Why do you Create?

[…] that post I wrote months ago about a new column I was working on called why we create? Well, guess what? After 55 replies to that post and two months time (to the day), its finally […]

There has always been a piece of the goodness of eternity that I find through the beauty of design & the joy of celebration. I create to experience these pieces…

I create because I NEED to. I feel happy and calm when I am making something. If time goes by and I have not spent time in my studio, i feel it. It really is just part of who I am and it’s been like that for a long as I can remember. I love the whole process- coming up with an idea, working out what I need to complete it, sketching it out and planning, then trying it out. It really doesn’t matter if it works out like I planned,and lots of times it doesn’t, but it usually evolves and morphs until it is something I am happy with. If not, I stop and work on something else.
No matter what, I need to be doing some sort of creating, every single day. It is my therapy.

(thanks for the rockin’ blog!)

I create to show my love for people and family. When I use my hands to make a gift, decoration or article of clothing, I feel like I’m giving them a slice of my time. Additionally, I feel so fulfilled after I’ve finished a handmade project. Whatever I create is a piece of me. I create as much as I can–I always have at least one project going on.

Brittani! What a great question! Although I could (and do) write about this in depth (on my blog) I think I can sum up the answer to your question pretty succinctly: I started creating because I would see something I liked/wanted/coveted and didn’t have the means to purchase it, and then make it myself! This began with quilts back in my teenage years and continues to this day (cough…25 years later…cough). Although I (along with my long suffering husband) do all sorts of home dec type projects in order to sooth my covetous nature, I’ve ended up becoming an art quilter because of my early fatuation with quilts. Today, what keeps me making, (beyond show deadlines…) is that I HAVE to make. When I’m not making, or planning what I’ll be making next, I am a MISERABLE person, no fun to be around. Now that I’m in the swing of making on a regular basis, I find my creative well being refilled on a regular basis, triggered by the making itself – it’s a wonderous cycle!

Hah – I thought I could be brief…well I was, for me! 😉

Great question – and lots of fabulous answers up there!

Cheers – Candy

It took me quite a while to figure out how important crafting was to me and why it was so deeply rooted into my daily happiness. I wrote this a while ago-

I’m a mother of two wonderful boys who inspire me daily to be creative and enjoy life. I come from a very large crafting family with uncles, aunts and cousins who do everything from woodworking to ceramics. My grandmother always had a closet full of craft projects, patterns and supplies. Instead of gifts, she’d take us to the store to buy something we could make. She crafted alongside and in her own wisdom quietly taught us that you’re never to young or old to try something new.
As a left brain, logical thinker, life for me is a giant puzzle. I’m continually looking at things wondering how they were made and deciding weather or not to challenge myself to build it on my own. Because of my grandmother I try to consider myself a creative, inventive individual. Using my hands to create has been a huge part of who I am. I didn’t realize just how huge until my oldest son was born. The first six months of his life my craft projects went on hold as I devoted myself to his daily care. Slowly I started to feel something was missing. I was happy for the most part but I lacked a sense of accomplishment.
In my quest to be a great mother I forgot that I needed to take time for myself to better love the time I spend with him. I now give myself permission to take time away from my two young sons for creative outlets and in return I become a more calm, joyful and fulfilled person.

I stumbled onto your blog a couple of weeks ago. I love the workspace wednesday.

Wow, so many reasons to create…but I suppose the essence is that I must. It’s like getting it out of me…and I continue to do so because it does bring me satisfaction and enjoyment through the process. It’s just fun fun!

[…] you haven’t already, and you have a few moments, head over to this post and tell me why you create. I’ve been getting a lot of really great responses so far (thank […]

Intersting question But tough!I think I create out of curiosity…I want to see what happens when I do certain things…I create because it gives me so much joy to sit on my desk and paint, imagine and open doors to new places…At the same time, it’s who I am, and who I always was, and who I always will be…can’t help it…!
And what about you dear Brittni? You have abundant creative cells, so how about you?x

i create because it makes other people happy. majority of what i make, i give away and i love seeing the joy on someone’s face when they receive something that i made especially for them. and added bonus, crafting makes me happy too 🙂

i started making jewelry again because i didn’t want to buy something i thought i could make myself. but i have found over the last 40+ years that i’ve been happiest when i’m creating/making things. i used to scrapbook, i’ve made a quilt, i have refinished furniture, made slipcovers, painted,taken loads of photographs, decorated i don’t even know how many apartments…..and now i get to make things with my son. it’s fun!

I create because….I have to…how could I not? I’d say it’s a calling and also because the universe needs us to make those creative works that only we, as individuals, can create! Frustrating sometimes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! It’s a good question to ask ourselves once in a while…thanks!

My answer is simple: just because.

I began with sewing bags, pillows and little wallets for myself at elementary school. I started it, because it looked good, and I felt I can do it. So I did it :-).

I think this is the root of my creative life.

This is a great question and one which I want to answer thoughtfully, so this might be a wee bit long…

Like many other creative types, from a very early age I was considered a creative and imaginative person. What began as imaginative play continued to evolve and develop until my artistic spirit and creative thought process became a huge part of my identity. Although my level of creativity has grown over the years, I think many of the reasons for why I create remain the same. When I was younger creativity was an outlet for my imagination, it kept me busy, helped me develop wonderful friendships, and gave me a great sense of enjoyment. As an adult, those motives still remain valid. In addition, they now include a way to enhance the lives of others through my job as an art teacher and artist and as a way to create a pleasing home environment for my family and our friends. In college creativity helped pay the bills as I worked with children in after-school programs and as a camp counselor during summers breaks. Often using different forms of creativity to encourage children, and to help them express their feelings. Eventually my passion for art lead to a job teaching in the school system. I now teach children and adults out of my home studio. It gives me a huge amount of satisfaction to be able to provide them with an artistic outlet and to enhance their visual knowledge. Finally, my husband and I remodeled our home filling it with art, light and cheerful color. It is now a warm and welcoming environment for our family, and friends and with large empty walls gave me another reason to paint.
I truly think that if I didn’t create I would loose a huge aspect of who I am, what helps makes me happy, keeps me fulfilled, and gives me a sense of purpose.

Thanks for making me think about and validate my reasons for creating.

I create because I want to be re-created. Through taking on the role of creator, crafter, designer and dreamer I find that I’m the one that gains significantly from the whole process. Even more than the gifts I make. Even more than the people I give them to. I’m the one that gets to be made new.

That’s a pretty fundamental question for me. My “word”, the word that defines me, is “Create”! So this is not the first time I’ve thought about this lol This question has many answers, too.

I create …

1) because I NEED to. It literally is an inner need.
2) because it makes me happy! It’s fun! It’s satisfying!
3) because it gives me an idea of the process and involves me. Every creation, good or bad, then carries part of me.(This is not just for arts or crafts creations)
4) because it challenges me!
5) because in creating something ultimate knowledge and complete oblivion are somehow unified. When you create something, you need to follow the rules as the same time as you have to completely let go of the rules and concepts 🙂

Actually, I have been exploring this for myself over the summer and have a few posts touching on some information about how I create things and why.

Creating started out as an element of the ordinary for me. It was just something that happened in my family. We didn’t have funds to purchase a lot of things and so a lot of our home goods and day to day items like clothing and furniture were things we made ourselves. My father is a carpenter and electrician by trade, but a general renaissance man all around even though he would deny such a title if ever confronted with it; he just does what he likes and what he knows how to do. My mother made our clothes until we were teenagers. I think the only reason she stopped was that she could make more money doing an out-of-home job and buying clothes on sale and clearance than she could save doing all of the in-home things she had done for years.

So that’s how it started. Just something we did to get by and have some nice things. I till have very strong creative drive as an adult and find that I have to make things or else I start to feel like I am going mad. Music performance filled the role of primary creative endeavor for many years while I was in school. Now I don’t play as often as I used to and find myself drawn back to more traditional things like sewing, embroidery, quilting, and fabric dying. Handcrafts. History and me connection to generations past is also a huge part of why i continue to craft and create. The following is rephrased from one of my earlier summer posts:

I have many photos of quilt tops, embroidered tablecloths and a smocked pillow cover my great-grandmother made; taken while I was in Arkansas mid-June for a family reunion and I look at them quite frequently. She was a master of reusing and re-purposing textiles. She would dye items that weren’t to her liking color-wise, making use of onion skins and kitchen scraps as well as walnut husks and other natural dye sources. Many of the fabrics in her quilts were meticulously hand cut, using tiny templates, from feed and flour sacks as well the occasional bit of still serviceable cloth from otherwise worn out shirts and dresses.

I started dying fabrics myself using metals and natural dye sources and am continuously amazed at the results. I imagine the feeling of exuberance and wonder over watching something so pretty and different than it was before emerge from a pot has not changed much over the centuries that people have been dying things. I used to tell people I wanted to be an adult when I grew up. After this summer I have a new answer. I totally want to be my great-grandmother when I grow up.

I agree with what others have said. That I can’t imagine life without art. As much as I complain about my day job painting and drawing 40+ hours a week it has made me a much more confident artist. That confidence has allowed me to work harder to create images that have meaning to me and hopefully one day I will have the freedom to support myself doing what I love.

I create because I love the idea of someone enjoying or displaying something I’ve worked hard on. Joy!

I create.. because I have to. Because it flows out of me and there’s no stopping it. 🙂

Brittni, that’s almost an impossible question for me…
I create things because that’s what I do, it’s what I’ve always done, it’s what I will always do.
I create things because it’s who I am, it’s who I’ve always been and who I always will be.
I can’t imagine doing anything else, even if I’m not always making the things I’m making now, I know I will always be creative in some way.
I can’t really remember the begining. My Mam taught me to knit and crochet when I was as small as I can remember and I was always drawn to creative and crafty pursuits throughout school. Then it was a no brainer to go to art college. In fact I don’t think I’ve really considered doing anything else…
Hope this helps… ?

Oh, and don’t be silly! You look as cute as always, even if you are concentrating really hard… 😉
Emma
x

Aw. You look like a young college student pondering her next move in life. Hehe.

And I create because it’s satisfying to be able to make something by hand, and have the next person appreciate the craft. And it’s also this innate feeling of always wanting to be creative, to come up with ideas in my mind, use materials to craft that idea, and then be able to tangibly touch the product once it’s done.

Even as a kid, I couldn’t wait for the next assignment at school that required a “visual aid”. To me those words meant a trip to the craft store and me inevitably forcing my mom to spend more money than was necessary on various crafty things for me (thanks, Mom!).

Time went on and when I got to college, my brain changed gears as I studied towards a degree in Biochemistry. My creativity went on hiatus for a few years then.

After graduating, I found myself at home in the evenings with more time on my hands, looking for something to do. It started with making some stockings for my boyfriend and I for the holidays and then getting ideas to make Christmas ornaments for our tree. From there it branched out and I began sewing a range of cute, fun, colorful and geeky felt goodies and selling them on Etsy.

Here I am, 7 months later and still loving every minute of it – Knowing that I made someone else happy by sharing one of my creations with them. I love connecting with each customer getting feedback from them. I love seeing a product through from start to finish, knowing that I did everything to make, promote and finally ship it out the door. It’s a good feeling.

It really isn’t so much about the money I make about selling my goodies (I have a day job for that), but about the people who enjoy them, the connections formed with them and fellow handmade connoisseurs and the sense of accomplishment when you know you are the one running the show.