What To Create When You Don't Know What To Create

I have a real problem doing nothing. When I'm supposed to be sitting having a conversation or watching a movie on TV I find my hands and brain fidgeting relentlessly. OK, OK I know talking and watching movies aren't doing nothing but I think you get where I'm going with this. The truth is, it's very hard not to be fiddling with something creative, and then there are those times when I'm so overwhelmed by all the things I want to make that I end up doing none of them because I just can't make a choice!

Well, I thought I'd share my answer to all this. In truth it's something I've been doing for years but only recently realised the function it serves and how useful it actually is. I have a box full of vials of beads, snippets of yarn, cloth and felt, buttons and other little decorative doo-dads which lives next to my chair most of the time. When I don't know what to make or need something to distract me, out it comes and I start sewing and embellishing. Most of these things only take a short while to put together and are then stored in my 'elements' drawer ready to be used in a collage or textile piece. Some of them, like the machined and beaded cords, I make when I fancy using the sewing machine but don't have a specific project on the go and others, like the lino printed fabrics, I do when I happen across a particular tool or accessory.

All these things are serendipitous and, by themselves, almost inconsequential. But throw a large handful down in front of you and you have the beginnings of a piece of art or a beautiful bit of home decor. Try it for yourself; I guarantee you'll be surprised and delighted what you end up with.