Living Artfully

A few weeks ago, I had some time kill before an appointment and I spent it wandering around a bookstore. I stumbled on this book, "Living Artfully" by Sandra Magsamen, and ended up leaving the store with it. It's fabulous, and I've been dipping into it frequently since I brought it home.
The book is all about why creativity is important in everyday life. Many of us know that already, of course, and need outlets for creative expression as much as we need food and sleep and oxygen. But more important for me these days is how this book reminds me that creativity has all sorts of applications. It's not all about painting or collaging or quilting...creativity occurs in the way you set a table, the way you arrange the items on the table as you tidy your home, the way you tuck a fun note into your child's lunchbox.
One of the book reviews says this: "Living artfully is expressing who you are through the moments that you create. Living Artfully reminds us to explore and experience life with more heart, meaning, purpose, and joy. It asks us to imagine, to dream big, to believe in ourselves, to celebrate the people in our lives, make each day count, dance when the spirit moves us, laugh out loud, and let our voices be heard."
Like many of other quilters and artists, my life is not about doing this quilt art as a career. It's something that I tuck into the gaps between my professional work, my family time, my household jobs, and other obligations and interests. It's vital to me, but it's not all that I do nor is it the most important work I do. At times many days can pass before I do anything at my studio table at all. So, this book has been so important in reminding me that even the most mundane of chores can be done creatively, with imagination and flair and joy.
Coincidentally, I recently discovered a podcast called "Craftcast" by Alison Lee. In her weekly podcast (which you can listen to at the Craftcast.com site or subscribe to and download through Itunes), Alison interviews craftspeople from all different arenas. I've been poking around the archived podcasts, and stumbled onto an interview with the author of Living Artfully, Sandra Magsamen. You can find that particular podcast episode here.
Now, I'm off to do some housework -- artfully, of course --before getting back to the current quilt project.
Here's wishing you a creative day!