What Stops You?

Posted by havigitall

I am willing to try pretty much any arts and crafts type project that is reasonably priced and doesn’t require me to quit my day job to have time to do it. But there are some things that I find myself avoiding and I’ve been thinking about why I avoid them.

The main thing I’ve been avoiding trying is creative writing. I really, really want to try it. But every time I think about sitting down to write, I freeze then immediately think of 500 other things to do instead. I have recently realized that it is because I’m afraid that what I write will suck. So even though no one else ever has to read anything I write, I’m still letting fear stop me from trying to write even a short story. Silly, right?

Until last month I was afraid of writing a blog. What if nobody reads it? What if people read it and think what I write is stupid? What if what I write *is* stupid? What if… What if… What if…. Then I told myself to put on my big girl panties, stop worrying about the “what ifs”, and start a blog. And I’m so glad I did because it has been fun.

So why am I still afraid to try creative writing? It is still the fear and “what ifs”. In an effort to get over this, I plan to attend a creative writing workshop next month and write at least a short story between now and then. Time to put on my big girl panties and stop worrying again…

Is there something that has stopped you from trying a creative endeavor? What was it? How did you get past it?

Impulse Buy – Bracelet Kit

Posted by havigitall

During one of my excursions to Michaels, I stopped to look at the “impulse buy” stand near the checkout counter. One of the items was a little bracelet kit with beads and cord. It looked relatively easy and was only about $3, so I impulsively bought it.

Cord and bead bracelets

It turned out to have enough material for 2 bracelets. The instructions were pretty good and I made the first bracelet rather quickly. I did modify it a bit because I wanted it to fit tighter than the it would have been by following the instructions exactly.

One of the things I was most excited about was learning a new knot. This bracelet required tying box knots between the beads. Usually I’m not very good at tying knots, so this was a big deal for me. Continue reading →

Zentangle

Posted by havigitall

Not long ago, I was looking for something simple to do that wouldn’t require a lot of time or effort. I was thrilled to discover Zentangle. All that was needed was something to write with and write on. Easy peasy.

Zentangle borders I drew from the Zentangle Untangled Workbook

In addition to being a creative outlet, Zentangle also has the benefit of stress reduction. I find it meditative and a great way to quiet my mind. Trust me when I say that quieting my mind is not an easy task at times. 🙂

After trying it on my own, I decided to pick up a workbook to learn a bit more. I chose The Zentangle Untangled Workbook by Kass Hall, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about Zentangle.

I love that this book is a workbook with tiles in it for practice. The picture to the right shows one of the pages I did in the section for borders. It was great to be able to draw right there with the instructions. And it starts by having you draw straight lines and circles before moving on to more intricate designs, which are still surprisingly easy to draw. Continue reading →

First Attempt at Painting

Posted by havigitall

Painting is something I had always wanted to try. So a while ago I grabbed some paint, brushes, and paper and decided to just do it.

Knowing that my skills for drawing something that looks real are an opportunity for improvement, I decided to paint something more abstract. I had taken a picture of the ground while on a walk because the tree roots and rocks looked interesting, and that seemed like good inspiration for an abstract painting.

Another thing I know about myself is that I tend to work better under a little pressure. Otherwise, I will try to perfect every little detail and never finish. So I got the supplies ready and gave myself 2 hours, which seemed reasonable for a painting on a half sheet of paper. Continue reading →

Let’s Dance

Posted by havigitall

Washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen used to be a tedious chore. Then one day I decided to put on some music while in the kitchen.

And the dancing began.

Not full-out competition routine or club dancing, but moving around and singing along with the music. Nothing fancy. I started to actually have fun washing the dishes, wiping the counters, etc. People walking by who can see in the window probably get a good chuckle if they see me. 🙂

I have always enjoyed dancing and have taken classes in the past. So rediscovering it by dancing around the kitchen was great for me. It even inspired me to take a hip hop class for the first time in many years. That was a blast! I’m not prepared to audition for So You Think You Can Dance, but I did okay and got some good exercise.

If you enjoy dancing, too, remember that it is another creative outlet you can use. Even if you haven’t enjoyed dancing in the past, try it again sometime. You might be surprised.

Take a Picture

Posted by havigitall

Photography is a great creative outlet.

You don’t need an expensive new digital camera or a vintage film camera to enjoy it. Most people have smartphones with really good cameras built in, so you already have the tools to try this.

I usually have my phone with me and will take a picture of anything that looks interesting, pretty, unusual, shiny, etc. I was glad I had my phone with me when I was on a walk in a park and took this picture of a butterfly on a flower. I used a free photo app to crop it, so it didn’t matter that the rest of the original picture didn’t look so great.

I even took a picture of the ground once because the tree roots, rocks, and twigs just looked interesting. This photo has since served as the inspiration for my first stab at a painting, which I’ll tell you more about in a later post.

If you like to take selfies or post pictures to social media? You’re already doing something creative! 🙂 Enjoy the process and have fun with it.

Yes, “Havig” :)

Posted by havigitall

Welcome to Havig It All!

My name is Rhonda Havig (hence the clever blog title) and I am excited to share with you ways to add creativity to your life.

I have a full-time job outside the home and am a wife and mother. I know that finding time for creativity can be a challenge and seeing some of the amazing things other people have done on various blogs, Pinterest, etc. can be intimidating.

For the past couple of years I have been having a bit of a crafting adventure trying different arts and crafts to see what works for me. Now I want to share with you what I have learned so you can see what works for you and we can all have loads of fun making things from doodles on scrap paper to handbags.