I was concerned when naming this blog about creativity. I have a hard time tooting my own horn and am afraid that those reading my words will laugh at my title. Wow, she does not have a ton of crafty things on here. How can she call herself creative when that is not what she is doing? Ok, point taken.
But to me, creativity is not how much hot glue or thread one uses. It is a way of life.
In my opinion, those that are most creative to me are those that use what is available to them to come up with something new and innovative.
It is thinking outside the box.
It is doing things differently than others because you see that the way is has always been done is not working anymore.
Or you get a request from a youngin’ for something cool and you have no desire to run to the store, so you must use what you have.
Here are some reasons I wanted to give myself this name.
In planning my wedding, I had a panic attack when thinking about favors by each plate with a matchy-matcy ribbon wrapped around a little white box. I wanted to do something out of the ordinary. I was, after all, getting married old. That is, at 33. I could not see myself working the room with 200 people, only half of which I knew. DadOfAllTrades understood. I wined that I wanted to elope. Let’s go to Vegas, I think I said while breathing hard into a bag trying not to hyperventilate. The idea held and we decided to exchange vows in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado. We had 40 family and friends with us. And, not a surprise to me, had a couple that I did not know (friend of my FIL who just happened to be vacationing in Colorado while we were there). One cannot get away from paying for a strangers meal no matter how far you travel to get hitched. But, being creative, I did not let others tell me what to do. And I would do it again.
One is creative when they are thinking how to make something better. Like bath time with two tired toddlers and one done-for-the-day-momma. We used to scrub them as fast as humanly possible then let the two of them splash the rest of the time. Not that creative in the crafty sense of the word, but listen to how we made a bad thing in to a good thing. I found a clear shower curtain. The boys were told they must not splash when the curtain was open. They behaved really well so that they could get to the splashing part. Once clean, I closed the curtain and made sure the sides were in, then let them go at it. Since the curtain was clear, I could see them and know all noses were above water level. I could also tell when they got bored of the splashing and wanted to just play in the water. Everyone was happy, and no tired mommy mopping up water.
Look back at this post to see how creativity, and a little necessity, helped me come up with an idea for a Weed Hat. Again, use what is out there and make it yours.
How about when the kids are starting to get whiny and I am about to blow? Instead of losing it, I start singing “On Top of Spaghetti” at the top of my lungs. I 100% absolutely cannot sing. I am tone deaf (how I discovered this is another topic for a post). The boys hate it when I sing. So they stop whining and cover their ears. Usually they start laughing and the stress is over.
What is hard about doing things differently is how others give you the hairy eyeball sometimes. Like when I pack a lunch for the zoo, or wherever one may be for the day with kids and a fast food lunch is available. Why can I not pack a lunch and save some money? Why must one assume that just because you are taking your children to a fun-filled outing that it must involve a hugely overpriced lunch? This may be a lame example of creativity, but if doing it differently is a way of life, then it happens everywhere.
Don’t limit yourself to thinking that being creative must involve needle and thread, or paper and ribbon. What do you do that is different? You may be creative with words. You may be creative with plants. You may be creative with lesson plans. Whatever. Just keep doing it differently and with gusto.
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