Wednesday, October 2

Caring for Myself Body and Soul 2:
creating something beautiful


If I had to name my biggest struggles, insecurity would surely be in the top five.

So it's easy for me to hesitate about being creative, afraid that what I make won't be good enough.

Good enough for whom?  I don't know the answer to that.  Insecurity can leave you in a vague sort of not knowing.

I don't want to remain stuck in the fear of not being good enough.  So I've given myself permission to create things.  Here's my latest effort:



See those pretty candles?  I created those by gluing birch bark to plain candles.  And the arrangement on the sideboard?  I created that, too.

In fact, that arrangement started with this $1.99 find from the thrift store: a beat-up old planter (not an antique, just a cheap reproduction).




I refinished the planter using a simple paint technique.  Once I had it looking like I wanted, I filled it with pine cones.  It looked sort of pretty just piled with pine cones, but that wasn't quite what I was going for.  I wanted to do more.

Truth is, I really like to arrange flowers.  My arrangements aren't fancy, and they certainly aren't professional, but I love putting elements together to create an arrangement.  So I decided to do that with this planter.  I left the pine cones in place, then gathered sweetgum balls, magnolia seed pods, acorns, feathers, cattails, and cotton bolls, along with a few craft store elements like lotus seed pods.  I added one thing at a time to the base of pine cones until I had this:


It's just right for my dining room for Fall, I think.


Sure, I could have purchased something for that space.  But the act of creating something
is good for my soul.  It reminds me that I am made in the image of God, the Creator of all (Genesis 1:27).  

Have you created anything lately?  Share it in the comments so we can see! 


This post is the second entry in a 31-day series: Caring for Myself Body and Soul.  
Click here for a list of all the posts in this series.

9 comments:

  1. I agree, creating is good for the soul.

    Your home is beautiful and so are your most recent creations...very lovely.

    Most recently, I completely redid a desk I found in the trash. I even hand painted a giant floral design on the desktop with stain. It was so much fun and now I just love using my desk.
    ~FringeGirl

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  2. Love this. Love the series. Love you. Happy October, friend!

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  3. Richella, your home is absolutely stunning, inside and out! And I love your new creations! I find so much inspiration from the same source you mentioned, that being created in God's image, the author of the universe, we are all inherently creative. There is so much joy to be found in creating something with your own two hands!

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  4. Richella,

    First of all, I would have never guessed that being insecure would be something you struggle with...I thought I was the only one :) You create beautiful things...visually and by the written word and I am always so encouraged by you! I feel just as you do about creativity. I have questioned myself when I started blogging back in the summer..."Why am I doing this?" "Who am I doing this for?" "Who am I trying to impress?" I asked the Lord for answers and He knows I didn't need one more thing to do to take time away from something else I should be doing...or wasting my time, so to speak. He knows I have loved photography all of my life. He knows I love to craft things. He knows I've always had a way with words although I would never, ever claim to be a writer. Yet, I felt in my spirit that He was telling me it was OK to do these things because it was HE who gave me that creativity...just like He gave yours to you! I...[we] need an outlet for that I think....if it lays dormant, we are not using the good and perfect gifts He has given us! Thank you so much for the encouragement I needed to continue! You are a blessing to me :)

    Debby

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  5. I agree. I am not too much of a decorator, but when I make something beautiful, my heart sings too. Beautiful words, order in my home, delicious cheesecake. We were made to create. I firmly believe that.

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  6. i created cupcakes over the weekend...but my big project was a baby blanket for macie kate, the mcmiracle. i started before she was matched, prayed as i crocheted, and had faith that the blanket would be just right when she arrived.

    i love your home art...that blue in your dining room is so beautiful and your home is your canvas. thanks for the reminder that when we create we nourish our souls!

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  7. Doing anything creative ... gives me so much energy.

    Fondly,
    Glenda

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  8. Funny, I'm not insecure about creating in "real life" but I am in the blog world. I think because there are so many fabulous, magazine-worthy, better-than-professional images out there. I just didn't think I measured up but then was reminded that most people appreciate the process and the failure. Also, I don't want to be a perfectionist with the "it isn't right, so don't do it at all" theory. I've also struggled with the "why" of doing this. Am I wasting precious time? Is my passion for creating more of a temptation than something good? For right now, I've decided that as long as I'm blogging in moderation I'm in the right place. And it feels like where I should be. I'm occasionally leaving good opportunities on the table, but at my season in life I have to be very intentional with what I choose to do. :)

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  9. Oh, I meant to say that I REALLY like the floral arrangement. Seriously, it could have come from a boutique. I also like that your table decor is simple but enough.

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