After reviewing my last blog entry, I have to say some interesting thoughts crossed my mind. They are about crafting in general......

Crafting is so much more than a bottle of glue, paper, yarn scissors and what have you. It's more than what you do with them, even. Anyone, for the most part, can follow some simple instructions and create a scarf, a Christmas ornament, or a journal made from recycled materials. Putting some beads and wire together to form tomorrow's accessory is not about patience or how well you can see.

Crafting is like a chemistry experiment. You take elements that, alone, have very little value (say glue, paper and scissors) and reconstruct their properties to create something that now gives them value. A ball of yarn and a crochet hook have little value sitting on your shelf. Create a fashionable hat with them, and you have an item that just may save your life in a blizzard. It's like mixing hydrogen with oxygen. By themselves, their value is limited. Mixed, they give life to almost everything on earth. 

So crafting, in the right context, has tremendous value. It's not just what you do with the components, it's about the many ways you can rearrange those components.

If you were stuck on a deserted island, knowing how to "rearrange" the elements can mean the difference of surviving or dying. That's what crafting is......... understanding exactly what being creative means. I often hear "I'm just not creative" and therefore a student thinks they have no ability to craft. But learning the simple "how to's" can go far in your life. Learning basic crochet stitches for example, can allow you to use ropes or tree fibers to create life saving apparatus. Learning polymer clay techniques might make your pie baking results look like blue ribbon entries. Sewing skills can help you mend a tent, or bind a book should the need arise. 

I think the creativity that everyone thinks they lack is just simply carrying your skills further than your kitchen table while making a clay figurine.  Think about it...... because I'm having trouble articulating this thought! lol
10/8/2011 10:45:54 pm

Well said!

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    Corinne says...

    As the Owner/Instructor of Crafty U I would like to thank our participants. The classes were fun and taught ME a lot! I'll carry the memories of the laughs with me forever. I hope you'll join us often to see what's happening as things are always changing at
    Crafty U!

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