For a while now I've wanted to try some sewing techniques that are more complicated than the simple sewing required to make quilts. A year ago I picked up The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff and I flip through it on occasion, awed by the things she can do with a simple piece of fabric.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about my future as a minimalist and focusing on what I want to accomplish in my life. For the past few years I've been "too busy" to create anything important. I fancy myself an artist yet I don't make any art! While workng to rediscover my creativity, I remembered this book and a project I had always wanted to try.
I was flipping through the pages on my lunch break when a co-worker walked by and stopped to see what I was reading. She's sewn a few things before so I knew she'd be interested.
What she said next was completely unexpected. She looked distainfully at the book and said "this sort of thing is for people with nothing better to do."
I thought about this after she left and I'm pretty sure I know what she was really saying. She was saying that her life (her cooking and cleaning and laundry and watching the soap operas she records while she's at work) is all so important and she simply has NO time to do silly things like work on challenging projects or pursue meaningful interests. And she took it out on me, tried to make me feel silly for pursuing things that are, in her mind, not important, a waste of time.
And that's fine. Because I took her statement as a compliment. No, I really don't have anything better to do because everything I do is the best! I'm in the process of freeing myself from obligations and distractions which leaves me time to focus on all the awesome things I want to do! Like going on a nature walk with Ian, having coffee with a good friend, creating art, developing skills.
Life is too short to watch soap operas! I have better things to do!
Yes! I'd much rather spend my time doing things I love. I think your way of living is much happier than how she probably spends her time.
ReplyDeleteThe art of manipulating fabric is a wonderful book for inspiration! The idea that creativity is 'silly' or wasting your valuable time is something sadly I've run into a lot. I chose to follow a creative career rather than an academic one and despite me knowing and appreciating that this path is the right one for me, the one that lets me 'be' me and makes me happy and at peace, I was constantly being impressed upon by peers, family and colleagues in more academic areas that it wasn't 'real' work and therefore I was a lesser being in their high flying world of self-importance. :)) No, I'm not angry or bitter (although its taken me a while to be totally magnanimous ;) Just sad that they didn't seem very happy in their jobs where I'm happy doing something I love. Ok, not richer or climbing any dizzying career ladder but it depends on your priorities in life.
ReplyDeleteLife is too short so we should just enjoy it and focus on the things that do matter - happiness, mindfulness and minimalism!
I'm in the process of freeing myself from obligations and distractions which leaves me time to focus on all the awesome things I want to do! Like going on a nature walk with Ian, having coffee with a good friend, creating art, developing skills.
ReplyDeleteThat's a wonderful way to approach life. My significant other and I are working on that--he's been busy for the past month, so we don't have much time together. So we're trying to make the most of our time together--while he washes dishes, I'll sit in the kitchen and chat with him instead of browsing the internet, and vice versa.