Thank you to the author, Mary Potter Kenyon, who allowed me to read an advance copy of her latest release.
I’ve haven’t always thought of myself as a creative person, but as I look back, I guess I have been all along. As a young girl, coloring with crayons ranked high on my list of fun things to do. Soon, I ventured into water colors. To clarify, I used the eight-paint trays with a “wonderful” brush included. It’s what I had available and I enjoyed the process. Other times, I dabbled in poetry or story writing. Even in a photo of me with my siblings, I held a pencil in my hand.
As a teenager, I learned to sew my clothing mostly because our family didn’t have the money to buy what I wanted. My mom let me dismantle old, full skirts and remake them into a-line skirts or culottes, which most high school girls wore back then. I continue to sew today. It became my favorite way to spend time.
So, I’ve had people say to me, “You’re so creative. I wish I could do something but I don’t have a creative bone in my body.” To them, I say, “Yes, you do.”and “Yes, you can.” This book can help you discover the creative side hidden away. Maybe you got told to color in the lines by a well-meaning adult. Or you received a C on an art project (like I usually did). It doesn’t matter how or when the ability to explore the creative side to you was buried, it can get dug out.
Mary sites scientific studies on the benefits of imaginitive “play.” Watch a young child entertain themself. One minute they jump off the edge of the sofa as they dive into the ocean and swim across the living room and the next minute they are milking a cow using clothes pins pinned to a belly side of a siblings shirt on his hands and knees. (Two of my favorite winter games to play with my brothers growing up on a farm.) Do you remember your favorite game as a youngster?
This book strives to inspire awaken the artistist side her reader and help them blossom and grow. Mary uses example after example of innovative people she’s met to inspire them. She follows it with a section designed to ignite her readers into action.
Creative people get discouraged, too. Sometimes, the perfect gene roars and shuts me down because I failed to live up to the vision in my head. Mary Potter Kenyon’s book, Called to be Creative, gave me the ammunition to fight the defeat dragon. She gave me, as a reader, permission to fail. She encouraged me to try, again. The old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again” took over and I jumped out of my recliner to “try again.”
I’d encourage you to read Called to be Creative, to give a copy to someone who’s discouraged during these uncertain times. It may just help fill the time usually spent doing social activies.
To show my appreciation to Mary Potter Kenyon, I made her a tissue pack holder using scraps of fabric with antique books.
What would you like to try?
Bye for now.
Virginia
Virginia Pillars, Author 