Guest Post: Eliza Muldoon
Image: BlueMountainGazette
Creativity plays an important role in my life – it is my hobby, my work and my every day life. When a copy of Lazing on a Sunday Crafternoon landed on my desk, I fell in love with the concepts of taking time out to be creative as a family, spending time with the Littles to teach them how to use their hands, their imaginations and enjoy a little creativity.
Any book with this philosophy at it’s heart, along with a whole heap of projects to try your hand at – with the Littles too – will always get my vote! So, I’ll hand you over to Eliza Muldoon, who will share a little more about the process of creating this fun craft book.
♥ – ♥ – ♥
I was actually lecturing on the importance of creativity in our lives and suddenly realised that I was no longer making time for creativity in my own life. In the same lecture I asked students what it was that inspired their love for the arts – many of them described memories of childhood craft making. Those two ideas merged on my walk home from work and the Sunday Crafternoon project began that weekend! The idea was simply to make time for being creative again and to do so with my little girl, who was only two at the time. It had to be simple, easy and fun – otherwise I knew we wouldn’t do it. The idea for the book emerged six months into the project when a casual discussion led to a meeting with a publisher. I was thrilled that they thought our little project was worth sharing!
Children are naturally curious and creative beings – I was certainly compulsively creative when I was a young girl. As we get older I think our creative urges don’t disappear, they simply get suppressed because we start to think we’re not talented, other people are better than we are, or we simply have to spend our time on more ‘useful’ things. I was genuinely surprised when I realised that although my career is the arts, I had suppressed my own creative urges. Once I started making things I couldn’t stop, there are 52 projects in the book but we actually made over 100 things that year!
Making things affected me in many, often unexpected, ways. I felt more confident, inspired, appreciative, calm, more conscious of what I bought and our home is now filled with objects that we have joyfully made together. I now think that this has been one of the best decisions that I have made for my daughter, and for myself!
I feel incredibly fortunate to have had parents that tended to make things rather than buy things. My parents were born during the 1930s depression and being resourceful was central to how they went about their days. They would never have considered themselves creative or sustainable, but they definitely were. I think inheriting their ‘make do’ mindset has served me well. They taught me how to look at a shabby old object and see it’s potential and they also taught me basic skills to realise that potential.
The gift of making
One of my greatest Christmas presents ever was a shelving unit that I was given when I was 9 years old. I had drawn up an idea for shelves for my room, one that would hold all of my collections, toys and bits and pieces in very specific places. My dad found the drawing and made it, exactly to my specifications. I woke up on Christmas day with my dream shelving-unit in my room (I was a heavy sleeper!). It was incredible. It made me feel like a designer! I think moments like this have inspired confidence in me to continue to design and create things. It genuinely surprised me that I for a while I had stopped making things because I’d had such a good start. Hopefully our Sunday Crafternoons have given our daughter Lotte the skills and mindset that her nanna and poppa gave me.
The process is definitely as important as the outcome. The times we spend together making things continue to be amazing. It has really changed the way Lotte and I relate to each other. Sometimes when we make things I’m her teacher but often, especially as she is getting older, we are co-creators. It’s also time that’s not about cleaning the house, or getting ready for school, or doing everyday routine things – those things can so easily dominate and dull our days.
I actually think we spend a lot more time together than we might have if we didn’t create things. Just yesterday we went out riding our bikes to collect sticks to bring home – we made little tents for her dolls and wooden stars. It’s not just craft anymore, and it’s not just about her and I. Lotte has since written some songs on a children’s album with her Dad (I’m Not Singing) and a book for the Toulouse Lautrec Exhibition for the Australian National Gallery, also with her Dad (Draw with Me). Being creative is now a part of how our family works. I certainly think it would hold true for other families. We have a few friends that parent very creatively and their lives and days seem quite similar to ours. Sometimes people have said that they don’t have time or skills or energy to spend time with their kids that way, and I understand that sense because I had it too. I also used to think it was easier for us because we just have one child, but I know families that have four children that are as creative with their days as we are.
I think that if we have to spend a lot of time preparing, shopping or learning skills we may never make anything. The materials we had, or materials that I easily gathered along the way, usually inspired the projects in the book – I rarely went out and bought something with a particular idea in mind. At the start of the book I have included sections on supplies, storage and basic techniques that I found made it easier for us throughout the project. I think people will be surprised at the skills they already have, but haven’t used for a long time – I know I was!
Making a difference
The change in the relationship with my gorgeous girl was definitely the most enjoyable part. Another is the difference that it has made to our home – we now have a house filled with handmade loveliness. The little everyday reminders of the times we have spent together continue to make me smile; making her bed and seeing the hand-stitched ‘love you’ on her sheets, using our ‘picture pegs’ to hold inspiring pages that we pull from magazines and this morning she wore her ‘Janey socks’ to school.
On the flip side, there are challenging aspects. Like resisting the temptation to buy every second-hand object that holds craft potential! I completely lost control early on and bought every handmade doily, piece of vintage fabric or quirky object that got my attention. Thanks to a massive garage sale, I have cleared out our crazy collection. I have had a lot more self-control since!
It has already changed us in so many unexpected ways. I spend more of my working life being creative, rather than just talking about being creative. We are certainly more conscious of our consumption and environment habits than we used to be. We’ve recently moved to Melbourne, arguably Australia’s most creative city, so we can attend more arts events and festivals. I have also decided to reduce our cost of living so I can now work less (and mostly during school hours) which leaves our afternoons and weekends free for play, exploring and creating. Coming next….I’m working on a series of projects that encourage and teach parents and children to spend more creative time together. Lazing on a Sunday Crafternoon continues to be quite a journey!
♥ – ♥ – ♥
Lazing on a Sunday Crafternoon by Eliza Muldoon, £12.99, Murdoch Books.
I can’t wait to share one of Eliza’s creative ideas with y’all tomorrow! What kind of creative makes do you like to make with the Littles?
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