Monday, October 1, 2012

Create


The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

This quote from one of my church's leaders has been resonating with me as of late. I love to create. It could be sewing a dress for my daughter, cooking up a new Thai dish, or writing a short story with a surprise ending. In every case it's: here, look, I made this. There's just something about creating something from nothing that brings out my happy gene.




My children have it too. One would draw and color all night long if we let her and another spends hours building with legos and raiding our recycling bin for robot-building materials. One child films the most amazing stop-motion videos and plans to be an inventor when he grows up. My oldest is a piano virtuoso who composes music so beautiful I literally cry listening to her play--she plans on writing film scores for a living. If you can't tell, I'm pretty proud of my little creative lot, which makes me realize parents feel this yearning too. Being proud of our kids is like saying: here, look, I made this.




Which brings me to writing. I think it may be the most ideal medium for creation. We create characters, conflict, entire worlds...there are no limits to what we can make. And a good writer leaves enough room for readers to fill in gaps with their own ideas and imaginings, letting them become creators in their own right. And when we finish that story, we can't help but want others to share in our joy: here, look, I made this. It just feels so good.

So my challenge for you today is to create something and find joy in the process of creating it. :)

Do you have that yearning to create? What's your favorite "creation"?


18 comments:

Angela Cothran said...

My hubby asked me once what my passion was and I said "creating". I'm like you. I love to create in a lot of different mediums. Writing and art are my two favorites :)

Side note--will you come to my house and cook Thai food for me?

Cassie Mae said...

Love!

That's really all I have to say, because this is just so beautiful :)

Kathryn Purdie said...

This is one of my favorite talks ever. I've listened to it many times. But I've never seen this little recap video. Awesome!

I didn't know your oldest composed piano pieces. Sounds like your have a stop-animation, soundtracked future version of REMAKE coming your way, thanks to your kids! :-)

Caryn Caldwell said...

I love this post! I'm feeling really inspired to create now.

And I totally agree with your "Look. I made this." comment about how parents feel when they see their children doing great things. I feel exactly the same way about my daughter. It's so fun to pass creativity on to our children, isn't it?

ilima said...

Angie-I keep trying to convince my husband I'm an artist and can't manage things like cleaning and paying bills. Yeah, it doesn't work. :)

Cassie-Aww, thanks.

Katie-It's a very inspiring video, I think. And I'd love for my kids to do a Remake movie...too bad I won't let them read the book, lol.

Caryn-Yay, go and create something beautiful!

Emily R. King said...

Love that quote. Uchtdorf is so great. I'm getting pumped for Conference this weekend!

And yes, I do love to create, so long as it's not crafts. I'm not "crafty" at all. My craft is writing, and baking...and sometimes cooking. Anything with butter is my forte.

Great post, Ilima!

Robin said...

This is one of my favorite Uchtdorf quotes. This talk resonated so strongly with me when he first said it. (remember the burnt toast? :) I have to create-whether it's music or writing or crafts, cooking (or children!) I am happiest when I create. Thanks for this post. It reminds me of a tough time a had 2 years ago and the peace I found in this talk.

Johanna Garth said...

Great challenge! It's funny, when I'm deeply immersed in writing I find my creative levels in other spheres of my life take a dip. I'm much less likely to try a new recipe or redecorate. It's almost like I only have so much creative juice in any given day.

ilima said...

Emily-"Scrapbook" is a four-letter word in my house. No one is allowed to utter it. Ugh. I could probably add taste-tester to my forte. :)

Robin-You are one of the most creative people I know, so you must be happy a lot! :)

Johanna-Me too. I get so into something and everything else falls to the wayside. Must learn to multitask better. :)

Livia Peterson said...

Ahhh...this is such a great post! We create ideas, imagine things and finish the missing pieces in a story. This is so true, ilima! :)

Morgan said...

Oh, it's ALL about creating... ;)

Tammy Theriault said...

if i had a love to create, i do like putting bouquets together. i could seriously not tell you any of the flowers, but, i like to create interesting bunches! ;)

ilima said...

Livia-This is one reason books are better than the movie, they can't get things to be the way we imagined them. :)

Morgan-Yes. Yes, it is.

Tammy-That's an awesome thing to create. So beautiful.

David P. King said...

Awesome quote and inspiring post, Ilima. I created with Legos for years until I traded them for words. I'm apparently happiest when I'm making up something. :)

Kelley Lynn said...

Yes! Writing is my most favorite way to create. I also really love acting and singing too though. It's so cool to have complete control over character, plot, story.

jaybird said...

I loved the chubby baby in the video. Brings back great memories of my little chubbos!

How cool is it to have such creative children? I'm always amazed by my girls and their creativity. I am so proud when they tell me their dreams and it surpasses anything I could have ever thought up for them. I love that they put no limitations, on themselves and what they can accomplish.

Hall said...

So inspring! New reader/follower and want to thank you for writing in print and on the blog - Cheers!

ilima said...

David-Legos are the best!

Kelley-I think I'll stick to having my characters do the acting and singing, lol. At least I can live vicariously through them.

Jaybird-Yes, I don't even attempt to hold them back. Dream big!

Deidre-Thanks for stopping by!