The Suprising Impact of Creative Endeavors
I was so terrified when I first decided to make my dream of an Etsy shop come true. I was so worried that by adding one more thing to my plate I would completely overload my brain and have a complete and total mental breakdown with long lasting results. The mental meltdown equivalent to Chernobyl. Which is why I am so astounded at what has actually taken place.
In the last week or so since I last posted I have worked really hard, I’ve put time in every day working on products or on other shop issues and I’ve been shocked to discover that the effects have been the exact opposite of what I expected. I feel invigorated, excited, motivated and content. I haven’t felt this way for years. As I’ve grown up and taken on adult responsibilities I’ve had to cut so many things out of my life that I am passionate about. Hockey, horseback riding, backpacking, snowboarding, art. The physical things have mostly been because of a lack of money and my deteriorating musculosketal structure. But all of them have been eliminated from my life because I was felt like I didn't have time for them. I felt like I needed to cut everything out that wasn’t essential so I would have time and energy for the important stuff (kids, family, work, housework). Up until a few weeks ago I was still stressed out, I still didn’t feel like I had the time or energy for those things and I was looking for other things to eliminate.
Enter determination to start shop: I am so surprised that I now feel so good, that I think I’m actually spending better time with my daughters, I’m a little less restless at work, and the housework… well that one is kind of falling by the wayside but it isn’t bothering me like it normally would. I’m now able to cheerfully walk past a dusty, cluttered living room to my creation corner (okay, it started out as a corner of mine and my husband’s bedroom but it has now overtaken the entire room except his side of the bed and a drawer in the bathroom, sorry sweetheart) and work on projects with my girls and my dog sitting on the side asking about the project and having fun little conversations with me while I work.
In the last week or so since I last posted I have worked really hard, I’ve put time in every day working on products or on other shop issues and I’ve been shocked to discover that the effects have been the exact opposite of what I expected. I feel invigorated, excited, motivated and content. I haven’t felt this way for years. As I’ve grown up and taken on adult responsibilities I’ve had to cut so many things out of my life that I am passionate about. Hockey, horseback riding, backpacking, snowboarding, art. The physical things have mostly been because of a lack of money and my deteriorating musculosketal structure. But all of them have been eliminated from my life because I was felt like I didn't have time for them. I felt like I needed to cut everything out that wasn’t essential so I would have time and energy for the important stuff (kids, family, work, housework). Up until a few weeks ago I was still stressed out, I still didn’t feel like I had the time or energy for those things and I was looking for other things to eliminate.
Enter determination to start shop: I am so surprised that I now feel so good, that I think I’m actually spending better time with my daughters, I’m a little less restless at work, and the housework… well that one is kind of falling by the wayside but it isn’t bothering me like it normally would. I’m now able to cheerfully walk past a dusty, cluttered living room to my creation corner (okay, it started out as a corner of mine and my husband’s bedroom but it has now overtaken the entire room except his side of the bed and a drawer in the bathroom, sorry sweetheart) and work on projects with my girls and my dog sitting on the side asking about the project and having fun little conversations with me while I work.
I guess I really shouldn’t be so shocked that doing something that I love would make my life more pleasant and relieve some stress but it really has made a dramatic difference. It is just one more reason I see that schools shouldn’t cut back on art programs and physical education. These are the things that people care about, that can fulfill us in ways that math & science just can’t.
Last night I finally got to lay out the squares of the queen size linen quilt that I’m working on and it is gorgeous! I need to figure out a way to get the pictures from my camera on here (my computer isn’t working so well right now) the quilt is going to be a generous queen size, 85x95 inches and all the squares are Linen. Hopefully I can find good linen to make the border and binding out of, and then the backing will be cotton. Most of the colors are varying shades of brown but I also have some really stunning blue and green in there too, they are actually a linen-silk blend and have an incredible texture. I cannot wait to see this quilt finished, and I can tell it is going to be difficult to part with.
Last night I finally got to lay out the squares of the queen size linen quilt that I’m working on and it is gorgeous! I need to figure out a way to get the pictures from my camera on here (my computer isn’t working so well right now) the quilt is going to be a generous queen size, 85x95 inches and all the squares are Linen. Hopefully I can find good linen to make the border and binding out of, and then the backing will be cotton. Most of the colors are varying shades of brown but I also have some really stunning blue and green in there too, they are actually a linen-silk blend and have an incredible texture. I cannot wait to see this quilt finished, and I can tell it is going to be difficult to part with.
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