Creativity in it's Incubation State

I have been creative at a lot of different things ever since I can remember.  I grew up in it.  What to me was ordinary, only many years later did I discover wasn't so ordinary.  We didn't have a lot of money growing up so one had to be creative with what you had around you.  I think I still do this and enjoy the limitations of not being able to go out and purchase what I think I may need in order to make something, design something, cook something, etc.

Then later on when I began teaching performing arts in the New York City school system, there was even LESS money to put on productions as requested by the higher-ups.  But it never even dawned on me to be disappointed by the limits.  I made do with what I had and was incredibly resourceful with what I could find.  There would be many times you would see my two legs and feet flailing upside down in a large dumpster outside of a book store where they would throw away their old displays, or an old building that was emptying out the neglected rooms to turn it into a condo...only to find old school desks or exotic standing candle holders, a potters wheel, a back of an antique chair to turn into a frame...it went on and on and I still own some of those same treasures today.

I truly love having 'little' to work with, as it only expands my brain to think how much HUGE stuff I can do with so LITTLE!  

I once had the fortune of finding some abandoned pianos that were getting more abused all of the time.  I removed all of the piano keys, cut them down to the black and white areas, glued two or three together, drilled a hole in the top, ran a red ribbon through it with a bow on the top and now I have an amazing Christmas Tree every year adorned with piano keys!  (I promise to post pictures of these ornaments when I pull out my decorations this year)

Making do with what's already in the house.  It takes a little bit of brain muscle to look around and see what you already have available, but so worth it!  This is, to me, Creativity in it's Incubation State.  The place where it begins.  To look at something, turn it around, add string, take the string away, whatever!  Then let it become bigger than you had ever imagined it to be!

This for me is one of the greatest gifts I am forever thankful that I possess. It still never fails to keep my juices flowing.

I'm interested in your creations from what 'little' you have.  Please share with me and as I will continue to think about it in more depth, I'll come up with more on my end.

Creativity...it's FREE...

Keep it Joy-FULL!