Thursday, October 15, 2009

Badges? Badges? I don't need no stinkin' badges.

I thought I did.  Every campaign has a badge or two around.  I still proudly display my Obama/Binden campaign badge on my desk.  I still wear it from time to time.
What better way to kick off The Campaign that has a focus of creativity than to create a badge?
I headed off to the craft store.  And loaded up on stuff to make my perfect Campaign badge.  I stopped short of the check out line.  Being an crafter and creating all sorts of stuff from Christmas presents to Theater Costumes for years, I have a ton of stuff at home.  I don't need to spending a bunch of money on supplies.
"What's going on here?" I thought.  Fear.  Fear that I needed to have the "perfect" campaign badge.  Silly.  If you want perfect badges, go order some from a person who has a machine that makes badges.  Is that what you want this campaign to be about?  Buying stuff?  No that wasn't my idea at all.
I put back every thing in my basket with the exception of two oval wood cuttings and a plastic "make your own badge".  Got home and put the new purchased craft items in my studio will the other piles of crafting supplies. 
For days I thought, about preparing to start the campaign.  Making my badges as the kick off date approached.  I kept putting off creating my badges.  I'll get to it.  This campaign is important.  I'll finish up some other things. If I was creating something for someone else, I would have made these badges and been done days ago.   Monday of this week approached.  I needed to make my badges to put in this post.
I pulled out crafting supplies, and sat down to create.  Fear hit me yet again.  I thought that these badges are going to look like Aunt Millie off the pickle boat.  People are going to think I'm stupid.  This idea is sucky.  I defeated myself before I had started.  What was up with that?  This campaign idea wasn't about creating more fear and negativity, it was about letting it go and creating something positive to replace it.  I knew that, but for a bit lost it.  I got caught up in the very thing I was working to banish in my life.  Damn.
I got silent for a moment.  How can I make this fun?  How can I get past this block?  Put on some music and just go! That was the answer that came to me. That is what I did.   The time past so quickly, I lost track of it.  While I was making my badges, I had solutions to other things come to mind.  It felt magical.  I was creating fun.  Tacky and home made, crafty and glitter glue, but I was having a blast. I just created.  Totally in the moment creating, listening to music, singing a bit.  No one else around but my cats and this wonderful moment.  Ahh!
I got a strong validation doing this project.  Here it is... Creating makes me happy.  (No big light blub going on there..but wait there's more) It always has, even as a kid I would create to escape the negativity that surrounded me.  It's no different today.  So, why does creating bring me to peace?  It comes from allowing myself to step into that space of timelessness.  To get lost in that timelessness and I feel a connection to something bigger that myself.  That's energizing and transforming.
When I allow myself to step into this timelessness, it feels like a vacation, in some ways better, beacuse it's seems easier to achieve that relaxed, peaceful feeling in an everyday sense.
The question I'm now asking myself ...how and when can I create time for my myself to loose track of time?
Badges? Badges? Yes I needed to make my stinkin' badges...



Side note...I'm learning how to load pictures.  So, tip you head to the left.  My usual working medium is fabric, yarns, glues, etc.  not technically stuff.  I'm working to get better.







Want to join The Campaign for Creativity to Banish Negativity?
Make a badge or two.  Proclaim you are part of this movement.
And please share your spin on this project.



Until next week...Create to feel great!

6 comments:

  1. Oh DeeDee, I am sooo ON BOARD!

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  2. DeeDee you are so inspiring. I love the badges. They are beautiful. Mine isn't as fancy but I will wear it with pride!

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  3. Hey Tourist...A badge doesn't have to be fancy. I think anything created from a pure heart and love, is pretty fancy and special. As it shows the person who created it.
    So, we'll wear our badges with pride!

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  4. wow - do I need this campaign. I'm so stuck in my analytical brain that I was waiting for precise directions on how this campaign works; what we do next, when does it officially start, daily email updates, etc. I even entertained the idea of making a spreadsheet to keep track of the projects, timelines, etc. SAVE ME! I'm going to make my badge (step 1)AND I'm also not going to the craft store, but use the fully stocked art studio I already have in place. Duh.

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  5. Hey Leissa sounds like you've already to hit the campaign trail! I love it! Have fun here. (That's sort of the main idea)

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