My dad says I have no attention span. He’s completely right. I really don’t. If I have a big project to get done, I have to break it into little chunks. I can’t push through like some people can. Little bites…. that’s how my brain works.
I know how to do just about every craft on the market. I can knit, sew, crochet, make paper, make jewelry, paint, draw, calligraphy, scrapbook, make cards… I even know how to quill! As a kid, my parents not only encouraged me to try new crafts, they were my biggest supporters. Every time I wanted to give something a try, they were behind it 100%.
It never occurred to me to stay focused on one thing. I simply moved from craft to craft. At times, I would revisit previous crafts. In college, I took a variety of art classes that allowed me to study some of my previous dalliances more in depth.
Over the years, I accumulated a vast collection of arts and craft supplies. This may seem like ‘stuff’ to some, but to me it is all part of my story.
At this very moment, I have more unfinished projects than I will ever finish in a lifetime. But it is okay, because they are all part of me. Someday I might get to them. Or someday Louisa may choose to pick one up and finish one for me. You see, I have a child who is just like me. In her short nearly 12 years, she has already learned many of the crafts I know.
I see in her a lot of myself. She has more stick-with-it-ness than I do, though. She starts projects and actually finishes them. She pushes through and gets results. It is gratifying to see all of my crafting supplies being used to completion.
Back to me… so am I unfocused? Or do I just know how to do a lot of things? Is my dad right that I have no attention span? Or am I simply in capable of following my own tendencies to start, but not finish, things?
I have no idea. It is probably a crazy mix of it all. It all makes up me. And I happen to think it’s a pretty good mix.
I will be forever grateful to my parents for not squishing my crafting journey. Never once did either of them say, “Kathy! You need to finish xxxx-ing before you start vvvvv-ing!” Nope. They followed along, leading when I asked, and otherwise simply let me try.
What about you? Are you a finisher or unfocused like me?
