When he got older my Dad completely surprised me.
The man who never really seemed to understand my creative urges got creative.
My Dad started restoring and building Cushman scooters. Cushmans were really cool little motorbikes that were built between the 1930s and the 1960s. Dad and a buddy would collect old, rusty parts and build beautiful, shiny scooters. They would sell them after spending some time riding them. I really wish that I had one of his beautifully built bikes now!
He needed a project and building the motorbikes made him feel like a teenager again.
It awakened something that had been snuffed out by age.
Art does that, it awakens!
It taps into something deep in us.
It’s a family tradition.
It goes back to the very beginning.
Inherent within us is the need to craft.
And so we craft…
We craft
Words and wine
Drawings and donuts
Motorcycles and math
Cakes and cars
Paintings and pottery
Houses and hair
Sandwiches and sculpture
Music and macramé
Birdhouses and beer
Furniture and floral arrangements
Quilts and quiet moments
Legos and landscapes
Beards and bread
We craft.
We craft and the possibilities are as diversified as we are.
Pinterest is proof of that!
Art is meant to be wide open!
We get the ability to make from our Maker.
“In the beginning, God created EVERYthing.” (Genesis 1:1)
In the beginning God created…
God created EVERYthing, he carefully crafted palm trees, waterfalls, clown fish, coffee beans and You.
If you investigate, you will discover that in creating EVERYthing, God demonstrated a beautiful rhythm for us:
He created.
He called it good.
He rested.
Do you recognize the rhythm?
Craft…
Celebrate…
Chill.
That’s it! The simple rhythm of creation!
Notice that there is no criticize or churn in the rhythm of creation.
Many times we create then we criticize our own work. We second guess and compare. We view our art through the lens of unrealistic expectation. We feel like its prideful to celebrate. Its actually gratitude. It’s an awareness that the Creator has given you the gift to create and THAT is a VERY good thing.
Churning is different from crafting. It’s mass production. It’s frenzy. It is cranking out product as fast as you can and then cranking out more. The Creator doesn’t churn, that’s not his style. He crafts! Crafting is taking your time to create something totally unique.
Craft. Find a craft that makes YOU smile, chances are it will be contagious.
Celebrate. Acknowledge the fact that you crafted something good. That’s not arrogance, it’s appreciation.
Chill. Rest, let your craft feed your soul.
We craft.
It’s a family tradition.
It goes back to the very beginning.
carbonated joy 