Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Crochet Community Service ~ 1


Every once in a while, an opportunity presents itself and you just know it's meant for you. This very thing happened a couple of weeks ago when I opened up an email. Within my community, an organization is setting up workshops to teach crochet and other crafts to homeless and at risk members, with the goal of ultimately creating marketable products.

It may not seem like crochet and community service have much in common, but I think it's inspired. Creativity is a powerful, powerful thing. It's about opening yourself up to new possibilities. It's about finding the beauty in chaos. It's about connection and letting go. To riff off a lecture I recently listened to, it's about not just being, but becoming. When you create, you are an active participant in the world around you.

In short, I'm excited to join up with a group of volunteers who will be sharing their own talents and perhaps sparking a creative light in others. I've always enjoyed teaching my craft. It's a special joy to see someone's face light up as they grasp something new. It's wonderful to witness that pride of accomplishment and the enthusiasm to learn more. If I can be even a small part of helping another person feel good about themselves, then I'm in!

So the only thing I'm sad about is that I'm going to be out of town for most of the first workshop. I had to content myself with donating a bunch of yarn and hooks to help them get started, but I really wish I could be there. This project has been so on my mind that I started to think I should keep a journal of the experience. That's when I had my "duh" moment. Hello, I write a blog! I really don't know how the project will go and what will ultimately come as a result, but I'd like to share it all with you. I even created a special photo for my posts on the subject and whenever I have stories to tell, I'll tell them here.

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