I can't help but feel happy when the weather is sunny, bright and clear. We're entering one of my favourite periods of the year - when smog is (almost) non-existent, when heat/humidity isn't a concern, when it's not snowy, windy or bitterly cold. It's a glorious time that makes me want to paint (except I have no talent), write (except my poetry seems insipid), sew (except my needlework resembles a blind woman's) or bake (except I share a kitchen). This leads to much frustration.
So! Here are my solutions for people just like me - people who want to be creative but have no in-born outlets:
1) Organise stuff: organising is the talent-poor substitute for actual skill. Instead of painting and drawing, use colour-coded file folders and different colours of ink. Instead of sewing new curtains, make new labels for spice jars/Christmas boxes/etc. Not only will stuff be easier to find, but you'll get to finish a project with some sense of satisfaction.
2) Copy other people's stuff: yeah, so my poetry blows. You know whose doesn't? Eliot, Rossetti, Shakespeare, Cohen, Plath, etc. When I get the urge to write but have nothing in my own brain, I find a poem I like, rewrite it meticulously and give it to someone who I think may appreciate it. It's like spreading the joy of reading! Last year, I recorded several Seuss poems for the library (complete with sound effects and voices) during one of these phases.
3) Give yourself an art project for dummies: there are sure-fire projects that you can do without aid of "talent" - such puzzle-making, photo collages and filling in colouring books. When I was but a poor student in Kingston, I filled dozens of dollar-store colouring books with various media (paint, crayons, markers, pastels). This had me pretending to be all bohemian (sitting on the marina surrounded by art supplies) without any actual talent at all! Brilliant I think.
4) Finally, who cares if you suck? I do stuff that ends in disasters all the time. I once tried refinishing my dresser - I ruined it and it had to be pitched, but hey it was old and was going to dumped anyway. Today, I'm going to go home and paint a certain butterfly (thanks H2), sketch a design on my cheap IKEA vases and maybe even redesign the cover of "the novella". If it all sucks, well at least I will have had the pleasure of indulging my non-existent arty side.
Do you have any suggestions for the talent-starved? Let me know!
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