Why There Is No Right Or Wrong Way To Be Creative

Today I had the privilege to make a pyjama pant pattern alongside a good family friend. The material we used was coral-and-orange striped, and it came from an old duvet cover.

Unfortunately, despite the cool pattern and our best intentions, we didn’t finish making the pants. Our pattern stood out, though, because it was precise.

The friend I made the pattern with is mathematical and has perfectionistic tendencies. She measured the pants, did a bunch of math, and created the exact pattern of one of her favorite styles of pyjamas.

However, I’m the complete opposite. Why make a pattern when you can just trace, cut and hope for the best? Sometimes I make pyjamas, and they look like they’ll fit, but they end up either enormous or super tiny. But 95 percent of the time, they fit, and they become the only pants that I wear for months.

I make everything off the cuff. I crochet hats by looks and feel, so I can’t teach anyone how to make one because my instructions are usually “Add stitches until it’s big enough and then crochet until it fits.” When I bake, I add a little flour, dump in some sugar, add a couple of eggs, put in a pinch of salt, add a few shakes of baking soda, and so on. When I paint, I come up with ideas on the fly. It’s just how I think.

It’s interesting to me to see how different we can be from each other. I come from a family of perfectionists. Everyone is precise in their projects, and I’m the only exception. My brother has an architecture background, so being exact is crucial to his work. My sister is a professor, and her data is always precise. My fastidious mom worked as a development director, a baker, and a geologist. And my dad worked as a land conservationist and eventually managed grants for land and community services. He regularly dealt with numbers and creative solutions. Therefore, my entire family. reads directions and assembles things “the right way.” I couldn’t be more different.

The quality I share with my family, though, is their creativity. My brother designed our family summer house and his old boss’ house. He’s also a phenomenal guitar player. My sister’s fiddle teacher crocheted a bunch of cute stuffed animal “bacteria” for Christmas, and she also bakes the most beautiful, tasty sourdough bread. My mom is an avid gardener, baker, and knitter. She just finished two adorable sweaters for my cousins’ babies. My dad does woodworking and has an entire workshop to create stools, spoons, key racks, and coat racks. He also plays guitar and harmonica, and he sings as well. My family is proof that, no matter how you approach tasks, you can be creative.

Whether you read music or pick it up by ear, whether you read instructions or learn by trial and error, you can still make good art. Never let anyone tell you that your creative methods aren’t valid. We may all think in different ways, but we can all make incredible things.