I declare this “Create Something Day!”
Our society is definitely a consumer culture. Everybody buys, collects, hoards, eats, uses up, and throws things away. Few of us grow, build, make or create. Most of us are very far removed from the methods by which our clothes, houses, cars, food, and possessions are designed, created and built.
I want to counteract this in my own life by creating and producing things when I can. I’m not at all talented at sewing, so I probably won’t be sewing my own clothes any time soon. But in the summer I can garden; in the winter I can tend attractive houseplants; I can make handcrafted cards to express affection for family members and friends; and I can cook and bake.
Today I will be creating something.
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Do a load of laundry, if needed, so you aren’t heading into the workweek with loads piling up.
- Have you eaten a “whole food” today? Something that’s not out of the freezer or a box? Perhaps a banana, a tomato, an avocado, a handful of blueberries, a handful of almonds?
- What’s going to stop you from having time to create something? Whether it’s errands, an appointment, cleaning or another project, get that done first to free yourself up to enjoy the creative process.
TODAY’S PROJECT: Create Something
Do something with your hands. Make something for yourself. Touch it with your hands, feel the texture, experience the smell of whatever you’re working with. Taste it, if you’re cooking something. Photograph your creation so you can blog it later or share it in a letter.
Don’t run out and buy any supplies – we all probably have way more than we need in the way of groceries, gardening tools, seeds, bulbs, sewing supplies, paper goods, glues, glitters, pens and crafting supplies. Use whatever you have on hand, and let that guide you as to what you might want to create today.
Be present in the moment while you are creating. Turn off the TV, stay away from the computer, and put the cell phone away where you can’t hear it or be tempted to answer frivolous texts.
Have your kids help you, work with your partner, or enjoy your task by yourself.
You might bake something (I’m baking sweet breads today), or create a special out-of-the-ordinary meal for tonight. You might sew something if you’re good at that, or work on finishing that knit sweater or the felt stuffed animal you were halfway done with. Perhaps you got an indoor herb garden as a Christmas gift – spend time tonight nurturing it.
You might just mess around with your crafts – rubber stamping, scrapbooking, trying to make a soft doll, finishing that beaded necklace, or putting together a photo album. Paint a picture if you have such supplies on hand, or work with your watercolors. Create your own cards for games like “Apples to Apples” or “Taboo,” or draw up a silly Monopoly board customized for your family’s preferences.
Your creativity might run to writing – create an entry in your journal, write a short story, write a family newsletter, work on your family web page, or write a letter to a relative (I’m writing to my niece and nephews today as well).
Whatever you might choose to do, give yourself the time and space to do it. Put off laundry til tomorrow if needed, avoid wasting two hours in front of the TV (this one is hard for me!) and log into Facebook 1 time instead of 20 tonight.
Create something, build something, whether useful or frivolous. Make something that you put yourself into.