Dinner : : an exercise in everyday creating
by Andrea • February 5, 2013 • A Creative Life, In The Kitchen, The Creative Home • 8 Comments
Over the past few weeks we have been talking about what you need to live an authentic, creative and connected life. You need tools – physical and emotional (looking for some creative tools? Look here). You need time – it only needs to be 10-15 minutes in a day to focus on nothing but connecting with your child. You need space – a creative area in your home and one in your heart, for your little one, but also for you as an adult separate from your role as parent.
When you break it down it doesn’t seem like much…but put it all together, and combine these things with a full-time job and all the other house and life related things and, well, it can start feeling overwhelming again.
Instead of feeling paralyzed by these feelings, though, let’s focus on what we can do now. Start with dinner. It can be easy as that – just start with dinner! Something you have to think about every day whether you work out of your home or are home with your kids – we all are faced with dinner at the end of the day.
Pull out a butter knife or a plastic serrated knife and have your child help cut vegetables (set them up at a space that is their level, like a kid’s table, so they remain safe and stable and you don’t have to worry about anyone slipping off a chair!) Try a recipe you’ve never attempted or add a new ingredient to a tried and true meal. Take a risk – it’s only dinner, and even if it doesn’t turn out how you expected, you can get creative again tomorrow!
Creating doesn’t have to be artistic. You don’t have to be a whiz at the sewing machine, a staunch DIYer, or a scrapbook pro. Sometimes, creating can just be dinner.…
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Dinner time might just be my favorite time to create!
For me, cooking is one of the hardest times to get creative – I’m such a by-the-book recipe girl – it’s taken me a very long time, but within the past year I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can take the (sometimes scary, often surprising and usually happy) creative jump from recipe to dinner! :)
Yes! Start with dinner…I love this. I think the creativity and mindfulness of making the evening meal keeps me centered and grounded in a full life. It’s wonderful that more and more people are talking about this and honoring the creativity found in the everyday.
Isn’t it funny how, sometimes, all it takes is a shift in perspective to see how we are succeeding every day – perhaps not in the ways we thought, or even hoped, but succeeding nonetheless – that’s the beauty of everyday creativity!!
Lovely photo! And when you add fresh garlic and herbs and chopped veggies it’s just about my favorite time to create. Just throw in a glass of wine and some good music and the littles for company. Good times.
Absolutely – you can never forget the good music and some fun kitchen-dancing!
What a great idea, sometimes I feel so overwhelmed by how much I don’t get to do with Sydney anymore. Dinner would be an awesome start.
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