Monday, July 27, 2009

~Creativity Is God's Gift To Us~


Julia Cameron is an artist's dream. She embraces creativity, intertwining it with spiritualism, citing it as an authentic spiritual path. Her books include, The Artist's Way, Vein of Gold, Walking in this World, and Right to Write, among others. I can tell you that I own all of them, and would be hard-pressed to choose a favorite. They are worth the price a hundred times over!

My favorite of her quotes is: "Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God". This speaks straight to my soul. Creativity is literally seeping out of every pore of my being....and our house. It's crept out of my studio and into every crevice of our home.....even into Jim....who helped me trace, cut, paint, and frame all weekend! It tickles me to see him lost in whatever task he's working on. So out of 'his' element, and into 'mine'!

My next show is Shaker Woods Festival, Aug 8-9, 15-16, and 22-23 from 10-5 pm. For directions and further information, check Shaker Woods Festival. We own a darling little cottage there that we've been fixing up and stocking with lots of RoseCreekCottage and Ragamuffins goodies. We'll be joining 200 artists and craftsmen from around the country, demonstrating and selling our wares.

You can imagine with 6 days of show, and tens of thousands of people, the amount of inventory needed to stock a little cottage! (pictures at a later date!) My sewing machine has been running almost continuously, the studio is humming with lots of hustle-bustle. There are pumpkin heads drying outside on the deck, my original poems being framed (by Jim!) on the farmhouse table in the kitchen, and me? Well...I'm running between all the different 'stations', doing a bazillion different things at any given moment. Multi-tasking at its finest!

In the midst of all this, add in two puppies that never let me out of their site, a phone that rings incessantly, two grandchildren, friends stopping by to see what's going on and you get a bird's-eye view of life here at RoseCreekCottage in July!

We ended up selling so much at St. John's Art Festival, that it is taking longer than anticipated to 'restock' the items we sold. Summer shows don't usually deplete my inventory so much, and in this economy, we were pleasantly surprised, albeit now pretty exhausted....in a very 'good' kind of way.

Needless to say, the computer, blogging, emails, and posting are way down on my list of priorities, as much as I dearly miss them. There are only so many hours in a day.....even very lengthy 13 hour ones!!

So...on that note....I'm headed back to the studio to continue my much-earlier-started day. The aroma of the second pot of coffee brewing in the kitchen is calling my name! Have a wonderfully creative week, wherever you are in the world~

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Life at Rose Creek Cottage sounds wonderful.

CJ xx

rosecreekcottage-carol.blogspot.com said...

Hi CJ...It truly is. Busy....but wonderful!! Carol

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Dearest Carol,
So glad to hear from you!!!!! Thanks for stopping by!!!!! I LOVE this post!!!! One of my BEST friends swears by "The Artist's Way!!!!" I REALLY MUST get a copy!!!!! I'm so thrilled that your shows are going so well!!!! Hurrah!!!! Never mind about posting...we'll all be here whenever you get back!!!! As you can see, I'm a big proponent of taking a break when necessary ;-)...I hope I won't be on my break much longer...but I do have a few major things I have to clear off my plate before I can return...YOU, however, can be sure I will stop by when I return to the blogosphere. I love and miss you!!! ~Janine XOXOXOXOX

Carolyn said...

Hi Carol,
You are a busy lady! I am glad your sales are doing well and you are enjoying it.
it was nice to have you visit.
Take care,
Carolyn

Tales From My Empty Nest said...

I am so thrilled that you found me!!! You are such a talented lady. I want to come back and check out your site when I have more time. I am out the door now to go walking!! I LOVE your dolls!!! Thanks for the info on your camera. Glad to hear we both love blue and that we are both empty nesters and former pre-school teachers. I signed up to be a follower, so I will enjoy hearing about your dollmaking business. I love to quilt and have made a few dolls/stuffed animals in the past. I love crafts of all kinds and have tried just about everything over the course of time. Have a wonderful day. Love & blessings from NC!

Sandi McBride said...

I'd give a pretty penny to be at Rose Creek Cottage and join you in all the activities...so glad to hear from you again!!!
hugs
Sandi

SandyCarlson said...

Good luck with your show. I admire Cameron too. She shows us how to give us permission to do and be and create.

Donna said...

Thanks for the sweet comment you left me! It looks like you are extremely busy!!! That's a Good thing though!! Happy week to you!hughgus

Donna said...

It's for Tim...Thank you SO much for adding him to the list!!!Hughugs

Julie said...

I love your blog and posts! For being such a good blogger I would like to give you a special award!
You can pick it up at:

http://juliesdailyinspirationals.blogspot.com/

Have a great day and God bless!

Julie~

Hilary said...

Glad to hear you're doing well.. that's just wonderful. Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by. :)

david mcmahon said...

You're so right, Carol. Creativity is a gift.

A very precious gift.

Suldog said...

I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments expressed. If we don't use the gifts God gives us, then we aren't showing our appreciation and we shouldn't expect more gifts in future.

Isis said...

I love Julia Cameron's books, too. I have The Artist's Way and Right to Write ( a gift from my bestfriend).

I have been reading both books again recently after I started blogging and whenever I feel nervous or anxious about this whole blogging thing.

She's really inspired me to go ahead and just embrace this creative path no matter how scared I get sometimes.

I'm grateful that God gave us this gift and the least I can do is to use it to inspire others.