How to Exploit Creativity

My mother used to say, “Violence begets violence”, and I know that she was right, because she’s my mother, and being a mother myself, I happen to know, for a fact, that mothers are always right.

Anyway, I bumped into my mother today, (and my brother-in-law, too, but that’s another story entirely), and I had to admit, in polite company, that I was a terrible daughter. It’s shocking, the things my mother can cause me, quite unwittingly, to do or say! I should probably clarify, at this point, that my admission had absolutely nothing at all to do with violence and everything to do with the fact that I am more likely to see her in the street of the town where we both live than I am to visit her on purpose.

The point of all this is to say that I am busy, and, just as ‘violence begets violence’ (thank heavens, we finally got there), I’m a great believer that energy, once tapped into, multiplies exponentially, and, if it’s creative energy, that’s all the better.

I have been writing a lot recently, and, since I’ve been writing so much, I also find myself reading more. Add to that the fact that I have, of late, taken up sewing and pattern-making, and that, only last week, I made a beautiful suede belt to go with a new dress, and I believe I am proof-positive that the old adage about wanting something done and giving it to a busy woman to do it must be a truism for our times.

Look again, though, and you’ll see the theme.

I honestly believe that indulging in creative activities, and, I know that writing’s a job, but it is also a huge indulgence, actually breeds creativity. The more writing I do, the more making I want to do in what little spare time I have left. I take an art class on a Friday, and the more writing I do, the more pleasing are my pictures (to me, at least). I also find that I’m cooking more, planning changes to the garden, and buying more art.

My point, I suppose, is this: There is no substitute for getting off our backsides and doing something... anything, because... you know what... that’s the only way that the stuff we tell ourselves we want to do is ever going to get done.