Creativity

Creativity. Being creative. Creating. However you say it, it's part of me. I like to make things, it makes me happy. It also makes me mad, sad and a bit crazy. I can't help the impulse, the inspiration to create.
Elizabeth Gilbert (the author of Eat,Pray, Love) recently gave an interesting talk about creativity and how we, as a society, are too hard on our artistic selves. I highly recommend listening to it HERE.
The muse often haunts me when I don't have the time to play and eludes me when I do. How many times have I though up an absolutely brilliant jewellery idea on the way to babysitting (back in the pre-Sid days) and totally forgot about it when I got to the studio? These days it is an idea for a layout or a card on the way to work that I can't remember how to create when the day is done, the child is asleep and the quiet evening is mine. This is the part of creativity that maddens and frustrates me.
There's other times (albeit not as frequently occurring) that an idea or inspiration feels like winning the lottery. The clear insight into a beautiful design for paper or metal occurs in my brain and I manage to execute it flawlessly (or almost) and feel an amazing joy inside.
Most of the time these days it's all about playtime. No pressing deadlines for clients just fooling around with paper, paint, glue and pens. The downside to this fun is lack of direction and usually lack of results. Scrapbooking is a lovely hobby but I've never been in it to churn out a zillion pages. I love creatively telling our story. I experimenting with new techniques.
Recently, I find myself changing the direction of my scrapping. Each new page seems more complex than the last and I'm riddled with challenges along the way to completion. I love taking my time with each page but sometimes I have to wonder, will anyone care in twenty years? Does it matter that I hand painted and stitched the background or would it be just as fine if was a picture slapped together with some stickers and words? I guess I like doing it. That's what matters and it's keeping my muse happy...for now.