"But unless we are creators, we are not fully alive." - Madeleine L'Engle
Edie asked me the other day if God made the houses, and I explained that God created the minds in people so they could have the imagination and creativity to design and build the houses.
Which made me think about the fact that as we get older, it's easier and easier to focus on consuming rather than creating. There's less time to use that part of our brain to cook or sew or garden or build or tinker. There are stores and services for all of those things. And yet, it's true, we're NOT fully alive unless we're creating. That's what we were created for.
I recently attempted my first baby quilts for a friend and also a family member. When my girls were born, the gifts that I loved (and still love) most are the hand made quilts they received. It suddenly dawned on me that those individuals had somehow carved out time to create them for my girls. Why could I carve out time as well?
My handicrafts are much less than perfect, but I will say that a dormant part of my brain came suddenly to life as I evaluated colors, shapes, sizes, construction, and more. It was challenging. It was frustrating at times.
It was fun.
Don't expect me to become a quilt hobbyist any time soon, but I do have some ideas on how I'd make future ones better. Mostly it's the creative process that speaks most to my newly activated brain.
Creating doesn't have to equal craft. For some it will be cooking or baking, building or tiling, growing a flower or vegetable garden, putting together a presentation or designing a more functional spreadsheet. It is you and your mind thinking of and doing something that was previously not in existence before.
Like tea blending. (Yes, I dabble there too. Here's my own Calm-o-mile Tea - carefully concocted with my own two hands).
Today I intend to look for opportunities to be a creator, even if it's a small way, because each of our creations makes life and the lives of those around us a little better. Just the Creator intended.
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