Creativity is, apparently, a first blog!

So here it goes peeps, my first official ‘blog’ (does that actually make me a blogger? I like the sound of that… May get some business cards printed with said title splashed all over them…).

Be warned. I don’t know the rules to blogging, how long, or short, how many paragraphs or pictures, should there be a topic ‘theme’, can it really be a collection of my random thoughts on life as I know it? Obvs the sensible grown up thing would be to do some research, but, exactly the same as when I was a kid and used to throw away the instructions for the kinder egg inside, I’m not one for taking the research/instructions road! Much more fun to muddle through!!

Anyrate – side tracked again – I’m back on the first ‘blog’ road.

So I thought it apt to dwell on creativity. It’s a funny thing being ‘creative’. Quite often I hear the words ‘I wish I was creative like you’ or ‘I don’t anywhere near your creative talent’. I find it a bit odd actually, especially as I used to wear a suit to work, sit behind a computer pretty much my whole day and never ‘play’ with anything! I don’t know if this is a proven psychological theory (again should do more research), but I reckon it’s all about creative exercise. If we don’t exercise a muscle or our brain then it ain’t going anywhere!

I’ve seen so many people come onto my workshops over the last 12 months not really believing that they are going to be able to create something gorgeous and of course they do. It may not be the most refined, polished product but it’s the start of something and, once you have lit a creative spark, putting it out is like trying to stop wild horses, or trying to control my kids. Pretty damn hard.  

I guess the starting point about being creative is indeed sparking that light and often that’s not going to be an original lightbulb. Surely it’s much better to start off on a proven, safe road. Learn from a master, or semi-skilled creative and see where this leads your own mind, your own inner (probably deeply hidden) creative side. In my book being creative doesn’t necessarily have to mean setting the world alight with some new direction or concept, as long as it’s new to you and sets your world alight then I would say that’s a pretty cool thing to have achieved. And then it comes down to the exercise thing and that bloody annoying mum’s saying of ‘if at first…’. Once you have learnt a new skill its def time to flex those creative muscles, work it out and get all creatively sweaty!!

I love watching and teaching people learn or brush up on a skill. The learning part really is an emotional roller-coaster – there’s the initial excitement, then comes the frustration (at this point I generally insert cake), now its onto concentration – thinking through the activity, working out why things have worked or haven’t – and then there’s the ‘cracked’ it joy. Oh and pride.

I love watching every one of those stages, helping and enabling them on their creative journey. Inspiring them with different ideas on what they can do with new found skill. Pampering and nurturing their creative spirit.

I guess I just bloody love my job. It’s a million miles away from my life 3 years ago, but I am so damn glad that I took the biggest, most scary, jump of my life. And I kinda hope that you love the fact that I started freckles & fire in Tunbridge Wells. I’m hoping that 2016 will be filled with PT sessions for those looking to get into some creative exercise (do you like how I pulled it back from the tangent there?). Bringing adults and kids together as exercise buddies to strength some much needed creative muscles.

Is this it? This is what blogging is like? Cool. I’ll do my own kind of blogging exercise and write another one soon but now I must introduce a beautiful linen fabric to a sewing machine and make up a sample for a fabulous workshop I have planned for Feb – making a fricking lush overnight bag – perfectly timed for the ‘going to be here so soon’ Easter holidays.  Not a bad way to spend a Saturday (of course I will be aided by my creative director – the not so little Beatrice Parker).