Are you the crafty or artsy type? Do you imagine someday refinishing the antique dresser you bought at a flea market (which is now taking up much-needed room in your cramped garage)? Do you have boxes of assorted fabric waiting in the coat closet to be quilted or crafted into something amazing? Do you keep chipped china and ratty wool sweaters in the hopes of recycling them into mosaic table tops and stuffed bears? Do you buy industrial size packages of hot glue sticks? Are there boxes of salvaged picture frames collecting dust in the spare bedroom? Do you buy and keep rolls of ribbon, packs of beads, skeins of silk floss in every color imaginable, and reams of scrapbooking paper, just waiting for your creative mind to transform these raw materials into works of art?
Me too.
And I'm learning to get over it.
Why? Because somewhere between potential crafts and the finished products lie vast wastelands of clutter. And clutter messes up your home, steals your time, drains your mental energy, and crowds out room for things you really want and need in your life.
Now wait a minutes before you get in my face and tell me about your need for artistic expression: I agree that creative expression is a vital part of life, and it's a vital part of my life too. What I'm saying is that these unfinished craft and art projects may be cluttering up your life, and it might be time to let them go.
Have you ever browsed on amazon.com for craft books? Try it sometime and see HOW MANY different forms of artistic expression you have available to you. If you worked at it, during every free moment you have, you could probably complete about one-millionth of the possibilities out there in your lifetime, not taking into account your own creativity and sense of design, in which case you're looking at AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF POSSIBLE ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS.
Humans are finite creatures, with finite lifespans. We do not have the TIME to complete every beautiful and worthwhile craft project we dream of or imagine. There isn't enough time in a million lifetimes to do it.
And truly, if these craft projects were so important to you, then you would be cross-stitching or hot-gluing during your free time, not crashing on the sofa watching "Friends" reruns.
I love to quilt. I finished one almost a year ago, and I haven't quilted since. My current life is very full with raising kids, including two with special needs. I have little time to cut and craft and stitch and glue. In my free time, I prefer to read, journal, blog, walk, or spend time with friends and family. IF QUILTING WERE A PRIORITY IN MY LIFE, I WOULD MAKE TIME FOR IT. It isn't a priority at this season in my life. I love to quilt, but not enough to let go of reading, journaling, blogging, walking, or spending time with friends and family. There is only so much time in my life, and I am choosing to spend it in other forms of expression rather than in fabric right now.
What about you? Where are you at in your life? Are you ready to let go of some of these projects and just ADMIT that scrapbooking or decoupage or knitting are not priorities for you right now?
You may feel guilty about letting go of the supplies for these projects. Let me remind you: you are not Jesus. You can not rescue these inanimate objects. You can not be the savior of a box of picture frames or a roll-top antique desk in need of restaining. Quit playing Jesus to a bunch of THINGS. If you're currently spending your leisure time at the gym or volunteering at the senior center, then THOSE ACTIVITIES ARE YOUR PRIORITIES, not gluing sea shells to photo frames or scraping the paint off of the curves of a desk leg.
Let the crafty stuff go. LET IT GO! Reclaim your closet space, the "craft room," and your mind for the things you actually WANT AND NEED in your life right now.
Blessings!
