Tuesday, April 21, 2015

A great reminder and a mentality shift

Today was supposed to be a Facebook free day. But I forgot. I didn't look at my "Today's Goals" part of my diary until well after the middle of the morning. Woops. But I think it was meant to be.

A FB friend and fellow blogger put something up that she had created. She is getting into script and writing and all that. Anyway... today she popped on facebook this quote and she wrote a response to it.

(of course hers looked way prettier than this!)

In a nutshell she addressed something that got me thinking. She was telling herself to look past blog post comments and likes on FB and Instagram and all that and get back to the heart of what being creative is all about.  

I was thinking of not bothering blogging anymore. I figured that I don't have many regular readers (except my husband, bless him!), if any... So what was the point? I didn't think anyone would care if I stopped. I rarely got comments and I fell into the trap of comments = validation and approval. I had lost sight of what being creative is all about. I had lost sight of what this blog was really about. 

So... I don't care if anyone reads this or not. This blog is about recording what really makes me happy - and that is getting my craft on! I used to blog in the early days, knowing I had no readers, and this didn't bother me in the slightest! I just kept rabbiting on and showing off the stuff which I made and was proud of!  This blog is about ME and my creative journey. 

I am going to create for the sheer love of it, not for blogging material or for someone to tell me it's beautiful. I KNOW it's beautiful! I don't need validation and approval of readers - I get the validation and approval I need from the little girl who is wrapped up tight in a quilt I made when I go in to kiss her goodnight. I get the validation I need when each of my kids show disappointment that the current project is not for them. I get the recognition of my crafting abilities when I am asked to teach my craft. I get the approval I need from my husband who shows pride in what I do and always tries to take an interest in my hobbies. I get encouragement from my Mum, who bawls her eyes out every single time I make her something. For heavens sake she shed bucket loads of tears when I made her a microwaveable heat back! How could I think that comments and approval from people I have never even met would ever compete with that??

I hope that people do stumble in here and perhaps be inspired by something I've made, even if they never return again. My focus will not be my disappointment of having a small readership. I am going to blog what I love. I need to make the creative process and the love I have for it my focus.  

Thanks for the reminder and mentality shift Barefoot Crafter.  Now... back to making stuff because it's what I love to do!



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