Indulging my creative streak

Today I've been quite ill and have spent the day nursing a bad head. The kind of bad head that makes close up work such as embroidery or beading  (my current two crafts of choice) a real pain in the...well..head.

Indeed, today has been spent watching movies with Ben (specifically Superman Returns and The Mummy) playing games (Haven't played Dragon Age in a while, quite enjoyed it) and taking frequent naps to try and over come said bad head. It's not been exactly an exciting day at all, but it has been nice, and it is always lovely at the weekend to share my time with Ben since he doesnt have to work.

Anyhow I just checked out the time and saw that I had twenty minutes left to NaBlo. So to NaBlo I go to pick up today's prompt and it appears there was none :( still, as I had a fun day yesterday and wrote about 'real life' I can at least use yesterdays prompt :)


Friday, February 4, 2011
Tell us about three ways you express your creativity.

1)  Well as you already well know I dabble in some crafty bits and bobs. I've been making jewellery for the past couple of years and over the summer I started cross stitch. However, I got bored of cross stitch...I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the act of creating something beautiful with needle and thread. The repetitive act of bringing the needle in and out is very relaxing, and it is a complete and utter joy to see cotton, silk and wool bloom in beautiful designs accross a bare sheet of canvas or cloth. I get the same feeling of joy from watching someone else paint or draw, and actually spend hours watching instructive video's on youtube because...well because I'm sad like that. But I find it relaxing, almost meditative to watch. However, I have a mental block in that I find it very wierd to create something myself unless it has a practical purpose, and embroidery can become a cushion or a purse or some such thing, jewellery can be worn. I can't paint or draw because it seems vain to me to do something to hang on my own wall. I painted a peacock in sumi-e that I loved and had to give it away as a gift, I just can't do it. The one painting of mine that I do have up (which is a bit crap anyway lol) is there at Bens insistance, and is tucked away safely in the hallway.

Anyway, I was talking about why I got bored of cross stitch ^_^ it's not that I got bored as such, it's not even that I object to following a given pattern, it's that having to count each individual little square just totally eradicates all the relaxation for me. If I have something on my mind that is really heavy and hard core that I want to not think about for a while then it's perfect to take the mind away, but stitching freestyle is much more relaxing as my mind can wander. And lets face it, it's much more creative and expressive than crosstitch. And besides, I love running my finger over the textures afterwards, and cross stitch in general is pretty flat and...none texturful lol.

2) Sometimes I write. I do NaNoWriMo as I've previously mentioned, and last year I finally finished it. I don't show people my writing because I'm terribly self concious. I could go into why I'm self concious, but I'm too self concious to do that :p

That's a shame. My old English teacher made me promise to send him a book as soon as I published my first novel, he was always very encouraging. A shame not everyone was. Ben is, being the writing type himself but given he has a degree in writing I feel even more sub par next to him. He's my husband and he's only ever read perhaps one chapter of anything I've ever written.

Still, I don't write for the recognition. If I did perhaps I would have listened to my old teacher. I write as a form of escapism and because I love to flex my linguistic muscles in a way that day to day communicative tasks don't give the chance for.

3) Through my living space. I don't really have the chance to do that at the minute and I've also mentioned that before, but I was the typical teen throwing god knows what up against the wall from band posters to projects brought home from art class. All manner of dream catchers, fairy lights and mobiles hung up. I'm older now and have more sophisticated tastes. A vase of fresh flowers, a tasteful oil burner, decorative candles. I like people to be able to come into my home and know that it is indeed mine and not copied and pasted from "better homes" magazine or translated from the latest DIY show.

I may attempt (and fail I'm sure lol) to adhere to some sort of resemblance of fashion in my clothes because the me I present to the outside world is the me I have to present to prospective employers and anyone I may have a professional, working relationship with. I do not know who it is I may meet whilst out and about, and there are rules of conduct to be followed when participating in society. But my home is my sanctuary, and when someone comes to my home it is me they must click with, not the other way round. They may be invited guests, but they have none the less accepted my invitation instead of turning it down. I cannot always dress myself any which way I would prefer, but I can bloody well dress up my home to reflect what it is that makes me me!

Anyhow, there you have it, three ways I express my creativity. I'm 17 minutes late BUT I started yesterday so it counts ;)