The magic of creating

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR: HILLARY WALL (OWNER & FOUNDER OF CORK & CHROMA)

You’ve heard the saying, “Life is what you make of it”. Growing up, my dad always reminded us to start the day on a positive note – wishing us to “Make it a good day!” on the way out the door to school. But let’s face it, life throws curveballs, and not every day is sunshine and rainbows. Still, there’s something powerful in finding a silver lining, even on tough days.

And, as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to learn that perhaps it’s not always about making your day good, maybe it’s about creating something from your experience of the day, even if it wasn’t a very good one.

I used to think my creative hobbies were simply a way to pass time. But looking back on everything I’ve made, from the simple doodles to crafty projects, music I’ve made and paintings, I see that it all has shaped me in unexpected ways.

Each creation has been like a stepping stone, helping me process life and its ups and downs, and transporting me from one season of life into the next. It’s like each moment in life is a cause, and each creation is the effect. Whenever I have been able, my impulse in life has been to take intuitive creative action.

For instance, when I was falling head over heels for my husband B.J., I doodled a heartfelt birthday card incorporating all of the things I knew about him at the time, which he still has in a frame. Then when we moved to a new country and launched our creative workshop business Cork & Chroma, painting frequently and socially helped me to find community and connect with new people.

And, after a few years in business when someone hurt me, I wrote a song that helped me say what I couldn’t in real life…

To continue reading Hillary’s article, please visit the Everly Mag Shop where you’ll find Issue 4. Please note, this mag is a ‘digital only’ issue.