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Discovering Your Creativity…It’s Easier Than You Think!

If you’ve ever uttered the words “I’m just not creative”, then read on;  there is hope.
All of us have a “Martha Stewart” somewhere in our lives.  Could be a friend, a mother, a sister, a brother, an aunt, a teacher, a neighbor and there they are; always coming up with something clever.  Sometimes, it can be down right annoying, especially if you are “creatively challenged”.

We were all creative as children.  Give us a box, and a blanket and we had the world’s best fort, house or castle.  The blanket let us be princesses or superheroes.  In the world of make believe, there was no limit to our creativity, until we reached adulthood. We were fearless.  But as time went on,  little by little, it got whittled away, by a teacher, a mother, a brother, a sister or the world at large.

So how do we reclaim our former creative self?  First drop the whole notion that you are not creative. Instead, affirm that you are creative and that you have your own unique way of expressing yourself.  Go to the library or the bookstore and pick up a book or magazine on creativity.  These materials will give you hundreds of ideas.  Start with a small project; something you can do in an evening or afternoon.  Once you are able to complete something, it will give you confidence to take on future projects.  Don’t be too critical with yourself.  Be a kid again. Be fearless.  Who cares if no one else likes it?  It’s your uniqueness coming through.

Once you’ve completed even a small creative project, you can take that confidence and tackle another one. As you begin to explore your own creativity, it becomes easier to express yourself.  There are so many ways to be creative; just pick anything that interests you. If you’re not sure what that is yet and don’t have time to visit a library, keep reading.

Think about something that you’ve always had an interest in; could be sewing, writing, photography, art, calligraphy, music, etc.  Let’s say you chose music.  If you don’t play an instrument or even know how to read music, it will take some time to master.  But what can you do now that’s creative and includes a music theme?  Aaah, we’re just getting started.

Scour the vintage stores or flea markets for old sheet music.  If you can’t find any authentic “old” sheet music, go to a music store and buy new.  Take a waste basket, step stool, or lampshade and prepare to get creative.  If your sheet music is new, submerge it in tea to get that “aged” look. (Just make sure it dries completely before continuing.)  Apply a spray on adhesive to your chosen piece and or your sheet music and start attaching.  You can tear it, or apply it in whole sheets. After it dries, you can add stamp designs over the top, scatter and glue all types of embellishments over the paper, or whatever.  It’s your design so go crazy! 

After your sheets have been adhered and it has dried completely, add a protective coating over the paper.  Decoupage works nicely for this and you can find it in any craft store. Now stand back and look at your masterpiece.  You may not be ready for a gallery showing, but you can no longer say you aren't creative.  You have a project you designed around something you love and it was easier than you thought.  Now...what will you tackle next?