I will never forget the moment when Buddy and I were painting side by side, and he looked over at me with the biggest smile on his face, hugged my arm, and told me he loved me. He tells me he loves me often, but there was just something special about that moment. Something about the way he looked at me. It has happened again several times since then, usually when he and I are doing something creative together. Like this overwhelming feeling of pure joy and contentment hits him, and he can think of no other way to express it other than genuine love and appreciation for me. There is something sacred about the act of creating together. Something very bonding for this mother and son.
I wrote about why I want to raise creative children, and I know that the best way for me to do this is to live creatively in front of them.
Up until recently, I never considered myself a very creative person. I have never taken an art class, and do not draw very well. I struggle with perfectionism, and the thought of messing up or not doing it right kept me from venturing down many creative paths.
I don't know how or why, but something changed in me a couple of years ago. Maybe it was having children. Maybe it was moving into a home I love. I don't know why, but I started to create things, and allowed myself to make mistakes. I got a sewing machine and didn't worry about perfect seams. I bought yarn and needles and taught myself to knit. I started sanding and painting furniture. I started making things for my kids and with my kids. I began decorating my home in a unique and creative way. In practicing creativity, I discovered a part of me that I didn't know existed.
As a mother, creativity is an important daily practice. It brings a certain energy and excitement to the day for me and my boys. Sometimes it is just a simple craft. Many days it is helping Buddy make something he has imagined up. When I can, I love to squeeze in a home project or a little sewing myself. I try to resist the urge to wait until after the boys go to bed, and try instead to involve them in my projects. Or at the least, allow them to see me being creative.
I have learned to let go of perfection and embrace the act of creating together.
Goodbye cute clothes. Hello paint stains from a spontaneous art project.
Goodbye perfect furniture. Hello to paint drips and an afternoon of painting together in the back yard.
Goodbye straight hems. Hello to allowing Buddy to "drive" the sewing foot while I make a bedskirt.
Goodbye clean house. Hello to glitter on my kitchen floor and paint brushes drying by my sink.
Goodbye tidy back yard. Hello random bricks and pieces of scrap wood, essential items for creative little boys.
Goodbye intimidation, perfectionism, and hesitation. Hello creativity.
For more "Practice of Mothering", be sure to head over to Emerging Mummy on Monday, February 6.
