Breathe and let it happen

Lately I've been pondering the concept of creativity in our everyday lives.

So often we are blind to the fact that virtually every thing we do every day is an expression of our creativity. The tasks have become mundane -- routine. But think about every little household chore, for a moment, as a creative act. How you make your bed is an act of artistry. It expresses the way you think of your personal sanctuary. Whether you smoothe the bedding, fluff the pillows, or just get up and walk away from it, your bed is the one place you know is YOURS. (Thinking about this has caused me to be more diligent about actually making my bed as an act of personal kindness for myself!)

Washing dishes is a sensual expression as well. The hot water, mixed with the detergent, is a nurturing environment that creates order from chaos. As much as I rebelled against being the family dishwasher all the years I was growing up, I've since come to appreciate that calming ritual. Just a few minutes of scrubbing, rinsing and wiping put things right again every evening. It propelled the rhythm of life forward and marked an end to the outside day and the beginning of the inside night at home.

And so it is with the daily chores. But few of us think of those things as "creative". Instead, we use that word when we talk about "making things" or "writing books."

And so I would refer all of you to a post on one of my new favorite blogs, Posie Gets Cozy. The author, Alicia, is an icon of my dream life. She lives in Portland, Ore., and makes beautiful things which she sells online and in a shop there. Beautiful things, like aprons (and y'all know how I loves me some aprons!)

In this post, she quotes Annie Dillard about the process of writing. Go and read it. It will be the best use of your next few minutes, trust me. And when you finish, GO DO IT! (OK, OK. Spend some time investigating her blog first. It's well worth it just for the beauty of it.)


Posie Gets Cozy