Why do we bother to create?
Amanda Mac on Flickr
What drives us? There are plenty of people out there who are content to fill their ‘spare time’ with all sorts of non-creative pursuits (TV, reading, sport…).
I was, once upon a time, one of those people. I spent my time studying, reading, working. It was not until last year that I really begain to immerse myself in craft, art, and creativity in general.
I have always had a drive to write, but apart from a few short stories and 20,000 words of an unfinished novel sitting on my harddrive, that idea never really took off (wait, I guess I am a writer now, though!)
I have to say – those years were not completely happy for me. I always felt as though there was something missing in my life. I was never quite sure what it was, and so I drifted along, always unsatisfied.
My life blossomed when I began to create. I have always been an intellectual person, caught up in thoughts and study – so to come ‘back to Earth’ by working with my hands has been such a wonderful new discovery for me.
I get real pleasure from making and finishing an actual ‘thing’. I feel that creating things with our own hands is one of those little pleasures that we, in first world countries, anyways, have lost from our culture.
We don’t make our clothes, we buy them. We don’t fix things, we replace them… it has become endemic in our society to just pay others to do the things we once would have done for ourselves.
I also get a little thrill when someone likes something I have created enough to buy it from me – and I get to know that something I have made is out there in the world, persisting and bringing people pleasure.
I think that, now that I have found this new way of being, it will become more and more a part of my life.
Now I just need to learn how to sew… but if my previous attempts are anything to go by, that is not such a wise idea!
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I would love you to share your own stories and thoughts on this – why do YOU create?
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Good post!
I have been creative my whole life – but when a 9-5 job, mortgage and the stresses of life meant I left this part of my life out, I soon noticed that something was missing.
It wasn’t until someone said to me – what are you MISSING from your life, that it hit me – being creative is part of my life.
I now prioritise it as a stress relief, hobby and dear love, and my life feels more complete now.
I’ve been creative since I was young. Drawing and reading was my escape from reality.
I lost the need for that escape when I met my husband. I was happy to escape with him…
And then came kids… Too busy to escape anywhere except to crash in bed at the end of a hectic day, and hope that I got a full nights sleep.
Then, like you Jess, I realised that something was missing. I started drawing again. Played my piano more often. Took photos of whatever took my fancy. Sang and danced with the kids.
I fell in to my ‘craft’ through insomnia… couldn’t sleep when my husband was away working. But I enjoyed my beads so much, that I knew I had to make it a more prominent part of my life.
It brings me joy to know that some of my art has made someone somewhere in the world smile. We handmake our pieces with love. If we didn’t love our ‘craft’, we wouldn’t do it…
I’ve always loved to create things because while my “pushy Asian parents” encouraged me to excel academically, they also encouraged me to be involved with extra-curricular endeavours such as music, sport and crafting.
I gave up on it during my PhD years but I started again because of my kids and I just love to make things for those I love. It’s also my way of “escaping” when life gets stressful with the kids.
And Jess, I wouldn’t worry about my lack of sewing skills if I were as great a jewellery maker as you are!!! (But I did do a double-take at your bird – LOL).
I’ve always loved to make things…spent ages drawing & colouring when I was young. When I was in my teens I went to art classes (with a local artist) & gradually got into making beaded jewellery. In the last couple of years I’ve expanded my jewellery making & also gotten into photography.
I still love creating, working with colour in almost any way.
I’m very fortunate to be surrounded by creative people at home & they are very supportive of me & my creating 🙂