Friday Five: Artsy Crafty

This week's RevGalsBlogPals FridayFive comes from reverendmother:

During Lent here at Suburban Presbyterian Church, we are exploring the creative and liturgical arts, with classes and speakers dealing with storytelling, iconography, dance, visual art, writing, and so on. The theme is "A Beautiful Thing," inspired by the story of the woman anointing Jesus and his declaration that "She has done a beautiful thing for me." (Mark 14, NIV)

We are working on the notion that everything we do can be considered a beautiful thing--a creative offering to God--whether it's gardening or scrapbooking or accounting or sorting clothes at the clothes closet or child-rearing. And so:

1. Would you call yourself "creative"? Why or why not?

Yes. But as I tried to write why, I'm not sure "creative" is the word. Others have labeled me creative and I usually accept the compliment. But as I am writing here, the word "open" is in my head. I am open when I create...that allows the soul to come through. As God breathed life into us, so we impart a piece of ourselves in our creations.

2. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you currently do that you'd like to develop further.

Actually I'm not currently doing it. But I want to get back into drawing/sketching and develop my skills. In college, I took class called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain based on the book by the same title. I'd been told for many years (ever since 4th grade when I dared to color a pumpkin green) that I had no artistic talent. But I found during that college class that when I silence those voices of the past, I can create. It is the creative pursuit where I find myself lost to the world and experience a sense of creation and renewal.

3. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you have never done but would like to try.

I'm not sure. Maybe photography. I take photos of people, places, events. It is easy enough to center a shot or not to cut off heads. But to capture essence within a frame, that is art.

4. Complete this sentence: "I am in awe of people who can _____________."

I am in awe of people who can do intricate creative work...whether that is working for hours to finally complete a few inches of art on fabric or canvas, or following elaborate knitting instructions, or writing music, or even making tax forms look like art. My work is free-flowing (when I make a mistake knitting it often becomes part of the design) and I have difficulty reining it in to concentrate on the details.

5. Share about a person who has encouraged your creativity, who has "called you to your best self." (I'm pretty sure that's from the Gospel of Oprah.)

My daughter, Little Sprout. She is creative too. So when I overheard a Sunday School teacher explaining to her "the correct" way to complete a craft project, I bit my tongue. And I've tried to explain that not everyone embraces creativity and at times we may need to focus on other things.

I have encouraged her gift and she has given me permission to rediscover my creative nature. She shares the choreography of a dance she created and wrote down using stick figures or plays a piece of music she created after becoming bored following the notes in her music book, or creates new games, or writes and illustrates cartoon stories. And I feel myself become more open.