cre.ate: verb, “to bring into being”
How do you begin to make something? How do you bring something into being that's never existed before? Where does it start?
With an idea? A clear vision of something to be translated from the internal world to the external?
Maybe with a song, or a sky, a conversation, or something you read in a book?
With the newscast that makes your skin crawl? With the tears on your cheeks or the pit in your stomach?
Maybe it’s a restlessness, a sound just beyond hearing that asks for your focus and the chance to breathe…..
And, if you’ll follow it… patiently… at its own pace- you may end up somewhere incredible.
With thread, fabric, paint, glue, paper, ink, voice, instrument, hands, eyes, touch, breath, and soul you may somehow find answers your own big questions.
For me, it’s usually a feeling that needs to find its way out. It’s something I NEED to say but don’t yet know how to. Then, it’s a word I need to build in some physical way, a piece of fabric with texture and flow. I wait until I find the space right between ‘this is too easy and ordinary’ and ‘this is way too much for me to accomplish’- and that’s when I feel the spark. That spark can carry me for months. Through endless hours of quiet, repetitive stitching, through sore fingers and untangling knots. Through self-doubt and distraction. Honestly, I almost always like the process more than the end result, because it’s in the doing that I feel the inspiration of all that could be.
Isn’t it wonderful- you don’t have to be a world-renowned anything to feel wholly inspired. You don’t have to have mastered anything, you don’t have to be perfect (ever)- and you still get to experience the wonder of creating something that’s never existed before. I know it can be intimidating, and feel very vulnerable, especially given the barrage of perfect images on social media, but there is power, and life, in making something that stirs your soul.
This is a practice that can be cultivated in every life (a practice... not a product.... because the process matters so much more than the result).
Is a creative practice part of your life? If not, would you like it to be? If it sparks your curiosity, if it makes you feel more like yourself, if it fills you up and you can pour it out... then -whatever it is- practice it regularly.
Is it your fingers in bread dough? Trying a new recipe? Listening to a birdsong? Making something with your hands, or your voice? Is it writing a letter? Journaling? Holding a loved one? Is it listening to another soul with your whole attention? Is it asking a question that no one has asked yet?
All these (and so many more) are ways to live a creative life. The world needs you- with no fanfare, with all your imperfections, with exactly your authentic personality and perspective. Living in this world with an open and loving heart takes so much bravery. So, let's celebrate all the creativity we see in others and nurture our own creativity however we're longing to!
Since I’m asking you to be brave- I’ll show my own cards. This is the first thing I ever stitched, 9 years ago, after I’d seen some incredible modern embroidery and thought- “I want to do THAT!!”. It was my first shaky step into a more openly creative life.
Was it great or skillful? Of course not, but I loved making it- and it just made me want to learn more. So, do your soul a favor and do a little creating today. It’s a gift you can give to yourself anytime. You don’t have to show anyone, or even think it’s any good. But every time you pour out a bit of yourself into something creative, you’ll know yourself a little better, and hopefully feel just a bit more free.
Keep Stitching,
Leah
Ahhh, I love the idea of a creative practice. I’ve never thought about it in quite that way before, even though I do have my own (usually private) creative flow that happens from time to time! Lovely thoughts. For me it’s meditation; mindfulness; prayer; bread baking in the oven; and – ? The list of ways to express that creative burst is endless!! It’s about joy, really, isn’t it? 💐