Spend Time Creating: Making Some New Chair Pieces Into Chairs!

Today's creation is something that I enjoy doing, that I do on an occasional basis, and that needs to be done every once in a while - I am putting together some chairs. 

I consider this type of task to be a creative task, but not in the same way as my other ways of creating. I enjoy putting furniture together. I enjoy the frustrations that occur when I try to figure out what the diagrams mean. I get echoes of "helping" my Dad put together things - did you know that I know how to fix sprinkler heads because of him? There you go.

Here's the background to why I am putting together some chairs. I bought two chairs about four years ago. One was a chair with a back and the other was a stool. I usually use the stool for my craft area and the backed chair for my writing at my desk. About two months ago, my backed chair broke at the welds. I am not a welder, so I cannot fix the chair. I moved the stool over to the desk area, but I miss the chair back when I am writing. I ordered some bar stools from Amazon that arrived three days ago. They are currently in a small box on the floor of my living room. These bar stools have backs on them, so I am hoping that they will work well for what I need. They are also considered heavy-duty, so they should stand up to my weight and usage patterns. I am going to get my electric screwdriver/drill ready to assemble these stools today.

At the end of this weekend, I should (GOBLIN) have two new chairs for downstairs. This will be the fourth furniture project that I have completed since moving into this house, and I still enjoy it!

Over the past three decades of my music therapy life, I have found that it is important for me to explore areas that are not based in music therapy. Several years ago, I looked at my social media feeds and found that EVERYTHING was music therapy-related. I found it a bit sad that my only interactions with other people were based on what I choose to do for my salary.

I set out to fix that situation.

I started asking to join groups on Facebook and started following people on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram that were based on some of my other interests. I now have inspiration from lots of cat feeds, papercrafting groups, silly meme groups, and some grief groups as well. Music therapy things still happen on my feed, but they are surrounded by other things that make me think and create.

We started a conversation, my intern and I, about how to come up with ideas for what to do with clients during sessions. This is something that I have struggled with in the past, but I now have lots of resources to draw on so I rarely feel that way in the present moment. I have found that my creativity does not happen in a steady flow. It often happens in fits and starts and might disappear for a long time before it comes flooding back. I know that it always returns because I am someone who enjoys making things.

Today, I will make two bar stools for my desk. After that? Who knows...

I hope you get some time to create something new today. Be creative.

Here's a picture of something I created lately - a boomwhacker hanging storage system/art installation. I enjoy looking at it so much!!