Creativity

Would you consider yourself a creative person?

There are people whom everyone says, “Oh, she’s soooo creative.” They are the kind of people who can elevate any item to a work of art. Folks who can plop down the grocery bags in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Or people who go about life, truly thinking “outside the box”. No matter the situation, these folks are guaranteed to have thought of a different way to achieve an outcome.

Many years ago, a talented and creative friend designed elaborate birthday parties for her children. She even had a Cinderella-themed birthday (sans any premade Disney items) complete with a mini-van make-over to resemble the royal carriage.

While I would say I am somewhat creative, my talent lies more in taking what I have and making the best of it- either reusing or repurposing it. Although I think one can train oneself to have an artistic eye. The more one looks at something beautiful (bearing in mind that beauty is in the eye of the beholder), the more one is attune to seeing and responding to the world with creativity.

When I was a kid, I had a “craft box” containing all sorts of arts and crafts: colored pencils, paints, pastels; clay; bits and bobs of string, ribbon and small fabric; glitter; glue; small shells and pebbles. I had the items all arranged in small cigar boxes that fit just so into a larger cardboard storage file box with a hinged lid. To accompany that, I had an old wicker beach bag that contained sketch note books and small canvases. Every summer I would pack it along as we went on summer holiday. My intention was to do some artistic endeavor. (I had visions of being an “artiste”!) Some years I was productive. Other years, not so much. Regardless, I had to have it with me. My brother would get so frustrated with me. “Are you bringing that d*** box again this year?” (Never understood why it bothered him so much, he brought his guitar.) In fact, I had the box up until our boys were young and then I incorporated my craft items with theirs. Now that they are out of the house, I have upgraded to a craft cabinet.

Oil on Canvas. National Gallery of Art, Collection of Mr and Mrs. John Hay Whitney, 1998.74.5 Photo credit: ©National Gallery of Art.

I found an interesting article extolling the virtues of creativity- that creativity is bidirectional with well-being: a person’s well-being was found to promote creativity and creativity is conducive to well-being. Basically, when one is happy and content and feels good, one is in a better position to be creative. Being creative produces feelings of being happy and content.* In some ways, there goes the theory of the miserable and suffering artist.

I’ve been attending a virtual lecture series offered by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. It is an in-depth look at Vincent Van Gogh and his portraitures- namely the Roulin family. The Roulin’s (Papa, Mamman, two sons and baby daughter) all sat and were painted by Van Gogh. The time spent with the Roulin’s was during the last years of his life. One of the MFA lectures, the discussion was about Van Gogh’s mental status, physical ailments and his genius. There is lot of speculations about his mental and physical illness (es). One of the comments from the expert was that in looking at VanGogh’s final paintings and comparing the same subjects from earlier works, he does not seem to be painting under mental stress. For him, painting was his saving grace. It made him happy.

I know I shared this before, but I am a big believer that all of us have creativity. Some, maybe more than others but nonetheless, we all are creative beings. Madeleine L’Engle used to say that when we create, we become co-creators with God. I think that is true. God is Creator. We are formed in His image- containing attributes of His. Therefore, we all have a creative side. When we create, we become part of the Divine.

Children create. For them creativity is playing. It helps them figure out the world- drawing a picture of their family, home, pets, what they are experiencing or something from their imaginations. Children sing. They make up tunes and words. Children tell and even act out stories. They write poems or recite nonsense verse. All of their “creation” is beautiful in their own way. Unfortunately, many children have had their creativity stifled by a (well-meaning) parent or teacher who criticized the endeavor for not being stylistically accurate.

As adults, we have the opportunity to be creative, not only in the traditional fine arts but also in the way we live our lives. Some people are creative in the way they garden, arrange flowers, style their clothes or decorate their home. Others in the way they arrange a contract, fill out an excel spread sheet, care for their car, hammer a nail, photo their children, lay a table and present a meal or creatively come up with a solution to a problem.

What about you? What is/was your experience with any creative endeavor(s)? Did you ever have an adult '“criticize” your work as a child? How can you lay that aside and challenge yourself to try again?

The New York Times has a fun little creativity challenge this week: every day do some type of creative activity. Monday- draw doodles. Tuesday- write a poem. Wednesday- daydream. Thursday- do 10% more. Friday- try one new thing. The idea is to help one get unstuck and use some divergent and alternative thinking.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/well/creativity-poetry-writing-prompt.html?smid=url-share&rsrc=deeplink.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/well/creativity-drawing-art.html

Why not try it? I am. After all, we are approaching summer- the time when I need to get out the “craft” box. There is something about summer and the opportunity to try something new. Maybe I will get creative this year.

* https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8305859/

Tending the Garden

The NYTimes article caught my eye: The Health Benefits of Gardening. While I have always espoused and stated that being outside in nature and mucking about in the garden is good for us, it is nice to have validation through different research studies. The benefits make sense, especially to anyone who has worked in a garden: increases physical health- all that raking, shoveling, toting, digging, bending; increases well-being- feeling a sense of purpose, meaning; fostering connection- to one another (especially in community gardens or gardening clubs) and to nature; lowering cortisol (stress hormone); bolsters immunity- getting one’s hands dirty and the exposed microbes.

I love to garden. I love to see things grow. But most of all, I think I just like to play in the dirt.

In moving to a new home, I have been thinking about what type of garden I would like to have. We have finished most of our indoor renovations and it is time to focus my attention on the outside. The house is over 100 years old and is in New England. I have always been partial to cottage gardens and while the house isn’t exactly cottage looking, it does have that certain feel to it.

I decided to make a small cottage garden in the front yard. Last year I was able to put that in. Surprisingly, it is not doing too poorly in a year’s time. This year, I plan to have our veg patch and some herbaceous borders in the side yard as that gets the best sun. While I have always been a “gardener” (very loosely stated since, as I have said, I really just play in the dirt), our previous home was quite shady and so I could never grow any vegetables.

This side yard is quite sunny. We’ve put in some raised vegetable beds. One of the local nurseries offers a CSA (community supported agriculture) with seedlings rather than the typical harvested fruit or vegetable. We received seedlings in April (cool weather crops), May (warm weather crops) and will receive some in August (fall crops). So far, so good. We have enjoyed lettuce and some of the herbs. Broccoli is coming along and the peas will need to be picked sometime this week. I can’t say that we have had a high yield, but we haven’t had the million dollar tomato either- You know how it goes, you spend lots of time, effort and money for plants, soil, containers and all you receive for your labors is one pathetic tomato.

What tickles me each and every time I tend to the garden are the lessons learned:

• It is easier to pull out a small pokeberry weed than one that has been established.

• Some seedlings have similar characteristics as the adult plant-in the way it looks or smells.

• Certain seedlings, are hard to tell what they will develop into. Rest assured they will be weeds.

• Some people’s weeds are others’ perennials.

• If you do not mark a plant, you will forget what was planted there by the next season, or even the next week.

• Pruning and cutting out dead wood is necessary for healthy plants.

• Plants (dividing) and its “offspring” (fruit, blossoms, veg)- need to be shared. Not only is it healthier for the plant, it is healthy for the giver and receiver.

• Deadheading and tidying up the garden throughout the garden season keeps the garden looking fresh.

• Plants need a good beginning: healthy soil, water, sun, space (not too crowded).

• Consistent watering is key.

• Different plants have different growing requirements. The right plant in the right location will thrive.

• Mulch covers a multitude of sins.

I like the word tend: to watch over; pay attention; stand by in readiness to prevent mischance; serve, cultivate; foster. In the archiac meaning, tend was to listen. Tending a garden makes me think of the word tender- that we are gentle and caring for the little patch of the world within our care.

But I also wonder what the world would look like if we tended to the large garden we call earth. To be tender to all the inhabitants- not just the flora and fauna but the animals and people. What if we really listened to those around us? Paid attention? Are we willing to stand by in readiness to prevent mischance happening to our neighbors or community? Do we watch over the people in our care?

What about you? Are you a gardener? What have you learned?

For all the jokes about oldest professions, gardening is the oldest. Adam and Eve were given charge over the earth. Not to abuse the earth through careless decisions but to be stewards of it- seeing to the well-being of all that lives and grows on it. All that we have developed as human kind is a marvel but I can’t help wondering if we have removed ourselves too much from the natural world. Perhaps all of us should, in our own way, begin tending to garden.