Thursday, September 25, 2014

Where's the Inspiration?

Kind of like, “Where’s Waldo?” but a little trickier.


Photo By: ME

            There is no better feeling than getting back in the car with bags full of crafting supplies and equipment. When we finally make it home, lay out all of our supplies, and sit down the fun begins here. But wait, what are you going to create? I have been in this situation more than enough time to relate. My typical process consists of starring at my “blank canvas” for days and surfing Pinterest to figure out what I think I can do. Often we don’t have the time to sit there and stare at it, so that is when we challenge ourselves to find out what we want.
            I’m not going to sit here and say, “Let the brush take you, blah, blah, blah.” That’s crap. You can’t just sit there and paint lines with random colors. You aren’t Picasso and frankly, no one gets his work. You have to have a message that means something to you. That is determined by what makes you, you.
Photo By: ME
            I picked these two pictures to share with you because they stemmed from passion. One in particular focuses on the Dance Marathon event that raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network. Events like this have the power to create meaning in our lives and positively impact other people. These are the moments we aim to share. In this particular situation, this way given as a gift but the message doesn’t change. What inspires you can inspire others to make creations that impact the way we emotionally connect to people and events. We are people who get to do great things and experience history as it happens, you just need to determine what is worth writing down.

Sometimes what inspires us sprouts from our passions. Our passions sprout from experience and interests, experience and interests create who we are. Essentially inspirations are who we are beneath the skin. So, what inspires you?

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Crafting: The Productive Outlet

Photo By: ME!
As the world we live in continues to grow in chaos, there is often little time for pleasure. When the rare opportunity comes along for “me-time”, we often take full advantage by assuming the position in our favorite spot on the couch and lay there until the moment we feel guilty has been present for a grand total of three or four hours. As I describe moments like this, I can think of more than enough moments where I have used and abused the “me-time” only to find myself groggy and feeling lazier than ever. Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate my time lying on the ground, processing what happened throughout the course of my crazy college life but there comes a time where I need to take advantage of the little time I have and do something for me. Because the last thing I need is my mother telling me to get off my butt and do something, so that’s why I decided to start exercising my mind.  
            As we surround ourselves with technology it becomes more of a chore to exercise one of the most important parts of our body, our brain. We are always encouraged to do things like puzzles, word searches, crosswords, or even reading because the brain needs to be worked and challenged to prevent signs of aging, such as memory loss. But you aren’t here to listen to some bullshit reason why you should do puzzles, you are here because like 75% of the world you want to attempt to be creative and want to craft. According to the website www.freshconsulting.com,Creativity is the highest form of intelligence because it goes beyond knowledge recall and extends into knowledge creation. Someone intelligent can be very knowledgeable and have excellent information recall (lets say for a standardized test), but creativity and innovation require some novel form of intelligence that is of a higher order.” That is where crafting begins.
            Crafting is a productive outlet that can let you tap into your potential and let you express yourself in a way you never thought possible. Allowing your passion to fuel the energy that leads you to craft will open doors where you are able to express who you are and discover what you are capable. Get ready, and let’s craft!
           

Sources:

Dance, Jeff. "Creativity Is the Highest Form of Intelligence - Fresh Consulting." Fresh Consulting Creativity Is the Highest Form of Intelligence Comments. 13 Sept. 2008. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://www.freshconsulting.com/creativity-is-the-highest-form-of-intelligence/>.