I am an actress by nature. When I was three, my sister (who is six years my senior), her friend and I would play “Pizza Delivery Boy”. This was a wonderfully fun game where my sister and her friend would take turns being the pizza delivery boy and the person to whom the pizza was being delivered. I was always the little sister, never the deliverer, but there was good reason. See, the game went like this:
P. Delivery Boy: (knock, knock)
P. Recipient: Who’s there?
P. Delivery Boy: Pizza!
P. Recipient: (Opening door) I didn’t order a pizza.
P. Delivery Boy: (Pulls out a [squirt] gun and shoots the P. Recipient. Laughs maniacally)
Little Sister (AKA me): (Bursts into tears, crying and howling dramatically, dropping to her knees next to the dead person, who was the victim of an apparently insane pizza delivery person who had a vendetta against all who do not order pizza)
As you can tell, I was the only one who could turn on the waterworks - I’m talking real tears here - over and over again, no matter how often we played. And this was an integral part of the game.
I realize this may seem strange to many of you, but a lot of our games turned out this way. I could cry on demand. (I mastered the technique at a VERY young age so as to get my older sister and two older brothers in trouble - worked like a charm). I could quote long monologues from movies. I could imitate accents and I was not afraid to use all of my skills whether I was knowingly in front of an audience, or just unwittingly. (For instance, my neighbor and I made up elaborate musicals and practiced them in her backyard, convinced that we would one day perform them for the entire neighborhood, be discovered by a talent scout and, of course, be whisked away to NY where we would make it big - and I mean BIG - on broadway. Unbeknownst to us, her older siblings were watching out the window snickering.)
It made sense, then, that I went on to major in theatre. Theatre is the only thing I have had a continuous, ever-expanding, unquenchable passion for. I had no illusions. I knew I would not move to LA or NY. I figured there were plenty of other places to make a decent living scrape together enough of a living become a waitress and live on mac and cheese while doing theatre. I really thought I had thought this through. Really. But, as it so often does, life happened. I met the man of my dreams right before my last year of undergraduate studies as I was preparing for graduate school auditions. Giddy with excitement that the man of my dreams actually existed in reality, I was engaged 5 weeks later and married in 9 months. Bug was born 1 year and 7 months later, and now (almost four years from graduating) I find myself a want-to-be budding actress staying at home with two beautiful kids and watching my niece during the week as well. I wouldn’t change it for the world - not for all the best parts in all the best broadway hits... but I do miss acting. I’ve done a few things locally in community theatre and that definitely does take the edge off. I try to focus on finding validation in the hugs, kisses and funny little antics of my two year and the oh-so-sweet smiles of my three month old instead of the applause of an audience of strangers.
But where to find a consistent creative outlet?
I became a blog stalker. That’s right. I now openly admit to stalking such blogs as MADE and MADE BY RAE and Craftaholics Anonymous and A Lemon Squeezy Home - and that’s just the tiniest sampling to give you an idea. I was inspired. Soon, my stalking turned into a desire to become like these online celebrities I so admired. I began to page through “tutes” thinking, “hey, I could do that! I really could make that....”
Turns out, I couldn’t.
I tried my hand at even the easiest of sewing projects with only mild success (in the loosest possible sense of the word). I could make things kind of a little bit sorta like that, but I could not, in fact, make THAT. The thing is, that didn’t really bother me too much. I still like sewing (or what I call sewing....). I still like doing crafty things and scrapbooking. I even like repurposing various household items - furniture included (there’s just something about power tools). I like coming up with ideas and executing them. I like the journey from my mind to the finished product. In short, I am in love with the creative process.
I know I am not like the professionals out there. I can’t come close to the amazing creations of Natasha at Samster Mommy or Jill at homemade by jill. But I can sure try. And maybe with practice I will get better. Thus, my very “un”professional blog was born. These are my attempts at creativity; my mistakes, frustrations, triumphs and all published for any who care to see. Perhaps I can inspire others. After all, if I can do it, anyone can!
