Cut Yourself Some Slack

I am a Creative – across the board.

I have always enjoyed crafting and making things with my own hands. I’ve delved into several types of art forms because of this. Even interested myself in mechanics, electronics, and building things on the internet. I’ve always just liked building and mostly staying to myself. I’m not fully agoraphobic but my life has led me to a place where I’ve come to fully appreciate and love my solitude. I am the most productive on my own and when given directions I do well with getting tasks done. I am diligent and capable, but one thing I’ve come to realize I really enjoy over the last few years is jewelry-making.

I’ve crafted a few nice places for my friends over the last few years and thanks to one of my aunts supplying me with the remnants of her bead store, I have lots of inventory to help me with my creations. Believe it or not, scissors are actually something I use a lot more than you would think considering I use mostly metal-working tools. And yet, from time to time I need to pluck them out so that I can cut a wire, ribbon, or even plastic fastener to hook an eyelet to. I don’t know why I chose jewelry so much as it was sort of the random circumstances of having the stock on hand that urged me into it.

I haven’t sold any pieces.

It’s really just done to make me feel a bit happier and at peace. There is something altogether rewarding about making something beautiful in your own solitude and the contentment of an artisan begins to make sense to me the more I do it. Sometimes, I would have to say, oftentimes, I’m not even sure what I am going to create when I sit down to start making a piece. And, that’s honestly the whole reason I spend any time doing it. When I find myself completing a piece, the surprise is in seeing what comes out. Usually, I stun myself and am lef with a gaping mouth of shock that I had created this piece. This is why I have opted to give them to friends and loved ones rather than to sell them.

Not that I am opposed to ever selling them, but I think that part of the contentment I find in doing it…what really makes me creating my own happiness, is that I don’t have any attachment or expectation. Nobody is paying me for the custom piece. If a flaw happens, I’m the only one who is really going to recognize it and because of this, I pay no attention to those flaws in the details. I don’t fret over making mistakes and I get to truly enjoy the process of what I am creating. I cut out time for this, and I realize that those sliced moments when I am creating jewelry are quiet moments of focus on nothing more than the patterns I’m lacing together with nothing but my hands. It’s a great time to meditate. It helps me clear my head of all those overwhelming and intrusive thoughts that otherwise throw me off track.

And that’s why I choose to keep creating. While keeping myself busy on the things that allow me to feel freest and still put something useful as a contribution out in the world, I’ve found a way to regain myself and I took back empowerment by realizing that most of the time, we have no control over anything but how we chose to react to the world around us. If only more of us would choose to focus on creating our happiness we might find we have less time to be so reactionary and are more appreciative and grateful for the blessings surrounding us.