Creative Family Series | Neuroses Galore

by Jennifer Cooper, posted on September 19th, 2012 in Creativity, Parenting

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Today I?d like to introduce you to Stephanie?a mom of three who is also a lawyer, blogger, crafter, advocate and one of the most fascinating people I know. She is that blend of dreamer and doer that downright amazes me.

As talented crafter, Stephanie has contributed patterns to the popular sewing books One Yard Wonders and Fabric by Fabric One Yard Wonders. You can also find a contribution of hers in the upcoming Little Wonders Book. How incredible is that?!

Oh and did I mention she?s got some seriously mad marble playing skills?

I?m thrilled to have Stephanie here today to talk about creativity and how she and her family celebrate it together.

How would define creativity?

I don?t know. Gosh. This question is really hard for me. For me it?s the opportunity to make something with my hands. To turn raw materials into something beautiful. Or maybe even something fun or useful.

Have you always considered yourself creative?

I think so. When I was a kid my mother really encouraged me to be creative. She?d always let me play with her oil paints or help me to make clothes for my dolls. When I was in high school I would ride the metro into DC to take classes at the Corcoran on weekends. I was always doing something, dance, art, sewing.

How do you nurture your own creativity?

This sounds so lame but, right now, I have so little time that mostly I nurture my creativity by buying supplies. I make lots of plans about what I?ll do when I have lots of extra time. I love looking at Pinterest and don?t bother going to the library for craft books because I?ve already cleaned them out too. I like challenging myself. Developing the few patterns that I?ve created was really fulfilling (but takes so much time!).

Did you grow up in a creative household? If so, what were some of the ways your parents nurtured your creativity and curiosity?

I did. My mother designed clothing lines for a women?s clothing manufacturer. She would help me design and crank out all kinds of things for my dolls. I got all of my love for craft books from my mom too and we used them often to work on projects at home. Also, she bought me tons of supplies.

How do you nurture it in your children?

I use the same salt dough recipe from the same book that my mom used. I try to do fun things with my girls, expose them to lots of different stuff and let them have the same fun experiences that I had as a kid. I try to find opportunities for them to go to the theater, hear live music, visit museums, go to festivals and stuff like that. I try not to say no when they bring me a project idea. I like to keep supplies for stuff on hand and now that my oldest is five I give her lots of freedom to cut and glue as she sees fit without a whole lot of supervision. I try to make creating a fun and relaxing experience.

What are some of your favorite ways to spend time together as a family?

We like to get out and do stuff together like berry or apple picking, my husband and kids are really into geocaching and I like visiting historical sites and museums. Sometimes we manage to squeeze all of those things into the same outing. I guess we like to be out and about. Strolling main streets is another big favorite.

How have you been able to integrate work with pursuing your creative passions?

I?ve developed a few patterns that are published. I just sent another one off a couple of weeks ago for an upcoming book! I haven?t done a great job of figuring out how to make it all work together. Being a grown up is hard like that. Mostly my creative and professional pursuits are separate because even when I contributed a piece for publication on the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a law that impacted lots of creative types, a few years back it wasn?t quite the ticket. The legal profession kind of sucks all of the creativity out of stuff. Unless you?re making creative arguments but even that?s a stretch.

What are you working on now?

Right now I?m canning up a storm. I consider kitchen time to be one of my creative outlets too. I would like to sew some dresses for myself. I usually sew for my girls so I?m kind of dragging my feet on getting started. I?ll get there eventually.

From time to time everyone?s creative juices wane. How do you handle that? Does it cause you any anxiety or do you just let it pass?

Everything causes me anxiety! When I get really stuck I like to work on a really quick project. Something cute and fast. That usually helps me kick it into gear. Sometimes even tackling a simple mending project is enough to move me forward. I also find buying more supplies to be helpful in that regard : )

Isn?t Stephanie incredible? This line here: ?I haven?t done a great job of figuring out how to make it all work together. Being a grown up is hard like that.? Oh mama, can I relate. How about you?

Would you like to chat about creativity and how you celebrate/struggle/nurture it your and your family?s life? Drop me a note! I?d love to hear from you.

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Source: http://www.classic-play.com/creative-family-series-neuroses-galore/

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