“Attempt to be Creative...”

Once upon a time, I used to write a lot. It was mostly poetry and stories (the poetry being mostly angsty teenage poetry). But as I decided to study animation in school and got more serious about pursuing art, I kind of let my writing fall by the wayside. I’ve continued to keep a personal journal, and I’ve made several attempts at writing a novel I started when I was 11, but besides that, I haven’t done much. But I continue to feel drawn to it, despite the fact that with two children, I have even less time to write than I did in school. So I’m starting with this blog. I don’t even really know where it’s going to go, but it feels like the right thing to do right now. 

As I listened to some General Conference talks today, I remembered how much I loved Elder Gerrit W Gong’s talk, “Our Campfire of Faith.” In particular, I loved when he quoted Elder Richard G Scott, when he said, “Attempt to be creative, even if the results are modest. … Creativity can engender a spirit of gratitude for life and for what the Lord has woven into your being. … If you choose wisely, it doesn’t have to absorb a lot of time.”

I often wonder what my future holds with regards to my creativity. I have always been driven to create. I will often feel anxious and irritable if it’s been a while since I made something, whether it be a drawing, a story, or even singing a song. Life starts to feel gray and bland, and I find myself less forgiving, and less joyful when I can’t create. But as I have become a mother, I want my greatest efforts to be directed toward my children, and I often feel that doesn’t leave me the necessary time to create what I want. That’s why I love that quote so much. The results may be modest indeed for a while, as I raise my children, but Heavenly Father still encourages me to still work on the talents He has given me. It’s part of who I am, and it’s important that my children know me for who I am. It’s important for them to see that I work hard to develop my talents, so that they will in turn develop theirs. Just like my own wonderful mother, whose dream was to write novels, and who has now published several novels, and continues to write. 

So, here is my first attempt to get back into writing. It doesn’t seem like much, but I feel better already.