Today I decided to learn a new to me craft.
The process of it is awkward to me, and it’s reflected in how it looks. I found myself tensing up, trying to do it the way it’s “supposed” to be done. So I took a moment, set things down, and checked in with my body and mind. And remembered one of my basic tenets of life: explore the what ifs, rather than have them be blocks and fear-making.
There’s an importance and glory to approaching things with a beginner’s mind. You don’t know how to do the thing yet, your your motor skills are not automatic. Your mind explores the different possibilities.
Unless you come to the table with a lot of rules. Rules can block the creative flow. The inner critic might wake up and parade all the failures you’ve ever experienced. Your body tenses up, and then you fall, or make mistakes, or get so frustrated you give up on trying to learn the thing completely.
So yes, what I’ve made today is clunky and awkward, but I also learned alot about the process of the thing. And I learned probably as much about myself as the craft I decided to pursue.
I’m going to be offering creative exploration workshops soon. I hope you will join me with a playful beginner’s mind.
craftingthespirit.com 