Friday, June 22, 2012

Routines and Creativity






How many crows does it take to make a murder? A murder meeting took place in our back yard this morning. Fluffing, cawing and swooping. 



Morning light on my Bolero rose. The bush has tons of blooms on it. But it's potted and I think the foliage is suffering because of it. More food? Change the soil? Transplant it? Any ideas?


Now that classes are over and my job has ended, I'm spending time helping our daughter with little Sadie. Her husband took the first week off, but he's mostly back to work now. Yesterday afternoon, while Mama napped upstairs, I sat downstairs with Baby and stitched while she dreamed in her blanket cocoon.

I'll be going over there again around noon, but meanwhile, I'm getting a few things done around the house. 

Tim had an early meeting this morning, so my day began around 6:30 with a shower and drying my hair. Then downstairs to fix his lunch and chat while he eats. I have a hard time eating that early and so I wait until he's gone. But before I ate, I stripped the bed, started a load of laundry, and then, in a fit of virtuous enthusiasm, cleaned a bathroom and vacuumed upstairs. Then I sat down to eat, well satisfied with myself for having done a chore I dislike. The rest of the day looks much better from here. 




This is another piece of stitching that I worked on. It's from the 39 stitches project on Amy Powers blog, started in 2010. I planned on doing more than 39 squares, but like most of my other creative pursuits, this was laid aside until I completed my degree. That was last fall, but then Christmas came, and a partial move, then a complete move, and so on. It's only now that I'm getting into my stitching/sewing stuff again. And it feels good. Ideas are beginning to flow again. That's a good thing. 


The internet is full of ideas on creativity and inspiration. In the end, however, if I'm only creative in my head I'm not expressing myself. And it's scary to actually try something new. The novels I write in my head are always best sellers and the sewing projects turn out perfectly. Alas, in real life, that's just not so. That's no excuse not to keep trying. I need to just do something.  But thinking time is required. Doing mindless things like cleaning bathrooms, folding laundry and vacuuming provides me with thinking time. My chores earlier this morning led to this post, scattered though it may be.


How about you? When do you do your best thinking? What creative pursuits are you involved in today?


Here are a couple of links to sites that might interest the creative mind - and I believe we are all creative in one way or another.


Daily Routines - this blog is no longer active, but the archives offer glimpses of the routines of people like C. S. Lewis, Winston Churchill and Emily Dickinson.

Creating Brains is a blog I just found and am eager to explore. Leonardo da Vinci's process is featured in this post.

13 comments:

  1. Hi Lorrie -How lovely to have the time to be there for your daughter and grand daughter and to do a bit of embroidery as they sleep! I know what you mean about the endless chores. I put on music and sing along or dance if I have the energy. How is it that one day of one week the house can be in perfect shape and just daily living will mean that if the doorbell were to ring unexpectedly panic would set in? Well today's the day i'm cleaning again everywhere and anywhere that looks untidy and I'm planning a BBQ for this evening - and hoping that when the farmer is done spraying the crops this afternoon he'll agree to inviting our friends for dinner tonight - a last minute invitation but he needs to relax and laughter and friendship will help.

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  2. We have Murder meetings several times a day here. Love your stitching. There really are a lot of creative ideas out there.

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  3. Thinking? Does that happen after the age of 50? I'm not so sure. Mindless chores equals mindless thinking in my world. Not that mindless chores are unimportant. Perhaps I need to harness my time and mindlessness a bit better.

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  4. And what I really wanted to say is how wonderful to be able to help out with the new grand and how nice to be back to your creative pursuits. I always enjoy seeing your little inchies.

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  5. We have murder meetings down the street at the park all the time!
    Good for you for picking your 39 squares back up. I haven't finished mine either, and I have zero excuses as to why!
    Have a great weekend, Lorrie.

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  6. There's been a murder of crows around the house at 0500 every day lately - cawing and screeching and generally making sure that every other creature is awake!
    I have to confess to a twinge of longing when I read about the way you're able to help your daughter, and then plan to see her and we Sadie again the next day. Store up the lovely memories of afternoons of stitching and Sadie.

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  7. I love quotidian.---simple chores that give me time to think. Too often we are rushed in them as we have way too much to do. Your rose is spectacular and your stitching looks so nice. Just earlier today I was thinking I should pursue that again.

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  8. Hi Lorrie
    You had a very fruitful day. Starting early and getting so much accomplished before breakfast seems to work for me too.

    Thanks for sharing your day

    Helen xx

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  9. Wish I had some great advice for you lovely rose bush, but alas, we are suffering with the same issue here. Trying a number of things as I discover them online . . . wanting to stick with natural remedies. I will get to see my grandgirlies tomorrow via Skype. Haven't seen them for well over a year now, but it is their great grandma's 80th birthday and she has not seen the last two at all as she can no longer fly so my kids have been working together to make the skype call happen at her birthday party tomorrow. You are so blessed to have those babies so close.

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  10. For me, there are many levels of creativity, from sketching & painting (at which I'm an absolute neophyte) to choosing colours for a knitting pattern, to designing a garden bed, to designing a new course, to writing a paper on a brand new topic. For me, many of these activities need time at other activities, often structured tasks but also puttering or walking -- things that keep my physical body busy while my mind explores.

    Like Pondside, I'm envious of your time with your new little one -- and happy for you that you have her so close. Soak it up!

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  11. Oh, you make everything seem so novel like!

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  12. My hubby's been know to say that he will take over the vaccuming because that is when I dream up renovation projects and what not.
    However,I think that if I were to vaccum as early in the morning as you do, that would not be the case.
    Congratulations of finishing your degree. I think I read that somewhere?

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  13. Crows! They can be a menace and so noisy as are the Magpies and Wood Pigions. You are so creative and you do produce some lovely things but time is also so restrictive I know, especially when it come to thinking of writing a book.

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