Make Something

I started to write in this space yesterday morning. Once. Twice. Three times, a slip of my finger caused me to accidentally delete what I had just written. I should have taken that as a sign, but I’m slow to understand things sometimes. So, I persevered in frustration, until I felt tension in my body and realized I was stumbling over words.

Select all. Cut. Hop over to my private Day One journal. Paste. Tap out a few more words about what was going on in my mind and my body, then walk away from the iPad.

I should have paid attention when the glitches first started happening, because having allowed tension to gain the upper hand, I wrestled it for the rest of the day. It was brought on by too many days with commitments outside my home. Too many “on” days. Not to mention letting my mind churn with world events that are outside of my sphere of influence. The seemingly minor frustration with technology sent me over the edge.

An hour spent in community doing a weekly Examen practice didn’t help. Spending an hour at yoga didn’t help. Sitting with a cup of hot chocolate reading some of my favourite Substacks didn’t help. But it did lead me, in a roundabout way, to listening to this video where the speaker (Canadian, Heather Plett) talked about some things we can do in these tumultuous times to help us stay grounded. “Make things,” she said at one point. “Get your hands busy and be creative.”

I’ve been receiving messages (nothing woo woo, just an increasing awareness from various sources) that it’s to my benefit to return to some creative practices that I enjoy apart from writing. In short: I need to make something.

I got away from making tiny needle felted bunnies late last year. Apart from some panels with first layers of paint and collage slapped on them, I haven’t done anything with acrylics for ages. It’s been months since I picked up my camera. I have been dabbling with Neurographic art and enjoying the meditative practice, but I need more. Something is telling me I need to create something where there wasn’t anything before.

I got online and ordered some air dry clay for a project I’m pondering. Today, I’m going to splash some paint around on those prepared boards. I’m going to sit with my pencil crayons and paper and do Neurographic art. I might pull out my needle felting supplies and make something quick and easy. And I’m going to make preparation for what I want to do with that clay when it arrives.

You know that thing about the teacher showing up when the student is ready? Yeah. I’m ready to get crafty again. I think I need to get crafty again. Maybe we all do.