Making Memories and Traditions - Creativity and The Sculpture Park!

At the beginning of this week on Bank Holiday Monday (a National Day off here in England) we decided to spend some respite time away from Heni and head further down south to a place called The Sculpture Park. The idea was to not only spend some quality time together as a family, making memories and creating traditions..... but also to get some ideas to incorporate in to my next project that I'm working on for Heni's birthday in July.

The Sculpture Park is the world’s largest all year sculpture exhibition which covers 10 acres, and houses hundreds of sculptures that are being exhibited there before being sold...and as a result... the park is constantly changing.
There are over two miles of trails that meander around...

 ...and the sculptures nestle perfectly in to the lush green vegetation beside the paths, up in the trees... and among the blossoming rhododendrons.

Out of all of them, my favourites were the driftwood sculptures...

The Rutting stags... which were made up of hundreds of carefully selected and shaped driftwood pieces.

  

The Giant Dragon... sitting majestically and menacingly atop a full sized gazebo....

                                 
                           And the Giant Eagle... made from wood and cork....

I was most drawn to the wooden sculptures as I love the grain, texture and shapes of the material and it got me thinking about how each small piece of wood used (to create the finished form) had had a previous life, history and purpose....and had been "re-purposed"  and shaped to end up as The Stag, The Dragon or The Eagle. 

I often feel that I am not very inventive or compare my level of creativity to that of others and hence feel that my efforts are far inferior.... however, this thought of the creative process being not just simply innovation but also a process of organization, helped me take courage in my own efforts. 

The other idea that was impressed upon me, was that we often feel that creativity lies within the realm of "art"... and if you feel like you are no good at art then you may also feel that you lack creativity.  At the end of the day, the most striking aspect of our visit there (for me) was the amazing capacity for creation that we ALL possess as human beings .... and that we can develop in many different areas of our lives.
Not everyone can be a sculptor and create such beauties (and beasts) as these. Those of us not in explicitly creative fields,  each possess an imagination and have thoughts and ideas (original or not), have the ability to come up with insights and having the capability to organize materials and build "something" where something wasn't there previously!  That is still creation.

You may not be able to paint a picture... but you may be able to paint an image in someones mind.
You may not be able to cook a gourmet meal.... but you can create something to eat out of thin air from an empty fridge.
You may not be able draw a plan for your garden .... but you can grow one!
You may be no good at designing a house....but your flair in organizing the furniture and decorating the rooms remain unsurpassed...
You may not be able to complete an " art project" but you can organize and schedule your social life like a master artist.
You may not be able to write a novel... but your ability to create a task list and complete it remains unchallenged. 
You may not be able to magic "quantity" time out of thin air... but you can create memories and traditions with the time you do have.

Everything you touch may break... but you CAN create your dreams, construct your values and build your character... you CAN co-create YOU!

But where do you start? Our first feeble efforts may be just that... feeble.. but they are a start.
I read somewhere that someone once said to a hesitant, prospective wood-carver (who didn’t know quite how to begin), “Start making some chips!”

Just have a go... have a go at lots of different things... find out what you are good at.... what you enjoy.... and as you start you will come to recognize those "creative stirrings"  or inspiration that lie within yourself.... and surprisingly, within all areas of you life! 

You may even come to realize that this creative process is not purely of yourself.... but comes from  elsewhere .... namely God, who is the greatest “Creator”of all.
As you start to listen to these impressions,  trust and follow them...not only will you come to  understand the process of creation but  you will be undergoing a process of creation within yourself... starting on a journey to become a re-purposed, higher version of yourself. Indeed you could say that God will be sculpting and shaping your very souls.
 

As I started this piece ... the ideas and concepts lay in a metaphorical pile.... just like those hundreds of pieces of driftwood, not knowing how I would construct them or put them together and no view of what the finished article would look like. 
But I started... and  I began the process of "chipping away"... one word... one sentence at a time  and I started to feel the creative stirrings from above rest upon me as the dews from heaven. Now this piece may never be a work of art.... it may never be a show piece or an exhibit or be admired and sit nestled among the vegetation..... but it will in the process have built, shaped  and sculpted my abilities, and me as a person that little bit more.

I have prayed today that whoever reads this post, will be able to feel the immense power and ability that they have as a creative being and the many forms in which this God given gift can manifest itself. I hope that those tiny stirrings of creativity can be recognized, developed and nurtured and morph into the full blown gifts and talents that they can become. I hope you come to some realization that you CAN create and you DO possess that divine ability within you... no matter how small it may feel at this present time.   You ARE a creative being and you have the ability to organize and transform the many pieces of drift wood in your life in to masterpieces...all it takes is for you to believe... and just start chipping!
 



Jx

We spent a few hours looking round the park and then walked over the road to eat a nice leisurely lunch at the Bel and Dragon ("Eating out with Food Intolerance's" post coming soon!) We then went back afterwards to walk around the rest of it. It was a lovely way to spend a family day out.  If you would like to see some more of my favourite sculptures from our day our please scroll below.

....oh and to read more "Making Memories and Traditions" post you can click:-

here (Iceland) 

here (Audley End House)  

here (Dahlia Fields)

here (Messages on Pebbles at the Beach

here (Strawberry Picking)

here (Mum and Daughter Date)

here (Taking Pictures)