Hello friends!
I thought I would just take a minute today to connect and share some of the ways I have been using my leave of absence from my full time teaching position to nurture my creative side.
Here's what I have been doing:
Knitting
I have been knitting for several years...incorrectly. I have completed a variety of projects, but I had developed some inconsistencies with the process. About a month ago I took a class on Craftsy to relearn the basics, and since then I have been making oodles of hats. But, I am certainly maintaining my beginner status when it comes to knitting. I have not yet mastered gauge, nor can I make good predictions of what size my creation will be given the needle size and yarn weight. So with my hats I have one too big and a lot of too smalls, whereas I am making a pile of giftable handmades for when I find the perfect sized heads to share them with.
I have no complaints however, I am going about knitting with the perspective as a learner. And it is proving to be a productive pastime while I am listening to my 3rd grade son read, during our ZOOM church services and/or in the car while I am a passenger.
Writing
I have spending a lot of time putting words together here on my MacBook with freelance writing opportunities. I mentioned in a previous post that I started back up writing for mothering.com. I have also been doing some other ghostwriting freelance work, which has been fun and different.
I recently put together a piece that about will publish in Taproot Magazine in January, where I not only contributed text, but also photos and illustrations. I am very excited to see how it all comes together. I will certainly share more about that with you in a couple of months!
One thing I did find out recently is that Minnesota Parent Magazine will soon be ceasing publication. I have had the privilege of contributing to the magazine for over six years and have been writing a monthly School Days column. The upcoming November/December issue will the last issue until further notice. This is certainly sad news, but I have been very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a great publication.
Making & Teaching Art
I have also been making art and teaching art on a regular basis. As I share in the piece I put together for Taproot, I have been creating phenology wheels as both a mindfulness practice and as a outlet for creative expression. I have been drawing in both pencil and pen and exploring watercolors with all different kinds of artistic experiments.
I am also having fun teaching art to three students in Russia two days a week. I have been developing and teaching a art class where we are exploring line, shape, texture, form, space, color and value through different exercises and projects via ZOOM. This experience has been fun and works with my life - even though my classes are at 5:00 a.m.!
I also have been teaching some art classes on the Outschool Platform. I just posted a class I will be offering:
Nature Journaling Through the Seasons
Please share with anyone who you think may be interested in joining me!
So, that is what I am doing to nurture my creative side!
All of these experiences are providing me with opportunities find purpose, balance, connection and joy.