I’ve been creative since I was a very young child. Always loved to draw, colour and make things. My Mum taught me to knit and by the time I was 8 I was making clothes for my dolls. Apparently knitting is back in fashion, but in 21st Century style men are now doing it 🙂

In my final years of infant school I was taught to sew and embroider. These are not only creative pursuits but life skills -knowing how to properly sew on a button has come in very useful over the years! And as a teenager I taught myself how to crochet, which I discovered I much preferred to knitting, and it’s a pursuit I find therapeutic, almost meditative, to this day. In fact this afternoon, as the sun finally started to shine again following a week of much needed rain, I sat on my garden swing seat crocheting a blanket square.

The squares are made for a charity called knit-a-square which provides warm blankets, alongside hats, mittens and toys, for predominantly AIDS orphans in South Africa. Crafters from all over the world knit or crochet 8″ x 8″ squares, which are then sent to Africa and stitched into blankets by women volunteers. I’ve also made vest tops, hats and fingerless hand-warmers – see the website for the types of items you can send.

But my creativity isn’t limited to crafting or photography. Even my house renovation has felt creative. I spent many hours designing the room layouts using a free 3D online design suit, then the choosing of colours, fabrics and paints tapped into my creative imagination.

Designing a garden is also a very creative process, choosing form, texture and colours which harmonise well together and are aesthetically pleasing.

Being creative seems to be innate to who I am and has brought me inordinate amounts of joy, freedom of expression (particularly through my creative photography and written prose), fun and pleasure (my garden springs to mind) and the ability to contribute to others less fortunate than myself.

What a gift I have been given and it’s one that I will never take for granted 😊