Create + Share: Saturday Crafternoons

Hello my dears! I have a new project in mind that I am really excited about, and I hope you will be excited about it too, because I want you to participate! I want to live a more creative life, and that means making time for creating. Sounds simple enough, right? But after years of wishing I was making time for art, crafts, and creative projects, I haven’t actually carved out the time needed to explore these pursuits. Is this something you have been feeling, too? Whether you want to paint, take photographs, make mood boards, bake cakes, arrange flowers, style interior vignettes, scrapbook, keep a sketchbook, or write stories – if you are willing, I ask you to make a commitment with me to devote one afternoon each weekend to your own creativity. Then, if you desire, meet back here the following Monday to share what you have been working on. That’s right, share! Because I believe it is mutual support + accountability that gives a project like this the best chance of success. Are you with me so far?

A little background: When I was younger, I loved making art. As a kid, I always drew, sketched, and painted. In high school, I was in the advanced art classes and really treasured my time in class. My art teacher tried her hardest to convince me to apply to art school, even going so far as contacting my Mom to see if she could convince me to go. But no, I wanted to do something more practical. And I don’t regret the path I took…but now I feel is a great time to begin exploring art again. I’ve missed the creative challenges, the working with my hands, the paint smears and mess, the pure joy of getting into a zone of creating. Whether I end up using this time to draw, paint, craft, take pictures, or even style flowers, I want to devote time to my creative side again, on a regular basis. Call it art class, 2.0!

Here is what I’m going to do: Each week I will brainstorm the creative project I want to tackle on the weekend, gather any necessary supplies, instructions, and inspiration, and block out at least a few hours on Saturday afternoon to work, play, and explore. I am not concerned with completing a project in that amount of time, the point is to simply start. Then, each Monday I will check in here with a blog post covering what I spent my time on – with photographic proof! Ha. I am really hoping that this will be the kick in the pants I need to get myself making and creating art again.

Your challenge if you choose to accept it: If you think this sounds like fun, I encourage you to try it right along with me! I have chosen Saturday afternoon as my creative time, but you choose the time that works best for your life. Do whatever creative activity your heart desires – paint, write, draw, decorate, craft, bake, etc. – and document it with photos and/or words. On Monday in a new post I will provide a linking tool so you can link up to your own post (or flickr or Instagram) about your creative project. I really hope you will join in, or at least check in on Monday to leave words of encouragement for those participating (and, ahem, me), because it’s having group involvement that will really make this a success and motivation for leading a more creative life. The first check in will be Monday, January 28…so let’s get crafting!

And if you have friends you think might enjoy this, by all means tweet it, share it on Facebook, email it…spread the word! xoxo Laura

Images: my Instagrams of Mati Rose McDonough’s super-inspiring book (& great resource for your Crafternoons!), Daring Adventures in Paint

• 

Tagged as: Crafternoon, weekend creative