i am sure most of us go through times when we feel the urge to "be creative." all my life i have had this urge, going nuts over arts and crafts as a kid, always painting, sketching, collaging (i collaged my entire room as a teen with magazine photos, didn't everyone?) i took art classes in college with some horrid teachers who all but kicked the last drop of creativity out of me. luckily my dad rescued me out of that hole and revived my interest in painting. growing up it wasn't "cool" to wear handmade clothes, but my mom made lots for me and it's too bad there were moments when i felt embarrassed about that. i am so glad there is a movement toward making homemade cards for holidays and sewing blankets and clothes for your kids. i know now, and actually DID know it as a kid too, that all the things my parents made were one-of-a-kind and unique, i know this because i saved a lot of that homemade stuff and really "treasured" it.
something that has taken me my entire life to figure out is that it takes guts to just make something. i "learned" to paint with my father's guidance, and "learned" to sew by watching my mom and trying over and over again. many people say to me, "how did you do that? how can you have interests in so many things? i can't draw or do that, i am not creative like you!" i have taken classes in mosaics, rug hooking, scapbooking and various painting classes with an interest in just trying it out, no pressure to be a master at it. as i have gotten older i don't have the pressure to be the best at any one thing, i can just enjoy the process. even the portrait class i took, which i sucked at big time, helped me with my landscape painting in a way i couldn't have planned, it just happened naturally. everything i do adds on to the next thing and out of it comes something that actually works (most of the time). i dont always like what i make or have a success, but i am not as critical as i once was, which used to hold me back.
thats the message i want to give out, that being creative or crafty to me is about the process of making "something from nothing" (to quote my dad) and there are no rules. make stuff for yourself and family, doodle a picture for your kid to color, take a photo without looking through the eye piece, take a class or workshop from your favorite artist, bake a cake from scratch or anything else that appeals to you. go back to college if you feel like it, who cares really? kids have that natural curiosity and are not worried about failure, most will try anything you offer and try it with enthusiasm. as we get older i think we become too critical of ourselves and maybe as i am heading into middle age (yikes! i said it!) i am becoming more like a kid again, relaxing through the process and letting it just happen.
for anyone trying to get in touch with their creative side, here's a good book to help you on your journey.
speaking of creativity, for the year i lurked on dozens of blogs i had some favorites. it was addicting to follow the journey many of these bloggers were taking as they wrote books, made crafts for fairs or finished large and small projects. some people opened stores, others had stores close down. i read about babies being born, travels and moves across the country. i promise i don't sit infront of the computer all day, this was just a moment here or there, checking up on one blog or another as i did my regular email check and websurfing.
so i look forward to several books coming out soon and a few off in the future (soulemama's for sure). 
keri smiths book was the first book i ever bought after reading someone's blog...maybe the first blog i ever read? her blog is amazing, poetic and dreamy. her outlook on life has helped me with my own creative endeavors and also when working on projects with my kids.
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