The Creative Process and Try, Try Again

Do you talk with children about ideas that didn't work? Children are fascinated when I share that I tried about forty other ways before figuring out the classic Forest Fairy Craft criss-cross thread. This little fairy was my learning process while creating the Valentine Fairy. I wanted hearts and hearts and hearts. And it worked for her hat, but the wings didn’t quite turn out how I had hoped they would look.

Children value hearing that everyone, even adults, need to try things that don't work in order to discover what does work. I enjoyed this version of her heart-shaped hat, which is in the book. Her wings, though, were a draft on the way to a design that I liked better. And I knew that sewing all the little seams wouldn't work in a classroom setting. Creating is learning.

I had many, many discussions with students about what we called “The Mind of a Maker.” After all, people who make things of all sorts face challenges, frustration, and inspiration. Children really enjoying discussing how everyone, even adults, keeps learning and growing. Sometimes the most valuable part of crafting isn't the craft after all ❤️

What Does Productivity Look Like?

Phew, I underestimated the effect of a pandemic on my creative energy. When homeschooling began, I had ideas upon ideas. We set goals. We planned on multiple projects and activities. And then whoosh, all the motivation evaporated. We didn’t sleep well. Distance learning assignments loomed with deadlines. We rationed pantry food because we needed to limit visits to stores. It turns out that living through a pandemic is not like summer break or homeschool or any of the other times we eagerly create content and crafts.

Instead, motivation is in short supply. Tempers are short and irritation is high. Dreams are vivid and often stressful. We are all getting through one day at a time. As best we can.

And my message in our home is to be kind to ourselves. Above all else, be kind. These are historic times. We cannot hold ourselves to the standards of last year, or even last month or last week. These times will appreciate a gentle holding of the moment. Allowing ourselves to be more than to produce, especially in the traditional sense of productivity. These days, maybe productivity looks like sewing sequins while watching a documentary onto a piece of felt that never needs a finished project. Maybe it’s winding yarn balls. Maybe it’s thumbing through books and adding bits of recycled paper bookmarks for future projects. Maybe it’s cleaning a space for a nature table. Maybe it’s a nap.

Less is more.

And children tend to process stress and anxiety with emotional responses. We used to say that holidays would see more melt-downs than any other time of year, not because kids were sad, but because their emotions were turned up high and they just didn’t know how to regulate all those waves of feelings. So it makes sense if children seem more fragile, more sensitive, more easily upset even while the premise of these times may look like “staying home”.

Children also intuitively pick up on stress around them. So all the decisions and financial stressors among adults may seep into a child’s emotions. Which doesn’t mean adults need to get better at hiding stress. Instead, it’s an invitation to process stress together. What helps adults feel better may also help children. Bring them into the activities that bring calm into your world. Open that process to children. “When I feel worried or tense or frustrated, it helps me to look out of a window. I think I’ll do that right now.”

One of my goals is to let children talk about worries without fixing them. If they say that they feel stressed or worried or sad, it takes a lot not to say, “Don’t worry, don’t be sad.” It can be harder to say, “I can see that. What would help you feel better?” And maybe making things becomes a way to feel better. But if it adds to the stress of a moment, by all means, let go of those expectations.

Making fairies and critters can be another way to open conversations about worries. “How do you think your fairy feels right now?” or “What would help your fairy feel better?” may help children wrangle their big ideas into more manageable thoughts. And if they say their fairy feels great and would like a cookie, well, that’s insightful too. Not everything has to be deep and meaningful to be productive.

I did start sewing rainbows onto hats for fairies this week and it did help me feel better. I started sewing after letting go of the idea that I should “finish” within a timeline. I gave myself an invitation to sew for awhile. And it helped.

Perhaps productivity these days isn’t about what we make. Perhaps it’s about how we feel. And perhaps that is an opportunity to remember why we make things. To connect. To center. To see that little stitches create little projects and little charming crafts. And that creating, in itself, is magical.

Wishing you and your family a safe and productive day (whatever productivity may look like for you these days). ✨