"Writing things down takes guts. It's one thing to think something in your head,to committ it to paper is another thing entirely . Things are more real, more concrete and more lasting once the ink is dry, and for that very reason everything about writing your true stories is daring. Know that from the beginning: you are taking a stance and making a decision by writing. There's nothing wishy-washy or noncommittal about pen and paper. As far as I see it, to write is to be strong."
These words are a quote from Shimelle, the teacher of the online class I am taking. Recently I've been exploring how much I love to create. Perhaps it is that I feel a connection to God, in that, just as He created the Earth in all its glory and beauty ex nihilo to reflect Himself, I too am taking regular materials or practices and creating something beautiful, unique, useful and a reflection of my self.
While creating is something I take delight in, it can also overwhelm me to the point where I just give up and quit (things that are different between me and God for $1000, Alex). I've grown increasingly frustrated with this in the past few months. There are a number of projects I've started, but most of them remain incomplete:
Blogging. Crocheting Scarves. Crocheting Flowers. Recipe Scrapbook. Honeymoon Scrapbook. Painting. Cupcake Experiments. Cooking. Baking.
The reason they remain incomplete is because they've just been swimming around in my head. This is not good. Exhibit A: Sunday morning. I was crying because I couldn't find my shoe or my sweater, I had left my car window open in the rain for two days, and I put on my underwear inside out. Poor Hubs. He puts up with all of this with such grace. Anyways...
I also love to write. LOVE to write. Everything Shimelle says in that note, I completely and fully resonante with. to me, nothing can be fully accomplished until it is committed onto paper. I even add items to my grocery list after I have placed them in my cart, just so that I can cross them off.
But sometimes, I want to do more with my writing. I want to make it beautiful. To share it. To decorate it and document it in a way more significant than just jotting in the scribbled, convoluted mess that is my notebook. Nobody can understand that mess. So this class is perfect for me. Not only does it combine some of my favorite things--photos, decorating, and writing--but Shimelle gives prompts, or ideas on where to start and what to do. And there are no deadlines. This way, I have written instructions to follow, but still have room for my, uh, "creativity." If that's what you want to call it. More like ridiculous whims put onto paper, I think.
Are you starting to see why I cook more than I bake? I don't have the patience for precision and timelines.
I will post pics of the pages I make. Luckily, there are no deadlines for the class, but I do want to keep up on it semi-regularly. And since I've written this down, I will. But I look forward to sharing it all with the three of you who read my blog! (one of whom is Hubs. He has to, or it makes me sad.)
