Why Creativity Matters to Me

Everyday Adventures
A corner of my studio, The Abyss; 3 shelving units stuffed to the gills with supplies.

One corner of my current studio, aka The Abyss; back when this story happened I had only a fraction of this.

Did I ever tell you the story about my second husband?

Without going into too many reasons he’s an ex, there was one moment in particular I wanted to share:

It was early 2005, we’d been married for just over 2 years, and that morning he was in a bad mood. So bad that it sorta permeated the house. And it happened even before I woke up that Saturday.

I admit, I was a bit chicken-shit and went back to bed to read until the storm-clouds passed or he’d had enough coffee or something.

Apparently I didn’t stay out the way quite long enough.

There was a fight. I don’t even remember how it started or what it was about, all told, but of the things I do remember, I remember him telling me I was absolutely forbidden from taking on another hobby or bringing another thing into his house.*

How many things are wrong with that sentence? I’ll let you figure that out.

That fight ended with him storming out. And in a couple months I’d moved out.

Not because of the hobby embargo, but because he’d come very close to hitting me that day, and it was closer than I really wanted to get.

I wish… I wish I was stronger back then. I wish I hadn’t let his idea that to disagree with him (or, heaven forbid, correct him) was a sign of disrespect. I wish a lot of things about me back then, but I also know that I was just trying to keep the peace and not rock the boat.

They say the biggest regrets are the things you don’t do.

So it was with not a little irony that I realized, a couple years later, with an entire second bedroom to house all of my “craft crap,” that I’d increased my income by 25% writing as the Arts & Crafts Expert for eHow.com. And that he who– despite the higher salary and not having to start over from scratch since it was, by god, his house and all–would call up whining about his lack of money, really shot himself in the foot on that one.

That contract ended in 2009, but the lessons I learned from it and the confidence it gave me to work on my own projects that much harder have stuck around.

Creativity, for me, is about exploration. It’s about doing something with my own hands and mind, of seeing ideas come to life because of something *I* did, because of something I dreamed up. It’s part instant gratification, part humiliation (because things don’t always go according to plan) and part further inspiration.

And it’s a way of looking at life, an I-can-do-that! mentality when so often what we hear is “no you can’t,”  “why bother” or, my personal ‘favorite’, “you’re just wasting your time.”

I’m not saying that by being a little creative each day you’re going to land a job at it or find any sort of fame and fortune–but you might. What’s most likely, though, is a better sense of self, of what you can do with your own two hands, and a helluva lot of pride in your own accomplishments.

So try something new, or something old. Dig out that crochet hook or paint-by-numbers set that’s getting dusty in a box somewhere. Pick up a new hobby, or half a dozen if you’ve got the time. Don’t be afraid to try.

Because the things you regret are the things you didn’t do.

Be creative today.

(*And just so you know, when those things were said I worked full time (like I have since graduating high school), paid my share of our bills and used only my own money for craft supplies, etc. And most of it was kept in the garage because the office we shared was already full of his desk, his computer equipment, and his aquarium. And don’t even get me started about how much closet space he had in 2 rooms and I didn’t.)

X Marks the Spot

64 Arts

Needlework doesn’t have to be just about serviceable sewing, there’s a lot to be said for the decorative side of things, too.

Embroidery is, in many circles, a lost art. I think a lot of that has to do with people not sitting still long enough (myself included) to finish a project. Add to that the number of stitch variations and a beginner can get a tad overwhelmed.

That said, I think there’s one embroidery style that fits the beginner bill quite well. It’s simple, the materials are easy to work with and it’s easy to make your own patterns up, even as a novice!

That style, of course, is cross stitch.

It’s easy because all you have to know how to do is form an ‘x’ with the thread. Any even-weave fabric can be used though Aida cloth is the most common since the holes between the weave are very easy to see and stitch through and to make your own patterns all it takes is some graph paper and a pencil.

I dug out my storage tote of needle craft supplies and pulled a few samples of some of my work, back when I considered this one of my primary hobbies (i.e. the 90s).

Examples of cross stitch works, mostly in progress

It’s almost embarrassing how many of these projects are unfinished; some just need the outlines stitched on and a good pressing while others I totally abandoned mid-project. I only have a couple of finished items because most of the things I finished I gave away as gifts.

There are two main types of cross stitch and each has its own fans. There’s counted cross stitch, which relies on the charted patterns and counting how many blocks get stitched for each part of the pattern, and printed cross stitch, aka stamped cross stitch, where all you have to do it stitch the exes where they’re printed on the fabric. You might thing that printed cross stitch (shown, below, in the upper left corner) would be easier, and in some ways it is, but if you’re at all obsessive about things lining up just right, the gaps in a printed cross stitch piece might just drive you batty (they do me).

Cross stitch materials and types

The counted is my favorite because you start in the center and stitch your way out, following the pattern and the image appears. Usually I’d advise that you stitch all of one color first, leaving gaps you’ll fill in as you work your way out, but in a larger or complex pattern that can lead to frustration. It’s better to work smaller sections and repeat colors than get one or two blocks off and have to undo a section because of it. Sure, it’s been a while since I had to do that but I remember it well.

While Aida cloth is the most common cross-stitch material, a sturdy linen is great for advanced projects. Aida is also found added in sections to ready-to-embroider items like quilts or fingertip towels which makes stitching up a new baby or housewarming gift an easy task. Or, if you have an item that isn’t ready to go, you can use something called waste canvas (it’s the blue and white material in the corner) that you tack into place, stitch over, then snip the edges and slide the guide threads out leaving only your embroidery behind. I’ve used that to personalize a sweatshirt for Mom, back in the day.

types of cross stitch patterns: magazine, pamphlet and graph paper diy

Patterns are pretty easy to find, too. You can either buy kits that come with everything you need or books or magazines with the patterns only and buy the embroidery floss and fabric separately. Coloring books make good sources for your own charts, just lay a transparency grid over the top or trace the design through the graph paper to figure out how many stitches it’s going to take for your image.

Of course, cross stitch does tend a bit towards the country kitschy sort of designs. But take a page from Subversive Cross Stitch and feel free to go your own way with your projects.

a hank of floss and a separated card of flosses ready to stitch

One final note. If you buy a kit, the thread that comes with the kit is going to be all looped into one hank and you’re going to need to separate it to work with it. Mom taught me to take either the chipboard insert from the package or a spare bit of thin cardboard, cut some notches along the sides, and slip the separated flosses into those notches and label them so that it would be easy to find the color thread I wanted when I wanted it.

Now, looking at all my supplies and unfinished projects, I think I know where some could find good homes. And, maybe if I start now, I could accomplish the goal I often set (but never realized) of stitching ornaments for everyone on my gift list next year!