Thawing Out Creativity

It has been a long, cold winter, and as of lately Mother Nature has been playing a not-so-nice game with us Midwesterners. She makes the weather almost Spring-like with muddy slush that turns light colored cars different colors one day, and the next day she turns the weather colder than a deep freeze complete with frigid air conditioning, better known as wind-chill. Not to mention that muddy slush goes straight back to ice that makes drivers slip and slide into ditches.

So what is one icy cold girl to do? Well, I'm not turning my heat down or giving up my favorite blanket anytime soon. I'll make sure the temperatures are rising a bit before I dig out my spring clothes - but I'm also going to prepare for Spring by thawing out my creativity! I started doing that last night by watching an excellent movie - The Martian Child, starring the amazing John Cusak and an adorable little boy by the name of Bobby Coleman who plays a little boy who claims to be a Martian. This movie is actually a true story based on a short story written by sci-fi author David Gerrold. What's the true story, you ask? Gerrold adopted a Martian Child of his own and decided to write an award winning short story about it. This is a movie that truly is a heart-warmer.

Also last night I dug out the brand-new sketch book and pack of drawing pencils that I purchased a couple months ago, and I actually doodled a bit. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed putting pencil to paper! I used to spend hours drawing, sketching, and coloring. My favorite place to doodle was at my old school desk that sat in my grandparents’ living room. The desktop opened up and inside were my drawing pads, drawing books, color books.

My only belongings that didn't quite fit in the desk were all of my drawing and coloring supplies. Of course I had a few of my favorite colors inside a special box in my desk, but since my family owned an art store I was never lacking in the coloring or drawing supplies department. In fact when it came to markers, crayons, and colored pencils - they were plentiful. My Grandpa always like to keep himself busy with projects. One day he decided to help me organize my oodles of crayons. He separated them by different colors, sharpened the dull ones, and put them in separate bread bags. So I had different bags of reds, yellows, and oranges, another bag of blues and purples and greens, and other of browns, blacks, and grays. Needless to say I spent many hours being creative on paper at my grandparents' house. It kept me busy and I remember sitting and listening to the grown-ups talk.

So this is how I thawed out last night. I defrosted my creativity by watching a good movie that made me remember what it was like to be a child with no limitations. As a child, possibilities are endless and all windows are open. And for a few minutes while I sketched, I felt that connection I used to have as a kid – I connected with a part of myself that I’ve missed, and I plan on making a play date with my inner child more often.

Below is an example of my beloved desk. Although this desk is a few years older than mine was.