I find myself feeling behind, when it comes to creating…again.  This school year I chose not to set a goal for creating (e.g. a specific amount of time to create).  I knew it was just not going to happen, therefore, why set myself up for failure?

Instead, I am finding time to create in small places.  Small projects that still allow me to create, but are not intimidating.

Each Christmas I am overwhelmed by the generosity and thoughtfulness from my students and their families.  Their gifts make me feel appreciated, loved, and remembered as a Specials (art, music, PE, Spanish) teacher.  I always write a thank you in hopes of conveying my appreciation, but this year I decided to make my thank yous!  Here was a “small place” for me to create!

I also made monogram mugs for my teammates.  Another small place.  Sharpie marker on a plain, store-bought mug, baked in the oven – and ta-da!  I really enjoyed designing and planning each monogram.

And this past summer, I made crayons for my classroom!  This turned out to be a not-so-small place to create.  It took me weeks, but I was able to work on them in short spurts.  Last year, I had my students peel and sort every last crayon that was in the classroom.  (This activity was surprisingly exciting for them.  I had students asking for more crayons!)  In muffin tins I melted down the old crayons in the oven at 250 degrees, let the pan cool, and then popped the entire pan in the freezer for a few minutes.  Ta-da!  Rainbow crayons that my students LOVE to use!  We have been using them for texture rubbings.  I found the crayons themselves to be rather beautiful.  Looking at them again, they are similar to my watercolors…

So instead of being disappointed with myself for not “creating” a big project or building a body of work, I am looking for the small places.