Emily: I want to offer you all some insight into how we became the creators we are- meaning Jess and I, not people in general; that’s a whole ‘nother blog post! It might help solidify and support the knowledge and experience we are sharing with you if you understand the story of how we came to be.
We were born, as people generally are, in the seventies to Mum, Sue and Dad, Mike in a quiet area of rural south west England just outside Bath. It was the most idyllic place to live; rolling hills, fields, roman and prehistoric ruins, farms, and of course flares and long hair. We were exposed at a very early age to creative pursuits as a way of living, and when our parents weren’t doing that, they were taking us to living museums to experience the same thing in a historical context.
Jess: Wow, Em- looking back, we were basically children roaming pretty wild, weren’t we? At the time I wouldn’t have said that, but now as a Mom living in a city in the current age…boy, we were almost feral!
Emily: Dad, although he maintains to this day he isn’t creative, happens to be a creative thinker, doer and problem solver. He is an accomplished public speaker, I learned everything about speaking and presentation from him, particularly from his early involvement in politics (bet you never thought creativity and politics would appear in the same post!). Dad is a great gardener just like his dad, and my sister inherited their love of the green. Our garden always looked like one of those ‘English country gardens’ you see in magazines. Dad also fixed the drystone walls that are a feature of the area, and it is an art unto itself. Dad showed us how to appreciate a wide variety of music, from James Galway to the Rolling Stones, the Beatles to the Dubliners and the Wolfe Tones to Dusty Springfield.
Jess: It’s funny to me that Dad doesn’t think he’s creative at all, because when I think about our childhood and how we were surrounded by creativity, Dad’s always there in the thick of it with us. My parent’s group of friends were always having themed dress up parties so we got to see Mum and Dad create amazing costumes out of basically whatever they had at hand. And the village had a yearly Pram race where teams would transform a child’s pram into something magical and basically race from pub to pub along the main street. Mum would usually come up with the concept and creative details but it was Dad who had to think creatively and transform something ordinary into something it wasn’t, AND have it still function and carry a full grown adult inside.
Emily: Mum was a maker. She learned a lot of it from her mother; who grew up in an orphanage after her mother died when she was four. My Nan was a wicked cook, and made the best Barmbrack you’ll ever eat. Mum loves to cook, and we got to experience more variety than the average Brit of the era, from curries to cakes, baking to European stews and her divine Apple Charlotte and pavlova. Mum sewed most of her own clothing as a teen, much of ours as kids, as well as being a good knitter. She learned macrame, basket weaving and quilting for the fun of it.
Mum made our May fair costumes, helped us make Easter bonnets and set up and ran a volunteer playgroup five mornings a week so we would have friends to play with.
Jess: Yes! And remember, all of this was in a rural village in the late 70”s and early 80’s, so there was no looking for ideas and how to’s on pinterest, it was all from peoples creative minds and you couldn’t order the DIY kit on Amazon or anything, people were just using what they had but seeing it in different ways.
Emily: I believe the part of our upbringing that has the most impact on who we are today is the experiences our parents let us have. We did not come into our talents solely through genetics (that’s the other blog post); I draw and paint but neither of my parents ever really engaged in that. So creativity also cannot be put down to what I was taught, because most of my education in drawing was self taught using books, pictures and a lot of mistake making. I think the most important aspect of our creative lives was that we were allowed to give it all a go BECAUSE WE WANTED TO. Not because we were looking for someone to admire what we did. Not because we were particularly good at something (hey, I tried dance class), but because we just wanted to give it a go. Modern kids spend most of their childhood being told that every scribble they bring home is ‘beautiful’, that every effort gets a ribbon and that everyone will love and admire all they produce. This is counter-productive. Why try if it will always be brilliant? And why learn and grow when it’s always appreciated? Our parents supported our every effort; they let us dance with mum’s blue and orange nylon sheets to James Galway in the kitchen, they let us climb the 200 year old beech trees behind the shed, they let us drop rocks on our feet, hammer nails in trees, collect wildflowers and press them, make plaster casts of animal footprints, weave flower crowns, make hay castles, sled in a feed sack, cut their flowers for bouquets, stick our jammy fingers in their biscuit mix and generally have a chance to learn about everything. And through trial….lots of trial, and error we found the things we liked, and the things we are good at. And those are not always the same thing. I loved dancing in the dining room on the lino floor with the flutes playing feeling like a fairy in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, but I am not a dancer!!. That is creativity. We try, and if it doesn’t work, we accept that, and either try again or move on. Our parents showed us how to do that- and indeed are still doing that today as they help us start businesses (there have been quite a few in the family), decide on career moves and build our homes. When you have someone (anyone) who supports you – and yes that sometimes is only yourself- but does not overdo the false praise, who helps you recognize mistakes and manage them, who offers a whole wide world of experiences just so you can be a creator then your creativity will bloom.
Jess: I agree, they were wonderful at just letting us do things and enjoy things, but also not making it have to define us. If we wanted to dance around the living room putting on “ballet” they encouraged us to enjoy it, but there was no pressure to be “good “ at it or need to learn to do it correctly. Somethings we followed through into later life, somethings we just enjoyed in the moment and then let go. I think our parents allowed us to learn lots of important life skills, but especially they sat back and let us fail at things , but also let us try again to figure it out. Em, remember when we would tramp down to the streams in the valley and figure out how to damn parts up to create bigger pools, and then we discovered the sides were clay and we could make use of that too? We’d play for hours, thinking we’d got it, then the water would overflow and the damn would be obliterated and we’d figure out you need a sluice gate to let off pressure so we’d start again.
Emily: So the lesson here is: support yourself (mental health matters), or go find someone who will do it for you. Make those mistakes. Try something new. Learn and create. Because that is what humanity was made to do from childhood on. It doesn’t die, it’s always there, and YOU have it too!
Jess: Yep! I’m trying to get back to a place of learning for enjoyment’s sake and allowing myself to not be good at things but still enjoy them, to make mistakes and take up the challenge of trying again. I really think that’s where most of the creative magic can happen!
