I’ve been in a creative funk lately. How I got into it is a long story, so let me keep it simple by introducing you to the two halves of my brain.
First, meet the crafty side. This side loves paper, ribbon, buttons, and glue. She loves making messes and creating things, even if they aren’t very practical. Sometimes she can just sit down and create. Other times she needs a little direction or inspiration. Either way, the things she makes are usually fun and make me feel like my brain has been stretched.
The other side of my brain is very different. She is very logical, thoughtful, and purposeful. She prefers to have things neat and orderly. She will clean up because she knows she has to, but prefers to just avoid making messes. The fewer things she has, the happier she is, because it means less stuff to clean up. If something does not serve a useful purpose, then we should just get rid of it.
It’s tough sometimes. Occasionally the conversation in my head goes something like this:
Crafty: We should make something with the girls today.
Logical: Yes, but then we’ll just have to clean up the mess.
Crafty: But if we do the cutting and pasting for them then the mess won’t be as big.
Logical: That’s true, but what are we going to make? Do we have all the stuff to make it? Do we need to print out instructions? Will the girls be able to do it themselves while we work on something else?
Crafty: Well, let’s make some cards to send to the grandparents.
Logical: We could do that. Of course, I don’t have any good envelopes to actually send the cards, or stamps. We still haven’t even sent the Thank You notes from Princess’s birthday in July. Neither of the girls can really write by themselves anyway. And as much as I’m sure they would love a card, wouldn’t it be easier to just send an e-card than to make one?
Crafty: Well, let’s make some cute springy decorations.
Logical: That could be fun too, but what good are decorations if nobody comes to our house to see them. Besides, they’ll just get torn up, and it’s not like we can store them to use next year. We don’t have any place for that. They’ll just get thrown away.
Crafty: You think too much. Now I’m not in the mood to do anything.
Logical: Maybe tomorrow then.
Lately my logical side wins most of the time and I’m left feeling guilty, thinking that I haven’t spent enough time actually crafting with my kids. I want them to experience the joy of creating something with their own two hands. I want them to know how it feels when you create something that expresses who you are without regards for rules or boundaries. And yet, we create nothing but the occasional batch of cookies or brownies. While delicious, it just isn’t quite as fulfilling as something that won’t get eaten as soon as it is made.
So, what’s a mother to do? I think I’ve found a solution, but before I tell you what it is, I want to hear your thoughts on the subject. Do you have a hard time getting into the crafting mood? Are most of your childrens’ art projects created at school or day care? Do you think you can guess my solution for more crafting with my kids? Leave your comments, and then stay tuned to find out if you’re right or not.
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Jennifer – have you been lurking in my brain or something? That sounds exactly like my thought processes about 99 percent of the time these days!
Yes I agree! Oh, what was the question? LOL I have that inner struggle as well, especially while staying with family. It’s hard to leave a mess when you are not in your own space.
Learn something new. Combine 2 totally different medias together to create something unique.