One to keep us healthy..... One to keep us creative... and One to earn us an income!
The first two were easy for me to wrap my mind around, although I used to substitute my love of inventive healthy cooking as an alternative to actual exercise. There was a decade where I was cooking three different types of meals for my family based on their medical dietary requirements. It really helped that I loved to cook, or else I would have been broke from ordering pre-packaged health meals (or my family would have been really sick). One had to avoid saturated fats as per the MS diet recommendations, one had a ketogenic dominant diet to help with a slow metabolism, and one lacked the enzyme in her liver to process excess protein!! Given the choice of creative accounting versus creative cooking.... the latter won hands down. Now, with only myself to cater for, I love the simple, delicious concoctions that Pinterest tempts me with daily (the latest experiment being cabbage steak with balsamic vinegar and honey!). Running (mostly power walking) these calories off has fortunately become a regular habit, despite two decades of avoiding strenuous anything. Having spent many rainy port days aboard the comfort of a dry ship, I discovered the sanctuary of the gym. With my music blaring in my headphones I could indulge in my solitude, ignoring the few passengers left onboard. Most of the participants were much older, and I looked super fit in comparison. The view from the treadmill in a different port each day was surreal, and was not taken for granted.
A hobby to keep me creative? How about too many hobbies and not enough hours in a day! I am not an artistic person, but rather someone with creative flair. Although I can design and sew just about anything, I can't paint. Perhaps because I have never tried, but I am also not inclined. I truly appreciate art in all forms, and have been privileged to see works by the masters all over the world. Gustav Klimt will always be my favourite, followed by Salvador Dali. Thankfully I have enough other creative outlets to keep me busy, even though I have more unfinished quilts than completed, and I don't get to play the piano anymore. But in different seasons of ones life you prioritize and adapt. So this season is more compact.... succulent gardening and hand worked quilting!
The final hobby needs to earn an income. After I had my daughter, I turned my wedding dress making hobby into a work-from-home job initially, and later on I needed studio and retail premises. This was probably the most carefree time in my life, as my soul and pocket were being fed well. It never felt like a job, and the rewards were just marvellous. I was able to have my child with me when my studio was at home, and that career choice allowed my to be at every one of her childhood events. Moving on to become a fabric retailer was more demanding, but I was still surrounded daily by creative clientele. Even though I was more managerial on the shop floor than designer, I fed off the customers' enthusiasm and excitement. My most recent income has been a paid-to-travel honour, and these past two years have given me invaluable exposure to the creative forces of the entire globe! The influences of everything from airport construction to ancient ruins, tropical gardens in Norway to graffiti in Brazil.... my mind has been blown. I sometimes battled to absorb the full extent, but the obvious result is an extremely expanded appreciation for the creative influences available from the everyday lives of these worldwide communities.... I have no doubt that they have influenced my artistic view immensely. The question now is . . . . what am I going to do with all this new creativity??
