Creativity....

As a youngster I had a very narrow understanding of what it meant to be creative. In my small world the term was reserved for my artistic friends. Jackie the painter, Susan the sketcher, and Heather the sculptor. I was Erin the writer, the organizer, the planner. I never saw myself as the creative type. We all know Jackies, Susans and Heathers who are incredibly talented in ways that we can only aspire to be. Hello! Reality Check! We are all someones Jackie, Susan or Heather. We all hold particular gifts and talents that may shadow those around us. It is my hope that as I walk out in my own creativity it inspires those around me. It lifts them up, inspires them, and draws the best our of them. It has only been recently that I have realized that every part of my life has a vein of artistry. The way that I decorate my home, the way that i interact with my students, the way I see the world through the lens of my camera, the way that I write. All embody what it means to create something beautiful. To look at something new, to learn something new, to see some one or something in a new light. Below is a hodgepodge of moments, vignettes from my daily life. Things that I am proud of, that bring me joy. These are my creative moments.

My wedding was a huge blessing. It was a tremendous time in my life emotionally and creatively. I saw the vision of what I wanted and saw it transform before my very eyes. I learned so much during the process. I know it may seem trite, but one of my favorite new skills is embossing. I stamped and embossed all of my place cards  It was truly one of my best days! 

Creating spaces is one of my favorite things to do. Balance, beauty, and depth are all things that I strive to achieve in my spaces. I love finding unique pieces and placing them with unexpected partners.        

                OLD and NEW
is also another one of my favorite combinations. My home is full of hand-me-downs that are coupled with new things. It combines my voice with the voices of those that have gone before me. It adds the    d  e  p  t  h    and the richness that I crave in my spaces. 

       Not only do love to create my own spaces at home, but also at school. While they take on a totally different form they are my way of expressing creativity in a way that is accessible and inspiring to my students. As an elementary school teacher your ability to create and innovate is put to the test every day  you walk into the classroom. I am constantly changing up the way that I explain something, the way that I interact with a student, the way that I communicate to my students that what they create is important and  unique. Here are some of the things that I have down with my kiddos.  We do projects that take what they are learning and translate it into something that is meaningful to them. It amazes me how hard it is for some kids to let go and create. They are so used to getting an answer right or wrong. It is ingrained within them. I remember being that kid, who was always afraid to make a mistake. I never trusted myself enough to create with abandon. 

As my kiddos float away in the hot air balloons of learning. I am constantly learning new things. Aspiring to new levels. Recently I realized that I not been investing enough time creating and feeding my soul. I can't just do it in my classroom. I can't always do it for other people. I have to do it for me. What is interesting to me is that as I fill up my creative cup I can intern pour it out onto others. Which is by far my favorite thing to do. Like throwing a wedding, I love throwing parties for my friends. I have become the resident party planner. The go to party girl. I think the good rule of thumb, whenever you talk about your life: do what you love and then pour it out onto those you love. Cheers! Let's Honor the gifts that we each possess and spur one another on to the greater things!

I love beautiful paper. There is a richness, a legacy in paper. Paper can be luxe. It communicates something before a pen ever strikes it. My husband laughs because I have an entire dresser drawer devoted to the pulpy goodness. It contains everything from thank yous to post-its, invitations to old christmas cards. However, the greatest treasure in that draw is the stack of love notes scribed on cards, slips of paper, and corners of envelops from my lovely husband. You see he knew me from day one; his first gift to me was paper and a pen. {sold}.

I love a hand written note on personalized stationary. There is a thoughtfulness, a moment of care. It is the personal touch that we miss through emails and texts. Sure, a word is a word is a word, but how do you hold on to a text or treasure an email. I adore getting letters from my grandma. There is perfection in her loopy, exquisitely slanted lettering.

For me wedding planning became a sort of catalyst for my love of all things paper. Creating my wedding invitations with a friend who started her own business Sweet Peanut, I got to play with paper in a way that I hadn't before. The results were beautiful.

Herein lies the beauty of the things that we love. Ultimately they don't need to hold meaning or significance for a single other person. They are completely unique to our person. However...there is something exceedingly more wonderful when you stumble across someone who shares your same creative heart and spirit. You can talk and relate in a way that brings increase. Increase in vision. Increase in passion. Increase in excellence.

I believe that as we come more and more into ourselves are creators and artists. It took me years to consider myself an artist. I am not the one you want to paint you a watercolor or sketch a portrait of your baby. Yet my love of paper was a baby step into a bigger things. I began to find my footing. I could create with paper. I could use paper. Then I realized I could take a step further and trust my eye. I could create beautiful spaces. I could take a phenomenal picture. I found my eye. I found my confidence in my love of pulpy, imperfect and simply beautiful paper.

Where did you find your footing? Where does your creativity lie?

I love anything with a story. My apartment is full of stories and I am always at the ready to tell anyone who will listen. I love to explain the trunk that once housed all my mom's treasures from her summers away at camp. I have a pair of sweet, lamps quiet in their beauty that once sat on my grandmother's dresser. A dainty stool peeks out from the side of the couch lovingly stitched by my granny. Sitting in the corner, unassuming, is a rust colored leather chair that beckons come and stay awhile. Some see the worn edges of these things as unsightly or in need of repair, but they provide the warmth, the depth that I desire. They instantly remind me of where I came from. Much like the worn pages of my favorite novels, they tell a story that is unchanging, unwavering, unapologetic. These are the women that I come from.

I have spent countless hours sitting contentedly in my grandma's kitchen listening to her stories. She talks about childhood, her travels, she talks about love and loss. As an adult I am so thankful to have her. There is never enough time and time is the enemy. I ache to spend more time with her, there is a beauty in her life that is undeniable, a kindness that is palpable and love that is disarming. She is my granny. The one that holds my heart.

There is another woman that has taught me about beauty. She is elegant, refined and perfect to my 5 year-old-eyes. My grammy was a dancer, who walked with straight back and head held high. She taught me to appreciate the depth of riches in life; the resonance of a well struck piano key, the perfection of a brush stroke, the gentle clink of ice in a real glass, and the beauty of bold colors.

With her I spent my days zipping up and down the driveway on the little royal blue tricycle with multicolored seat. She taught me the meaning of the word lady. I thought she was larger than life. She was beautiful.

These are the women that shaped who I am. They are the women that bring depth to my story and fill in the lines. To appreciate beauty you must pause or it might past you by. In order for me to understand these women it causes me pause.

History is not always easy, nor is it always riveting, However it is always generous. It will disclose and uncover if you take the time. There is a joy in the waiting for a story to be revealed. It is my desire to give these women permission to speak into my life in a way that deepens my understanding of what it is to be loved. What it is to walk in the gifts they have given. It is my desire to uncover the beauty of the world around me. The world that they worked so hard to provide and I am blessed to walk into. Thus starts my journey into the things of beauty. I thank you for your patience and grace as I make this journey into the greater things.