My Creative Story: Part 2 Teen Years

Read Why I Am Telling My Creative Story and see each part of the story here. Middle school came and I followed the all american path of tween years. I made friends who also loved the backstreet boys, I started dancing competitively and did well in school. At this point my family had become christians and we were attending church, which was opening up so many doors in terms of making new friends and having so many activities to do all the time. I spent summers attending a writers workshop camp (read more here about that here) and my creativity is challenged in a way like never before. I know I am creative with paints and I love reading, but I quickly realize that becoming a fiction author is not my life calling, but I love the challenge and the intense focus the camp’s purpose gave me in this specific skill.A logical line in my creative story gets blurred here. I was still making things: covering my notebooks for class, going to writing camp, KILLING it on all take home creative projects for social studies and english and volunteering to work with the kids at church in their crafts and dances, etc. My creativity was being infused in what I was doing: designing the student council float for the parade, decorating for school dances, building a pond on campus, but I wouldn’t say there was a ‘craft’ I was obsessed with throughout these years, I was more so living a creative lifestyle.High school hit and I found my new muse: jewelry making. My sister and I got jewelry making kits, again from Wal-Mart, for christmas one year. Which my sister promptly never touched once and I became obsessed like a crazy person. Only recently did I finally have the heart to get rid of all of my supplies and beads that I bought at the creative genius age of 15…. So I start making this jewelry, some of it is so legit that I still wear it to this day, but most of it has been long retired. But! People were noticing it and wanted in on my craft again. I began making custom orders: pookah shell necklaces for guys; earrings, necklaces, bracelets for girls. At this point I had accumulated so many beads and supplies that I started pre-making items to sell and even rented a booth at a few craft fairs to sell them. Then! Then! The genius hit and I started hosting jewelry making parties! People would have me over to their house, invite all their friends and make jewelry. I spent HOURS sorting and labeling and pricing all the beads and creating a system. Everyone got a jewelry making tray and a pad/pen. They would pick up beads for their project, write down the cost and then they would all pay a flat fee for the making of the piece. I would show them/help them make their own jewelry of their own design. I made so little money by charging 1 cent per bead but I was having so much fun and learning priceless lessons on pricing your products, production value, buying wholesale, etc. Then someone in our church, who ran an eBay business, gives me these really fancy beads to make pieces with and he sold them online. I was branching out, freelancing, designing. I was living the dream and didn’t even know it.What does the normal 15-year-old girl ask for for Christmas? Well a sewing machine of course! What do normal parents of 15 year olds have to come in and yell at their kids for at 2am? Sewing too loud of course! I had another crafty friend in high school who was really into sewing and I obviously needed to give this a try too. As soon as I got my sewing machine and my friend showed me how to literally turn it on and make it work, I sewed a window seat cushion and matching curtains for my room. No pattern, no real measuring, just figured it out as I went. Somehow that cushion may be, to this day, the most professional looking item I have ever made. It was legit with a zipper and all. And so began my sewing dabbling. I got really into making purses when a lady from church, who was running a small purse making business from her home (still pre etsy era), showed me how. I made so much stuff! I loved it!In high school I got a job working at our church's summer camp/afterschool program where I was given a group of kids and told to teach/entertain/keep them safe for like 100 hours a day. I was in heaven. These sweet, creative little minds were all mine to mold and play with all day. We had the most fun. I was creating lesson plans that involved creativity, thinking, social skill applications and so much fun. I still to this day use some of those lessons and those are the skills that have put me in the exact day job I work now as an elementary school counselor.My creativity is soaring at this point and I don't even realize it. I am making jewelry and sewing at home and then spending my days creating crafts and games and stories for kids. I was on fire. Again, this is all way before the internet days of Pinterest. We were all just making stuff up from our brains and the supplies we could get at Wal-Mart. (seriously could this story be a bigger advertisement for the craft section at Wal-Mart?! ps no hobby lobby in our town yet) Oh and I’m also dancing 6 or 7 days a week (classes, rehearsals, competitions) so the creativity I am absorbing through this is just pumping my veins full of energy and pizza.Throughout middle and high school my church youth group is taking trips to these camps that are missions based. We go into big cities, work in homeless shelters, children's homes, etc. But there is so much creativity in these camps: music, art, skits, games, etc. My brain is exploding with excitement and the direction of my life is becoming clear to me, I just can’t quite see through the haziness of what is a vision of the future just yet.Read Why I Am Telling My Creative Story and see each part of the story here.