Reflections

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  1. Lisa Alvarado

    I’m not sure anymore…I was a writer and performer and these days, my creativity is more diffuse, and I feel it’s in my heart, in the way I look at things.

    12 months ago
  2. Robin Ann

    I enjoy taking different craft projects in group settings. I find a lot at the local libraries. I will be doing a sea glass mosaic mason jar next week after work. It is fun being creative.

    12 months ago
  3. Dolores Kazanjian

    Funny you should ask. I am just back from choir rehearsal. Music nurtures my soul and makes me whole. And the Easter music is so joyous! I am profoundly grateful to all of those who have supported me and those who continue to support me on my musical journey.

    12 months ago
  4. Don Jones

    It is working with my hands mostly as a woodworker and antique furniture preservation and conservation. But reflecting for a few moments, I also find creative expression in the garden and through writing.

    12 months ago
  5. luv-1-nutter

    when I’m in the kitchen I feel myself ‘at home’ either we can work together or as a one man show. As I was trained to be a line chef. Afterwards, I simultaneously ran several restaurants, both in the day and the evening serving lunch and dinner.
    I learned how to cook spiritual food for an ashram which meant that while cooking is only done as offering, or as a blessing from God’s and for His pleasure as He has described in literature the types of food He enjoys which are in the mode of goodness. It is hard not to taste the preparations while cooking which can be challenging. But, it helps in knowing how to combine the flavors to produce a thousand varieties of palatable dishes.

    12 months ago
  6. Yram

    Food preparation
    Make Polish stars
    Make greeting cards
    Hospitality
    Pay it forward
    Tutor
    Help seniors be healthier

    12 months ago
  7. Rabbit

    Finding solutions to problems.

    12 months ago
  8. Barb C

    I learned to knit and tat from my maternal grandmother, learned to sew and cook from my mom, and learned to play piano and flute from school and lessons, so thinking about my creative outlets is also a memory exercise.
    Some of my creative outlets have been unavailable to me for months thanks to breaking my wrist. I’ve likely been able to resume them for a while and haven’t; this is a reminder to find out how much I can do before it aches. I’ve done a bit of knitting already and know I can do some but not a lot; I’m working on a deep blue scarf in linen stitch that is taking me forever because our cat eats yarn and I can only knit when traveling or if he’s asleep in his carrier. I call him the Merino Muncher, among other nicknames.
    One creative practice that has stayed available that I’m doing more of these days: Write posts for two blogs, one more personal and one focused on bicycling and transportation.
    Other things I do: Paint small rocks with tiny pictures or sayings, then leave them in the parks I walk in for others to find. Do Zentangle, a meditative practice that lets me create small, wonderful and fantastical drawings without being a “Capital A Artist”. Cook and bake–I’m especially good at creating delicious soups and making funs hors d’oeuvres, like stuffed mushrooms. I used to sew and will take that up again one of these days; right now my conscience tells me I should catch up on the mending that awaits (the cat eats holes in clothes, too…) before starting a new project. I’ve been collecting scraps of various materials to be ready for some ideas I have for future projects that might involve some kind of mixed-media treatments applied to various prints (think of a bicycle image from a calendar with things on top so it has more dimension and some whimsy). I make candles occasionally to repurpose the ends of ones we’ve burned; no special shapes or decoration but it’s enjoyable. I don’t often play piano, although we have one and I’ve been meaning to play more as therapy for my wrist. I’m also creating the plan for how our yard will change as we shift it gradually from a neglected patch full of false dandelion and burdock to an outdoor living space for us and for the creatures that fly and creep and scurry, with space for us to grow food. It’s already better than it was, with more to do (future rain garden, more naturescaping).
    Love the question!

    12 months ago
    1. Carol

      Barb, You have so many talents!

      12 months ago
      1. Barb C

        I feel fortunate to have had so many people to teach me things. We were always making things in my house growing up and did a lot of imaginative play; both of these embedded lifelong tendencies and habits.

        12 months ago
    2. Barb C

      Reading replies from others and rereading my own I thought of another expression of creativity: I create connections between people. In my work in particular, I have many conversations with people who aren’t yet connected and who might create something more if they knew each other and collaborated. I make those connections in a way that lets them know why I think they may find value in knowing each other. I don’t do any steering or follow-up from there–what happens is up to them. I guess I’m scattering seeds and hoping things grow.

      12 months ago
  9. Charlie T

    Creativity and expression have always
    been something that I’ve desired.
    Both of these things require a confidence
    that I have lacked due to my childhood
    situation. Only now, in my late fifty’s, do
    I feel comfortable expressing myself.
    I love playing music and singing, even though
    I am mediocre at best, but I still get so much
    enjoyment from it, and my work with
    video gives me ample opportunities to
    create. I also feel like riding downhill
    on my mtn. bike, is a creative expression.
    I even think being in the moment is an
    act of creativity.

    12 months ago
    1. Carol

      Charlie T, I hear you. It’s so easy to forget that we are human BEings not human DOings. Even when we produce something, it’s a wonderful feeling if we can BE in each moment it took to DO it.

      12 months ago
  10. Carol

    For me, to be creative is to see with new eyes. When I write meditations and poems, I’m seeking contact with a greater self awareness. I’m sharing my vulnerability to connect with the vulnerability of others. I’m craving a relationship with reality. I spent many years acting in community theatre. I did a stint as a blues singer on Bourbon Street and sang in church choirs. I used to say I traveled between the saloon and the sanctuary and didn’t find them much different. Both are filled with people searching for meaning and I can relate.

    “When we trust our creativity, we encounter a supreme kind of enjoyment – an amazement at the natural unfolding of life beyond our ordinary way of looking at things. Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

    This quote grabs me! What does it mean to“trust my creativity?” How often do I allow myself to pause, stop and enjoy the “natural unfolding of life?” How often do I let go and let life flow in and through me? If I truly believe that life is trust worthy, that I will always be shown a way through, why is it so hard for me to relax?

    Perhaps, the challenge is my “ordinary way of looking at things.” I still, after over 80 years on this earth, fear failure, crave acceptance, struggle to feel of worth. I am wounded. We are all wounded but to quote Henri Nouwen, “May we become wounded healers.” Perhaps the key is the word “creativity.” How often do I remember that we are all Creator? What we think, what we do matters. And so I pray: May I, May you, May we all develop a healthy love and acceptance of self that shares, cares and creates a kinder world.

    12 months ago
    1. Charlie T

      Carol, as usual, your words speak
      to me. Thank you 🙏

      12 months ago
    2. Barb C

      You’ve lived such an amazing life! You’ve mentioned the Bourbon Street singing before. I’ve only been in New Orleans a couple of times on business travel but this fascinates me. Definitely not something everyone has on their resume.

      12 months ago
      1. Carol

        I removed it from my resume several years ago. You wouldn’t believe how many people think that if you sang on Bourbon Street, you were also a stripper!

        12 months ago
  11. Michele

    I’m not a painter/sewer/arts&crafts type of person (which to me are very creative kind of ppl) so for me, I enjoy decorating seasonally, or perhaps cooking. I recently did try making homemade vanilla extract and I’ve also have made homemade Amaretto and Limoncello. Once in awhile I do like to create a haiku. (5-7-5)
    I love the weekends
    I get to sleep in longer
    Grateful for this site

    12 months ago
  12. Pilgrim

    I use seasonal decor on my mantles and art shelves, and sometimes change out a blanket/throw on the couch to reflect the season.

    12 months ago
    1. Michele

      lol, I always write out my reflection first before I read others … yours made me smile realizing I’m the same:)

      12 months ago
  13. Nannette

    I don’t feel as though I have a creative bone in my body!! But, I do like to make good meals and read recipes…almost a hobby! I also like to keep a nice home…simple things.

    12 months ago
  14. Joseph McCann

    An example was a few weeks ago when I installed a new after market operators seat, arm and back rest on my late model John Deere tractor. The bolt hole patterns matched up but the bottom was recessed where the original bottom was flat. I needed to make some sort of spacers a couple of inches thick and 10 inches long. I had some survey stakes that I cut to size and drilled a couple of bolt holes in each. It took two, sandwiched together for each side. For the back rest to be installed I used a portion of the old bracket. I needed to heat it up, hammer in a couple of 90 degree angles and drill a couple of holes. It took a bit but I now have a new seat parked atop the bracket of an old tractor. I told my therapist I McGyvered it. She said it sounded to her more of a creative solution to a problem!

    12 months ago
    1. Robin Ann

      Haha I was thinking the same thing when I was reading your post “MacGyer”. Certainly is creative thought!

      12 months ago
    2. Charlie T

      Joseph, I also enjoy creative
      problem solving and I love having
      the tools to tackle most situations.
      I’m sure your new seat will grace
      that tractor for many years.

      12 months ago
    3. Barb C

      You’re a problem-solver like my husband. He does many of these kinds of “make it work so we can reuse or repurpose something” projects.

      12 months ago
    4. Carol

      Joseph, What a gift you have! My late husband had a similar gift and my son inherited it–the ability to analyze a challenging situation and improvise a solution. Such ingenuity!

      12 months ago
  15. devy

    I share creativity by practicing and playing my guitars and keyboard. Thanks to modern technology I am able to record myself and share over social media with others. I find it therapeutic and a way to relieve stress.

    12 months ago
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