair of homemade goods. I've recently been once again seduced by this life long love affair of mine and have been happily swimming in others successes. I, as many of you are unaware am a jealous creature. I am not a creative person (don't argue with me, just hear me out). I never have been. I've always been one of those people who stand at the window looking in and envying those who are artistic, crafty and creative.

Growing up, I’ve always been attracted to creative people. Now this isn’t to say that I surrounded myself with them, no, I was far too intimidated by them. But I always sought them out, watched them closely and envied them fiercely. I have always felt inferior to them and never wanted to be compared to someone of this magnitude and talent.

So, what is my definition of creative – seeing as how I’m not? Creativity isn’t a thing, it isn’t something you do, and it’s not even a look – it’s a way of life. Creativity is a way of thinking; it’s a lifestyle, not a choice, an aurora about you. It is something that comes naturally, without a pattern, without guidelines, without directions, it’s a vision, an inner knowledge that brews within the mind and is seen in everything you do.

We all know creative people. Creativity comes in all different ways. There are those who are writers, artists, crafters, sculptors, designers, cooks, bakers, the list can go on forever. These are all unique individuals who, given a few tips, can take the world by storm and create masterpieces that the rest of us can only copy.

It is here, that I find my category. I am what I consider to be a creative imposter. I, like millions of others, give the impression of creativity but truly lack the ability to create. I can look at something and re-create it, but cannot be original - though I am unique in my own way. It is this uniqueness that I have my parents to thank. I am not only a creative imposter, but a dabbler. I get this mainly from my father. Growing up my father was what I call a dabbler. He was always on different “kicks” trying new projects. He’d do a new project/craft until he perfected it. Once he understood it, did it, mastered it, he’d move on to the next project/craft and rarely returned to previously learned projects. The amazing thing about him was that he could do just about anything he put his mind to. Whether it was working with wood, paints, yarns – anything, he could master it. My mother was also crafty but she mainly stuck to certain areas. My mother learned an art, mastered the art and kept with the art, never tossing it by the wayside. My mother was a well known baker & quilt maker.

It is in knowing my parents that you begin to know me. I, like my father am a dabbler. I do many different things. I get on “kicks” – Learn it, practice it, perfect it and move on. But, like my mother, I keep up with those past learned skills – never really tossing them to the side to but using those skills as needed. Like, my parents, I have found that I am really good at many different areas. I bake, scrapbook, do altered art, quilt and attempt to sew. I have this great talent to understand and perfect many different areas – with effort. I am what I consider to be a quick learner. Once I put my mind to a project, I can and will accomplish it. It may not be good the first time, or the second time or even the 10th time (trust me, I’ve made a lot of BAD quilts, and some of you have been recipients of those.) But before I abandon that project, I will perfect it – but only with help. I need a pattern, idiot guidelines and a lot of trial and error. But remember, my definition of creative is being able to attack a project without a pattern, or direction, but being able to push forward with a vision and idea and having that idea come out as you intended – which is not me.

Though I have not surrounded myself with creative people, I do have them in my life. The most creative person I know, who is truly creative in every sense of the word, is my sister in law Sue. Sue is someone I have been fiercely jealous of; though I’m sure she has been unaware of this. My jealousy has shrunk over the years and turned into envy and appreciation but this did not happen over night.

The problem with dating and then marrying someone who grew up with a creative person is that you constantly feel as if being compared to that person. I remember when dating Ben, I’d say or do something and he’d reply, oh yea, my sister’s been doing that for years. Or my sister can do that. Nothing I did was new or exciting, but always followed by the typical comment of “my sister does that”. This was at first something I struggled with. If you know Ben at all, how he meant it and how I took it are worlds apart. He never had any intention of making me feel inferior or as if I couldn’t do anything as well as his sister. But knowing me and my passion for creative things and those who can create and the jealously I’ve had from the beginning of my existence for them, I began to feel that nothing I did could ever come close to what his sister did.

Through marrying Ben, and getting to know his family better and especially his sister better, I’ve learned that there is nothing to be jealous over. My jealousy has faded to full out admiration and appreciation. Everything she does, I am in awe of. This is a woman who in my mind can do almost anything. For her wedding, she designed and made her wedding dress with her mother, she made her invitations, thank you’s, cake, flowers and much more. There was and is nothing she can’t do. She is the most fun and inspiring person I know. There is never a dull moment with Sue around. She’s not only creative in the arts but in everything she does. If there is ever a dull moment, within seconds Sue has a new fun and exciting idea and quite frankly, I can’t wait to move to MN to be closer to her and I feel quite blessed that one day, my children will be blessed to have her influence in their lives.

Creativity and the ability that many have to create, is something I’ve always loved and appreciated. In my home, my most prized possessions are those that were handmade with love. I believe that handmade goods are something of a lost art and yet there is nothing more wonderful in my life than those few things that are made with love and from the heart.

It is this passion that I have – my homemade love affair - that I have stumbled upon an amazing site that lists blog after blog after blog of creative people and the things that they accomplish. I have found myself lost in their world of creativity and have found myself truly happy as I sift through their personal experiences. If any of you have a similar love affair or out of sheer curiosity would like to check it out, feel free. This site has provided me hours of happiness and ideas - and I’ve not even gotten through half the list. Please feel free to join my love affair for a few hours or moments and appreciate true art in its finest moment with some of the world’s most creative people.

http://www.thimble.ca/?page_id=267