January has been an exciting month of recommitting to creativity. The main pillar that has been the biggest push of this commitment has been integration. Bringing creativity into an accepted, daily occurrence in our home is important to both myself and my husband in light of our growing family situation. Making creativity a natural part of our life, of my life, and a piece I can share with our child each and everyday, is important to me as a creative, a mother, and a human. One of the most effective ways to ensure this takes root is to create and dwell in an environment of play. And the vehicle for action? Curiosity, which leads to integration and greater engagement.
Increasing Integration of Creativity
Curiosity is the main vehicle for increasing integration into daily life thus far. That what if question, the tantalizing carrot of possibility, trying something new, the why not attitude. These questions all foster a sense of curiosity, and when followed, can lead to an increase in creative problem solving, bringing creativity front and centre in our lives.
The biggest example of this in our home at the moment is the renovation we have decided to start just five short months before baby arrives. Our current nursery also functions as the guest room, with a queen sized bed, wardrobe, crib, rocking chair, a plethora of end tables and a unit for the TV which just happens to block the closet. Now, of course this could be a fully functioning nursery even with the bed if we cut out other pieces of furniture that are not necessary, however, my husband had the wonderful idea to turn our office room into the official guest bedroom as it will eventually be a child’s room down the road. The space was underutilized and in need of re-painting at the bare minimum anyways. Knowing we will have a village of people to help once baby arrives, and after hosting a few guests over the summer season, we decided it would make the most sense to just go for it.
As we began discussing what we want to do and how we want to set it up, we stayed open and curious. From moving some furniture around and painting the walls, we have evolved the project to include restoring the floors, which lead to taking out two closets, which meant plaster removal, lath removal, wall removal and drywalling. Now, I say “we”, this project is my husband’s brain child, though he does include me to help finalize decisions. This renovation has become a blossoming creative opportunity in our home, a way to fully integrate the ideas of curiosity, play, and creativity into the very fabric of our home. It has engaged us in collaboration, brainstorming, practical skills, colour play, elements of design, and problem solving. Not only has it become a catalyst for creative discussion, it has also become a space for exploration.
Engagement in Play
One way I am trying to consciously become more engaged in my creative pursuits is to think about it as playing, as indulging in creativity. By doing so I am better able to immerse myself in the present moment and really connect with what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and how it feels to reclaim creativity as an essential part of living life without pressure for productivity. The longest standing way I have ensured that play is priority and productivity remains neutralized is to read fiction. To indulge in fiction and fantasy between the covers of a book is my equivalent of going to the playground. It is a place to play and explore and enjoy. This doesn’t only extend to the act of reading; this also includes organizing my bookshelves, staring at my bookshelves, reading children’s books to the bump, and discussing story.
Another form of engagement in play recently has been diamond art. I am working on baby renditions of the Hogwarts House Crests for the nursery and it has been really fun and calming to sit with a project and literally watch the progress increase with each rhinestone. My work in progress piece is always kept out on the coffee table in our living room, ever inviting, simply part of the environment. Having ready access to the materials, the space, makes me more likely to engage with the project willingly while also keeping feelings of guilt or selfishness out of the moment because it is part of what is going on around us daily in our home. Fostering an environment of play is paramount in integrating creativity into the fabric of our lives and helping us eliminate the need for scheduling around our creative hobbies.
Comments