Everyone can be creative
It's part of what makes us human
Looking down my calender list of awareness days this morning I was thrilled to see that today, May 30th is National Creativity Day.
This is something I feel so strongly about, as a knitter, designer and online creative. Nothing makes me sadder than hearing a fellow knitter or crafter dismiss themselves as not being creative because they ‘just follow a pattern’.
Creativity is inherent within all of us, indeed I believe it’s part of what makes us human. The creative spark and the desire to create is evident in the earliest cave drawings that man ever made. It doesn’t matter what you do or how you express it but we all have this ability.
I wrote a blog post on this a few years ago and it remains one of my most commented upon posts on Instagram. Heartbreakingly so many people told of experiences where they were told at school they were no good at art, or that they should stick to science. Statements that went on to colour all of their adult life.
I design and write knitting patterns for a living and yet, up until 10 years ago I too defined myself as ‘not creative’. I was rubbish at art, couldn’t draw and certainly couldn’t put colours together. And yet, through knitting I found that actually I was creative, I just didn’t have a way to express it before.
Yarn doesn’t care that you can’t draw or that your teacher at school dismissed your artwork. Even if you take a pattern and replicate it faithfully you still add your own design choices, be it in the colour or the style of the yarn, the choice of buttons etc. They are all design choices that make that handmade object yours, uniquely yours.
So today, on #NationalCreativityDay can you do one small creative thing, just for you? It can be as simple as picking out some new yarn for a project, playing with colour or maybe writing a few lines in a journal.
Why not join me in the chat thread and share our mini moments of creativity today.
Years ago when we had to choose our "Options" in school (as 12/13 year olds) I was torn between design subjects and the subjects the teachers felt were more "sensible" ... I did fabrics but it was a very basic course and didn't feel at all creative . Now years later I wish I'd joined the dressmaking , sewing class instead of struggling with batik and dying etc that the teacher also had little knowledge of. But I'm starting to try all those things now all these years later. I already knit and crochet , stepping out of my comfort zone with colour . On my list is learn to sew clothes and natural dying ... I'll get there!!
Thank you for this post. I have usually knitted from pattern but it’s my choice of yarn that makes it something I love. Since following some knitters on blogs like this one, I have beached out to knitting my leftover stash. I knitted some stripy socks made from 3 favorite yarns. It’s my favorite sock from last year. Now I am loving the more random style of knitting. I am currently working the Miter Square Blanket.