Wednesday, January 23, 2013
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Friday, January 18, 2013
MAKE SOMETHING - A Beautiful Mess
Inspiring post
MAKE SOMETHING..ANYTHING
from
You've probably noticed that making things is a big part of what we do here at A Beautiful Mess. We make food, decorations, clothes, gifts, crafts, art, mistakes, blog posts and everything in between. We love a good project. And we love learning and experimenting every single day. You might think that it's a quirk or gimmick or just a trend we're stuck on. But it's not. As corny as it may sound, making is the only way of life we really understand. And, oddly enough, it's turned into our career over time.
Why make something? (especially if you could just as easily buy it) Why learn to cook something if you can just eat out? Why sew curtains when you could purchase them from Target or IKEA or (fill in the blank)? Because making can be just as fulfilling as it is functional. Please don't hear me wrong. I'm not saying you should make everything (we buy things all the time). I'm just saying you should make something. Here are a few reasons why:
1. Making encourages creativity. Maybe you don't think of yourself as a creative person. It's okay, but I gotta say, I think you're wrong. Creativity isn't just about our traditional idea of art or artists. Creativity is used by scientists, chefs, politicians, business people, etc. It's all about problem solving skills. We make crafts and bake cupcakes, sure, but we also use our creativity to solve business problems we face. Our habit of making has helped us change "I can't..." into "what if..." so many times over the years. We are SO thankful to our mother for encouraging us to be creative our whole lives.
2. Making promotes self confidence. If you are the absolute most confident person in the world, then feel free to skip this point. But, uh, I'm not. There are plenty of times when I don't feel so great about myself. Maybe I am stressing, because I forgot something important, am having trouble with a project at work, or feel insecure because I have a pimple (I'm almost 27, and, yes, I still get pimples). However serious or trivial, we all feel a little less than confident at times. Make something. Anything you want, anything that you can be proud of. And when you are done, look at this thing you have made/accomplished and just try not to feel a little better about yourself.
3. Making is personal. The best example I can think of is gift giving. I love trying to figure out the perfect thing to buy someone. Actually, Trey is REALLY good at this. I should probably work on my listening skills. But anyway, I'm not trying to say a handmade gift is better, but I will say that it is more personal. When someone gives me a scarf they knit, I know they thought about me every evening they worked on it. I would appreciate a nice store bought candle too, don't get me wrong. But making is personal. It creates a story behind the objects we give, or wear or make to decorate our homes.
Maybe you're at a place where you have filled notebooks with ideas of things you want to make or projects you want to work on but you not yet had the courage to start. Or the time (that's the excuse I always use). Start now. Make something... anything. xo. Emma
Thursday, January 17, 2013
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