Artsy-craftsy

Many years ago, I was told I was artsy-craftsy.

It was probably meant as a compliment, but at the time,

I was slightly insulted.
An artist?  Well, no, I wasn't even close.
A craftsman?  Well, no, I guess not that either,
although I have tried out many crafts.

Thirty-five years later, I realize that “artsy-craftsy” is an apt description.

If I had stayed with one medium maybe I could have  “owned” the title of
artist or craftsman at some point in my life.  But, I didn’t.

What have I dabbled in over the years of working and child-rearing and homeschooling?

Knitting, crochet, sewing, comforters, quilting, needlepoint, papercrafts,
embroidery, cross-stitch, counted cross-stitch, punched tin, leathercraft,
stenciling, photography, photo developing in the days of film, watercolor,
mixed media, chalk, pen and ink, colored pencil, stamping, card making,
paper scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking, blogging.
I’ve probably forgotten a few.

I have always felt the need, the pull, to make things,
to lose myself in the process of creating
whether I’m piecing a comforter or editing a photo.
Time passes and I’m somewhere else, inside what I’m doing,
not where I actually am physically.

I’m about to start book-making on a very limited scale,

another craft to be tried.

I should be spending my time on projects I’m committed to:

two Christmas stockings,
18 Christmas ornaments with a yet-to-be-determined design,
and a first-year scrapbook for my granddaughter.

Projects, of every variety and hue, satisfy my need to create.
So, I will “own” the description of artsy-craftsy.