So, I promised a post last Friday and it’s now Monday. I’m sorry about that but I have a lot going on right now, which I will write a post about later. Anyway…..

My friend Peggy and I went on a four day jaunt up to Pennsylvania. She is moving up there and we took a load of her stuff up and intended to do some work on her house. Notice I said “intended” to work on the house. The only thing I actually got accomplished was cleaning the oven. Why? Because we spent most of our time thrift shopping, checking out Amish markets, and shopping at Mennonite stores. Oh, and eating lots too much fresh creamery ice cream.

Now what does all this have to do with creativity? I’ll tell you. Looking at the simple lifestyle of the Amish and Mennonites, I saw people who use their creative juices everyday. Their days are full of making all kinds of pies foods, clothing, quilts, and crafts. They spend time gardening, woodworking and displaying and selling their wares. All of these things require creativity. My days are filled with cleaning, laundry, carpooling, errands and a miriad of other time suckers that seem to drain my creativity, not boost it. I envy their simpler and more creative lifestyle.

So how do we incorporate creativity into our lifestyles? I think we need to look at how we accomplish things for the answer. As I get dressed, I am going to try paring items together in new ways and dig out some seldom worn but cool jewelry I own. Instead of cooking  another boring dinner, tonight I’m going to try a new recipe. Instead of reading yet another magazine while waiting for soccer practice to end, I’m going to bring my sewing box and sew up some Christmas ornaments I’m making to sell. As I am cleaning up the house I am going to look for new ways to create vingettes using items I already have.

I believe by being conscious of how we go about doing the things we have to do, we can add lots of creativity to each and every day. And hopefully, even the most mundane activities can become creative outlets!!!! Please let me know how you add more creativity to each day.