• Take Time To Teach
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Take Time To Teach

The first person to share creativity with me was my mother. She had excellent color coordination and enjoyed sewing, florals and home decor. If she hadn't taken the time to teach me to explore my creativity, I would have missed out on some wonderful activities. It's important that all of us take the time to teach and pass on our passion for creativity. Teaching others how to knit, quilt, bead, cross-stitch, paint, crochet, cut, crop and craft helps build self-esteem and confidence for both the teacher and the student!

One of the first things to be cut in our schools' tight budgets is funding for art, crafts and music. Children and teens hunger for creative outlets, and sadly, most schools don't have the money to support creativity. It's up to each of us to offer to visit our schools and teach the next generation of creative souls how to use their energy for positive activities. The reward is happy kids who create. I enjoy teaching younger people to craft because they usually think outside the box and inspire me to challenge myself to use more color and add more texture to my own projects.

You can also volunteer to teach a class at your local community center, a senior center or a retirement home. One of my favorite volunteer requests came from my local hospice. I was invited to teach caregivers how to craft. At first I was a little unsure if I could do it, but after a few visits, I saw what a difference it made when caregivers could take a little time for themselves and craft. I also taught the hospice staff how to teach scrapbooking to their patients and volunteers, and I was rewarded with so much love. Look around your community and see if there is a need for creativity. If there is, fill that need with your wonderful talents and skills.

Offering to teach at your church, library or even in front of a favorite museum or science center is another good way to volunteer. You can set up a demonstration rather than a formal class. Make a cute gift tag, pompom critter or salt rub! Let the folks try some designs that use polymer clay, felt or a rubber stamp. It's amazing to see participants' eyes light up and the smiles on their faces when they create something!

It's not hard to teach others. A little patience and a lot of love can help you communicate to others how to enjoy stringing beads for a necklace, cutting and ripping up paper to make a card or crocheting a lap afghan. The best gift you can ever give to another person is the joy of creativity. It really doesn't matter what you make; all that counts is that you are sharing your passion and taking the time to teach!