There is something about the power of creating that is not only empowering but humbling for me. I know as an artist and poet when I am in that "mode" I feel not only the blessing of the gift but the way I believe it can affect others. I'm not alone in this. Individuals around the world are seeing the power that can come from bringing something to life through your hands, and in her new book CRAFTING CALM author Maggie Oman Shannon shares her own process.
"It feels like a big blessing," she told me during a conversation about the book. "I am so blessed to share what has been so meaning to me... This is the first book I've written in the first person and shared my personal stories." She told me it includes projects she's actually done and found a lot of meaning and joy in.
One of the things I enjoyed so much about CRAFTING CALM is that it has so many connective things that talk about the ability to create and connecting with something higher than ourselves. "Often we make these two subjects more difficult than they are," says Shannon. "Spiritually is as simple as sitting in the silence and breathing for five minutes. It doesn't have to be complicated." For her crafting is like a vehicle to take you to a different place.
The book celebrates and welcomes creativity, however, it doesn't depend on everything being just so. The author says this was part of the purpose. "Life is not about being perfect, it's about just being your best." For Shannon imperfection is a part of the process. "Just as no one would or should judge your prayer or meditation, the same is true with crafting. Accepting imperfection is liberating. There is such a freedom in just knowing we're spiritual beings having a human experience. In this human incarnation we are always going to make mistakes. Everything in our lives is an opportunity to grow."
The great thing about the power of crafting or creating is that it affects not just the one doing the making but the one that benefits from it as well. On page 66 of the CRAFTING CALM Shannon says this: "As we find comfort within the process of our creativity, others may find comfort in the product." This reminds us that what we are doing is great but it has more power when it is shared. This is why we should downplay the part we have in making a difference.
"It reminds us that doing something that may seem small can make a powerful impact," says Shannon. "We live in a world that desperately needs the gift of every single one of us." This book is really about using our gifts in the world to make a better one. W have to keep creating and nurturing things that are going to make a better tomorrow."
For more information about Maggie Oman Shannon and her book CRAFTING CALM visit her online at www.maggieomanshannon.com.
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