In Celebration of Creativity
Why is it, that we create?
“The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
But why?
Why do we feel this irresistible longing to make things, even when what we long to make has been crafted by countless artisans before us, and could, perhaps be produced by machines in a fraction of the time for a fraction of the cost?
Why do we draw when we could type a prompt into an AI engine that can generate thousands of images of whatever we want, real or imagined, within just a few heartbeats.
Why spend hours wandering the countryside photographing another butterfly, another flower, another bug, another landscape, when our camera rolls are already overflowing with similar pictures? When there are countless books filled with photos of the same things, and countless more to be found online?
Why drive for an hour and pay the equivalent of a small weekly grocery shop to visit a pottery and throw a couple of pots that are not quite round and not quite perfect and will serve no real practical purpose?
Perhaps, it’s because they tell the story of our presence, of the hand that held the brush, the thought that guided it, the emotion that flowered through it.
Perhaps, in our creations are whispers of our existence, each gifted with a little piece of our soul, the imprint of a moment, never before experienced, and never to be repeated.
I draw as an act of reverence to wild beings and nature. To capture moments and memories, stories and songs, thoughts and feelings. To free my inner child to dance with the magic of her imagination.
I write in celebration of creativity and inspiration, hope, joy, and sadness. To capture and immortalise pieces of this unfathomable, capricious, contradictory and unpredictable life.
I create to explore my senses, to try out new things, to touch the edge of the unknown, and to weave dreams into the fabric of my reality.
And although there are many things I tire of, I never grow tired of creating, and I never tire of seeing the wonderful creativity that continues to flourish in this world.
Collecting Creative Treasures
I am constantly delighted and enchanted by creativity, and I have collected some that I have seen recently to share with you, in the hope they will delight and enchant you too.
A freeform quilted pouch to keep her Kindle in by
Sketching for the soul by
book pages made of threads, yarn and ribbon by
carved avocado seeds by
Just the most awesome knitted chicken by
Two tiny stone circles in a fairy garden, built by
And two beautiful Haiku, inspired by the falling water.
By
By
I hope that you enjoy these creations as I have.
And perhaps you can sense, as I can, a tiny piece of each creative’s soul, that whisper within them.
If you have the time and the inclination, please share a heart and a comment with these fellow creatives on their Note.
Bye for now,
P.S. I drew the Peleides blue morpho butterfly in the photo for my ever growing gallery of beautiful imagery and I’ve also created a desktop wallpaper and phone wallpaper from the photograph, along with the decorative divider in this letter. If you are a paid subscriber, They’re all in the gallery for you to download and use🦋
Thank you for including me Emily! As I was sewing a skirt recently I was asking these very questions - but then realized that the hours spent creating are what matter the most to me. No matter how many times I wear the skirt, I have those hours of learning and growing and being blissfully in a flow state. It’s increasingly hard to get there in today’s hectic and fractious world, but making with my hands never fails to force the rest of the world to fall away and for time to just slide by.
This is a wonderful piece, Emily. I do ask the same question, too! But the call to create is too strong, so create we must. Your butterfly painting is beautiful - at first glance I thought it was a photograph🦋. Looking forward to see more of your magical works. And I thank you for including my avocado seeds in this read.🌿🩵