As I've mentioned a few times already, I am the type of person that loves taking things apart and fixing things. I've always loved creating my own things, too, but creating things takes a lot of time and sometimes a lot of money. While I was home over spring break, I got together with a couple friends from my church back home and we met a refugee who needed curtains. We could have just gone out and bought some at Wal-Mart for less than $20, but instead we went to a fabric store and picked out the fabric to make them ourselves, making the price go to about $50. But there's something to be said about creating something. Picking out fabric, laying it out, pinning it together to make it look just how you want it, and then sewing it to see the final product is just great. It's also time-consuming and requires more money (if it weren't for the fact that I wasn't paying for it, I probably would have ended up at Target or Wal-Mart). So I usually buy things that are cheap and bring them home and fix them to be how I want them to be. Crawford would point out that even customizing is not the same as actually creating, but when I have little money and time it's about as close as I can get right now.
I enjoyed Crawford's example of music, also. Because of my majors, many people are shocked when they find out that I'm still in band (my roommates often forget, even). I think Crawford's explanation of a musicians obedience to the mechanical realities of the instrument has a lot to do with why I can't give it up, even if it often doesn't count as a credit so I don't have to pay for extra hours. I know my instrument. I know what it can do, what it can't do, and the second my fingers touch the keys they feel at home. The real reason, though, is that I just enjoy using my hands and I need that to keep me sane. But I've also never been the type to just sit down and create my own music. I can play whatever you put in front of me but I am terrible at making things up, and that's because while I've mastered my instrument mechanically, I know close to nothing of actual theory. But playing is something that is constant and has "concrete limits" that are "external to the self." It's a structure thing, and one of my biggest worries after I graduate is what to do with no more band.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Crawford reminds us that it is important to produce music, etc. Life might be easier with already made clothes and ipods, but it is also more boring and unsatisfying. We can only be truly free and creative when we have those "concrete limits" you wrote about, but are able to produce, not just consume. I'm sure the curtains you sewed will last much longer and be better taken care of because you took the time to actually sew. Keep up the creative work you do!
ReplyDelete