People often wonder if they are too old or too young to start a new hobby. I know I’ve been told on many occasions I was either too young or too old to do something. Neither situation was true.
When are we ever the right age for something?
Right now. It’s the best time to start.
I’ve heard the Chinese proverb “the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The next best time to plant a tree is today.” The same is true with any creative pursuit.
Read MoreYou may want a piece of art for your wall, a nice abstract swooshy thing, but can’t quite find the one that matches your decor. Pick up a canvas and some paint, and see what happens. It probably won’t look the way you want it to at first, but that’s okay — the beauty of canvas and paint is that you can paint over what you don’t like and start again. (Just wait for the paint to dry first.)
Read MoreHave you ever come up with an idea you thought was great, then started working on it and realized it was going to be much bigger than you thought?
That brings me to the story behind the “1,000 Tiles Say a Single Word” piece that was part of the Potters Guild of Hamilton biennial exhibition “Next” in March 2024 at the Carnegie Gallery in Dundas, Ontario.
Read MoreWhat do we do when fear seeps into our lives?
It can be such a tricky foe. Sometimes it’s quiet and subtle, like if you’re afraid of spiders and you see a spider as you walk into a room. It’s something that’s there, that we have to confront (or get the next nearest human to dispose of it for us.) The same with fears of snakes, moths, or other creatures. Those kinds of fears are normal and confrontable, if still a bit inconvenient. We see something we are afraid of, we come up with a solution, and we move forward (or around) them.
Read MoreThe “Gap” represents the space between our current reality where we are today, and where we aspire to be. If you’re always looking at where you want to be and think that you’re not there yet, you’ll always feel a sense of desperation, of lack, of not being good enough.
The “Gain”, however, is the space between where you are today and where you’ve started. That is always the most positive space to be.
From that brief description it might sound like you should never have lofty aspirational goals and should always be reminiscing about the past, but that’s not the truth of the message. Yes, look back to appreciate what you’ve accomplished as you are working towards those lofty goals, because where you are today was once a lofty unreachable goal itself.
Read MoreIf you’re someone who doesn’t think you’re creative and have believed that all your life, how do you know once you’ve “become” creative? Is there some sort of graduation ceremony, where someone bestows a gap and gown on you saying “Now you have earned the title of Creative.”
Nope.
No bells, whistles, gaps, gowns, or flowers.
Being creative is not a distinction that is granted upon you from other people, such as someone who you consider creative saying “yes, now you are creative.”
Being creative is a decision.
It is a mindset.
It is owning the creativity you were born with.
Read MoreI became more intentional about my time. That coincided with when I heard about the 15 minutes a day writing habit through the Christian Book Academy that mentioned above. My writing productivity increased dramatically, so I decided to apply it to other things in my life. I carved out little 15 minute sessions in my day where I had extra time I could go longer if I wanted to, and got to work.
Read MoreThis time of year can be difficult for many people. There are struggles of loneliness, depression, feelings of not having enough or not being enough to others. The advertising around the holidays often show “perfect” families with “perfect” dinners in “perfect” settings, and that is not the reality for most of the world.
Read MoreThis verse is a reference to sowing seeds for farming; the hardship of whether the seeds will sprout, what the weather will do, whether insects or disease will blight the crop. There is much to stress and worry about and only so much you can do, so you need to have a lot of faith. But come harvest time, there is joy. Few of us farm these days so we may have lost touch with this Psalm, but it still has relevance.
Like I mentioned above, you could apply the same to quilting or other types of creative activity. When you’re quilting there’s all kinds of areas that things can go wrong:
Read MoreHow do you like to start your day? A quiet cup of coffee in a favourite chair? A cup of tea while listening to the radio? Sitting silently and just giving your mind, body, and soul a few minutes to wake up and enjoy the morning? Or do you drag yourself out of bed at the alarm, rush to check your phone for the latest news, social media posts, emails, and scramble to get ready for work?
I used to rush and scramble every morning, but since I started a new morning routine in December 2022, I’ve been much more productive and pleasant in the morning — at least on the days I don’t miss the alarm clock.
Read MoreWhat if you can do this new skill? What if you pass the test? What if people don’t even notice if you fail because they are so wrapped up in their own lives (spoiler alert: everyone on the planet except your nearest and dearest are too busy with their own lives to worry if you succeed or fail at something, and your closest companions will always cheer you on and support you.)
Read MoreI’m terrible at keeping up with it. I like to think it’s because I’m a creative and so easily distracted (anyone else with me?) Don’t get me wrong, I love to have a clean house, I’m just really bad at making a good habit of it. I’ve always loved a cleanly swept floor. Dusting I’ve always hated; what’s the point? You dust and then the next moment you turn around, and it’s back! It feels like such a waste of time, and I’m passionate about time management. Then the light hits it a certain way, and out comes the duster; I fall for it again.
Read MoreI was in an intense “cat-like state of readiness” no matter what the situation: when sitting at home, when getting ready to go to work, at work (that was the worst, because I had no control over what happened or when), and even when trying to go to sleep. If you’ve ever experienced any kind of anxiety, you’ll understand the feeling. If you haven’t, I’m glad you have been spared that, and pray you are always blessed to never experience it.
Read MoreWe spend so much of our time running from God, running away from the blessings he’s given us, running away from the guidance he’s provided us, because we’ve done such a good job at twisting his message. People take his love, his grace, his mercy, his goodness, and twist it into something they use to take power, privilege, money, and fame.
Not all people have done that, but too many have, and too many have shattered the lives of innocent people, making them fearful and angry at anything that has God’s message attached to it.
God’s running after us, because as humans, we keep messing up.
Read MoreThink of the joy we have, whether in making something new and sharing it with other people, or sharing how to make something with friends. Wouldn’t you like to learn a skill that you can share with the next generation in your family? Or the next generation growing up in the world? All this while reaping the benefits of better communication, and hand-eye coordination.
Read MoreSometimes you just need that extra bit of encouragement. Okay, not necessarily a sword, but someone encouraging you that you've got the tools to take the next step and continue your journey, whatever that may be.
Read MoreEver had a moment of doubt or negativity? Like I did when I was nearing the end of my pottery mentorship, had a ton of work, but nothing cohesive enough for our exhibition?
I gathered all the pieces worked on during the time and felt like it was a waste of time
Read MoreThere is something blissfully peaceful about a cat napping. It's like they've perfected the art of contentment and rest, enjoying the moment, not worrying about the next thing to come. Where do you find moments of peace in your life?
Is it catching a quick nap through a busy day? Or taking a quiet walk in the woods?
Read MoreWho loves naps? Do you have a favourite place to curl up for a quick cat nap, like our cat Harry? The piano bench is one of his many napping spots.
Do you feel that too often we neglect our rest? Cats may have the right idea.
Read MoreThis is a continuation of yesterday’s verse about not worrying about anything, but praying about everything. “God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” Or “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)
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