I have discussed several types of crafts and creative interests in these posts where I have included some of my own interests as well as a number of other crafts.  

Of course there is so much in this field that I have not yet touched upon. 

But before I get diverted, there is one type of craft that I think is far more important than any of the others.

And yes – it’s about

Crafting your own life!

So many of us go through life from day to day at half mast! We get through the boredom of our daily tasks and sigh with relief as we tick them off our “to do” lists.

But what we don’t always realize is that we also create with our thoughts and actions.  They contribute hugely towards fashioning the circumstances of our lives.  And so, just by our attitudes alone we can lift our lives from the mundane and boring to the heights of creativity.

Of course it helps a lot if you have a craft or creative pursuit that you enjoy. But even if you don’t it helps to think of your life as a canvas.  A canvas that needs to be filled with beautiful designs – and some shadows of course – but these only serve to highlight the brilliant colours.

No truly creative work can be accomplished in a mood of boredom. A lacklustre attitude will permeate your craft. You have to be passionate about what you do.  You have to be in a state of fired creativity.

A Magical Sense of Flow

There is only one way to reach that level of passion.  You have to get in touch with your deepest desires.

Your deepest desires are the things you absolutely crave to do.  The things that give you that magical sense of flow when you don’t even realize that time has passed while you were working.

Only your deepest desires can motivate you to reach your greatest achievements.

So if you find your heart’s desire – something you’ve always wanted to do and you have the opportunity to do it – don’t hesitate and deliberate till you lose the impetus.

Go out there and get busy with crafting you life. And do it wholeheartedly – with passion!

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

The art of listening is fast disappearing into the realms of extinction together with the dodo and the sabre toothed tiger. We simply don’t have time to listen any more – we’re far too busy talking!  We’re constantly sending out messages – with mobile phones, emails, faxes, videos and so on.

Our technological advances in communication are so sophisticated that we are even communicating on an interplanetary level.  Right now projects like Seti are broadcasting messages to outer space – Hello someone!

Fascinating no doubt. Unfortunately our ability to listen hasn’t kept up with our technology. In fact our listening skills were at their best when as spellbound clansmen we listened to skin-clad hunters relating their adventures around the cave fire.

Our listening skills have certainly deteriorated since then.

Our Capacity to Listen

The reason is that our capacity to listen has been drowned out by the noise of our civilization. Noise has become so loud and obtrusive that we automatically shut it out till we can no longer hear it.

And so we no longer hear the noise of traffic.  And we don’t chat with friends at weddings and functions because of ear-blasting music.

The honest truth is that we can’t hear anything above the loud hum of our civilization’s machinery.  Noise and frenetic activity have swallowed up the precious silence.

That is why we have learnt not to listen on so many different levels. But we pay a price for it – we become less perceptive.

And so we hear the conversation but we lose the meaning; we feel the beat but we don’t hear the tune; we see the glance but we miss the silent message.

It’s sad because understanding these silent messages is what real communication is all about.  And let’s face it  – if you are involved in any field of creativity at all, it’s vitally important to get through the noise so that you can hear the underlying message.

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

Over the years goal setting in our family has turned into a rather scary tradition. It takes place at the very first family dinner in the New Year when each person sitting around the table has to commit to at least one new goal for the coming year.

It can be somewhat daunting because if you haven’t set any goals you can be absolutely sure that the rest of the family are ready and waiting to pounce on you.

Funnily enough, there’s method in this rather bizarre tradition.  Because once you’ve announced your new year’s resolution you are saddled with a commitment that you are forced to take seriously.

Obviously any resolution can be made during any time of the year. But somehow it carries more weight at the beginning of the year; the time for new beginnings when we start with a clean new slate.

Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions

If you haven’t yet decided on a goal for the year, here is a list of the top ten New Year’s resolutions for 2013.  It may just help you.

It isn’t a definitive list – it’s simply the most popular list made up of resolutions that people seem to make year after year.

They are hardy perennials because they come up every year.  So here they are in no particular order.

1. Stop Smoking
2. Get  Fitter
3. Lose Weight
4. Enjoy Life More.
5. Quit Drinking
6. Get better organized
7. Learn Something New
8. Save more
9. Spend More Time With Family and friends
10. Find a Soul Mate

Many of us prefer to keep our resolutions to ourselves. It makes sense in a way because we don’t always follow through with them.

But the advantage of making your resolution public is that it forces you to take it more seriously.

I can vouch for that personally.

My own resolution

Years ago, when it was my turn to talk about my new year’s resolution at our family dinner, I announced that my goal would be to learn something new. (No 7 on the list above!)

That something new was going to be Graphology!

Well, at the time it was just a whim.  But it was the beginning of my long love affair with graphology.

It has been an awesome learning experience for me. And the learning never stops because the mysteries of human nature are never ending.

The moral of my story is: be careful about the goals you commit to because they have a habit of taking over.

If you have chosen your goal for the following year I invite you to make your commitment right here and now! It may just kick start a new beginning for you.

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

How liberating!

What a joyful feeling of liberation to be free of Google’s Panda or Penguin updates and petty restrictions so that I am able to do my own thing!

Freedom to write whatever I like without having Google look over my shoulder to see if I have followed their rules.

It’s like plunging into the sea stark naked and shouting at the waves: “who cares?”

What a joyful feeling!

Do you know what is the biggest secret that I have learnt as a blogger?

It’s the great secret of not caring about any updates that Google or any of the search engines in all their SEO wisdom inflict on the blogging public. 

It means that I don’t have to worry about SEO, about backlinks, or social  media or any other self-defeating and time-consuming activities considered to be search engine worthy.

I can write about what I like, when I like and how I like without being rapped over the knuckles by Big Brother.

So here I am in Craft and Create writing about Google and SEO. Is it related to craft in any way?

Not unless you consider all the “crafty” ways that Google is using in an attempt to control the internet. But search engines come and search engines go – as the once famous Alta Vista and now even Yahoo will surely attest to.

So here’s my Blogger’s Declaration of Independence!

I will continue to write whatever I like and how I like without bowing to the whims of search engines.

I will choose the subject matter and titles that please me and not Google.  And if I fall down in the Serps and all manner of rankings – so be it.

But I will be free to romp about in my own blog just as I used to do as a toddler in the sea – starkers – while laughing and loving every minute of it!

If this applies to anything in your own life – be my guest!

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

Handwriting was a craft

Of all the skills, crafts and interests that are featured on Craft and Create, do you know which one has proved to  be the most popular?

Graphology! And I have the stats to prove it.

It seems that viewers can’t get enough information about the way handwriting analysis works.

Now I’ve always been fascinated by crafts and a variety of various interests. There are so many things you can make and do.

But when it comes to a skill that involves gaining a greater understanding of people – then Graphology wins hands down.

I’ve had many requests for more articles about Graphology.  Readers can’t seem to get enough of them.  And in a way it’s surprising when you consider how education in handwriting is so peripheral these days.

But as an aside, here is something that I have noticed about society and handwriting in general:

Handwriting reflects the behaviour of the times

Clothes were elegant

Many people during the 19th Century tended to be formal and conscious of self-discipline. Manners were observed, clothes were elegant.

While I’m not speaking about everyone of course – there were many who were not privileged to be able to read and write – I simply want to point out that most schools and places of education took formal learning seriously. 

Now if you take a look at the handwriting that emanated from that century you will see that people tended to write carefully, formally and even beautifully.  There was a certain artistry about handwriting and having a “good hand.”

The beginning of the 20th century was the same. Handwriting looked civilized. And then something happened to society in general and all kinds of chaos broke loose.

Formality disappeared and casual informality took its place.  We can see it in so many ways – in manners, in dress code and even in speech.

Music, dance and art began to reflect the new times. So of course it carried over into handwriting styles as well.

Which brings me back to my earlier point. 

Handwriting like art, manners and clothing reflects the society in which we live.

In our present times, society is becoming more and more incomprehensible.

Can we expect handwriting to be any different?

Today the “art” of handwriting does not exist. Of course there is still Calligraphy but that is a separate art form and has nothing to do with everyday handwriting.  

And now, many schools are considering dropping cursive handwriting altogether.  And many have done so already because the speed of civilization now demands typing and texting as the most convenient forms of “written” communication.

Handwriting as a skill is fast becoming a forgotten art. And with the disappearance of formal education in handwriting comes its rapid deterioration.

So what does all this mean to the Graphologist?

Well handwriting of any nature is always relevant to a Graphologist.  Even if a particular handwriting looks like chicken scratchings it is packed full of hidden meaning as far as the Graphologist is concerned. And even if a particular handwriting looks like chicken scratchings it will conceal a surprising number of the writer’s personality traits.

And having waxed rather eloquently on my interest in Graphology I can only excuse myself by saying that I have always found it to be my most valuable accomplishment.

It’s also undeniably fascinating. It’s a great conversation starter at a dinner table and if taken more seriously a huge help with all kinds of interpersonal relationships.

It’s such a pity that people know so little about it!

If this strikes a chord with you, I have another site where I concentrate totally on Graphology. Take a look.  It’s called Graphology World

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

Roses in a container

If you would like to create a small rose garden you don’t have to think in terms of anything formal.  

A rose garden can be very simple and you only need a few good roses to provide you with a lovely display provided that you observe a few rose friendly rules.

If your garden is particularly small, you can even grow roses successfully in containers.

Roses also grow quite happily together with other flowers so don’t worry if you don’t have space for a formal rose garden.

In fact, a garden with roses under-planted with annuals such as lobelia or alyssum will look particularly lovely.

Take a look at the container of roses above and see how a few seasonal perennials are planted around the base.  They serve not only to improve the display but also to keep the roots of the rose cool.

Here are 7 tips to bear in mind when you start to plan your small rose garden

• Whether your garden is large or small, all roses need a marked change of seasons from winter to summer.  So make sure that your climate is suitable for roses before you invest in both time and money. Fortunately roses are fairly adaptable so check with your local rose nursery for advice before you  buy and if your climate is not over friendly to roses, he may be able to suggest a few hardy varieties that would do well in your area.

• Your roses will need a minimum of at least six hours of sunlight a day if you want them to produce masses of roses. If you plant them in pots you can move them so that they catch the most sun. Some rose varieties can tolerate a certain amount of semi-shade but generally roses do not flower well unless they receive the required amount of sunlight.

• If you don’t like to use poisons in your garden there are some effective organic sprays for roses such as a concoction of garlic and soap water. Garlic planted among your rose bushes also acts as a natural deterrent against insects.

• If you garden is very dry remember to mulch your roses with pine needles or other suitable mulching material. This helps to conserve moisture around the roots.

• Allow your rose bushes to grow into sturdy bushes before cutting long stems.  Resist the temptation to cut roses for the house with long stems until the bushes are strong enough.

• Deadhead roses regularly – that is remove the dead blooms so that all nutrients and vigor go into the rose bushes rather than into the making of seed heads.

• A healthy rose bush is a bush with many leaves. Remember that leaves provide the food for the plant so make sure that you encourage as much leaf growth as possible by fertilizing and watering frequently.

 And the most important of all the tips – just talk to your roses!  I do

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were all born with that spark of creativity we all admire so much?

Well guess what! We have all been given that creative capacity – for free. Each and every one of us has some form of creativity within us. It’s really just a matter of degree.

Unfortunately most of us don’t know it.

What a waste! 

With some people a particular creative talent is so strong that it shows up very early in life.  Others go through life never ever realizing that they had creative potential and through lack of use it eventually disappears altogether.

Who knows what wondrous paths of excitement and stimulation we could have trodden – if only we had known and worked with our natural creativity.

The actual fact is that there are many different types and degrees of creativity. But it is up to us to discover which of these we have.

It’s quite easy to check for creativity with handwriting – which is one way to do it. There are other ways too, of  course.  But the bottom line is that we need to become more aware of our creativity so that it doesn’t go to waste.

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

Superman

Here is a lovely story about a young boy in India who creates miniature cartoon characters with aluminium foil. I found the article at Daily News and Analysis and was immediately fascinated. 

It shows how the creative instinct can find inspiration in the most unusual things.

Below is an excerpt from the article – I am sure that you will be just as fascinated as I was to read it. It’s an example of innovation that is sure to inspire your own creativity.

Creativity with Tin Foil

“So what do you think a standard VI student does with the aluminium foil that his mother uses to wrap food in his lunch box?

Many would say he would throw it in the dustbin without giving it a second thought.

But not 11-year-old Punmeet Tiwari who not only collects the aluminium foils that his mother uses to pack his food but also makes miniatures out of them.

Punmeet has made more than 500 miniatures of cartoon characters such as Spiderman and Superman, stone-age man, sportspersons, a cricket field and many other toys with the used foils.

3D Models

“My elder bother Harsh is good at drawing. He would encourage me to make 3D models of the characters he would draw. I took it as a challenge to use foils to make the models.

Now the art is a part of my life,” says the standard VI student of The Bishop’s School. He adds, “I have also made various tops with the foils. My friends love to play with the flying top I have made.”

Creativity at School

Punmeet’s involvement with the aluminium foils begins during the lunch break every day when he collects the used foils from his friends’ tiffin boxes. Then is the time to think of a new character to be modeled. “When I come home from school, I start thinking of what to make.

I put on the television and pick up an image. While watching cartoons or any film or even a dance show, I just roughly sketch the image on paper and then take foil and mould it accordingly,” says Punmeet.

“On my birthday, Punmeet made masks and caps as return gifts. He had made motorbikes from the foils that we gave our friends and were liked by all,” says Harsh. He adds, “Sometimes Punmeet becomes restless when he cannot think of anything to replicate. On an average he creates one miniature every day. He can concentrate on his studies only when he has made a miniature for the day.”

Punmeet loves to share his creativity with others. “During the lunch break when my friends get time, they learn to make miniatures from me. This way we exchange our creativity,” he says. “On Teacher’s Day, I gifted my class teacher a music system made of foil,” adds the boy.”

I knew you would like this story!  I am only sorry that the article didn’t provide us with a picture of some of his aluminum foil cartoon characters.  Anyway, his enthusiasm and innovation already boundless at such a young age is an inspiration to all of us.

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

Here is a remarkable video of a 6 year old child genius playing the piano at Carnegie.

I’ve often wondered if Mozart really composed music at the age of 5. I always thought it was a bit of an exaggeration that people liked to believe. And no harm in that. We need our dreams.

But I realize that it really must have been true. It is indeed possible to find a child genius with extraordinary musical talent. Talent like this does in fact exist. And what is more, it exists today!

Take a look at this video and you too will be dumbstruck by this amazing little 6 year old boy, Yoav Levanon , who won the Pnina Saltzman competition.  Here he is playing the piano at Carnegie. It’s goose pimple worthy!

 Child Genius Plays the Piano

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development

Here is a little pressed flower collage which is very easy to design when you have a few pressed flowers in stock.

There are many more pictures like this at my website, where you can find out for yourself how easy it is to press flowers.

It’s a very satisfying craft or hobby and I highly recommend it. Mainly because it keeps you out of doors and away from the computer.  And that’s a very valuable thing these days!

There are ways to make your pressed flowers and foliage look vibrantly alive.

You don’t need to put up with dull browns and greys either.  With a bit of know-how you can make your pressed flower pictures look as if they have just come from an artist’s palette.

And the colours will remain bright for years and years to come.

If this craft interests you, you will find some valuable tips and hints at how to press flowers

And by the way it is my very favourite hobby! If you would like some help to get started I will be happy to oblige! Just put your  questions into the comment section below and I’ll get back to you.

Craft and Create - The Creative Route to Personal Development