Finding joy in being a "Beginner"

I’ve spent the past year sucking at stuff, and I’ve loved it! The focus for me last year was to try new things and be creative. I called it my Year of Creating. Not entirely sure why I needed to call it anything, but I did and “it” having a name was like putting an intention out to the world and kept me focused on the habit I was trying to instil. I was trying new things to be involved in the process without the outcome in mind which was a big change for me.

This really was a different way of me approaching things. Previously I only did things for the outcome (which had to be immediate!) and not really being present in the actual journey to get there. Eye on the prize. I had also developed this terrible habit of deciding what’s going to happen and what others will say and what they will do - all inside my head. I literally have had so many ‘conversations’ on some pretty big things, all within the confines of my own head - not a single word exchanged with the person the decision or outcome may involve. I mean - why would you???

Twelve months on I’m still sucking at stuff - and still loving it. The practice of being a beginner has completely lightened my load, simplified everything and boosted the joy I feel. It’s also breaking down, albeit slowly, that nasty habit of staying in my head which is a completely unexpected but oh so needed benefit.

I’m a believer that what works for one of us doesn’t mean it will work for all of us. Whether we are talking about diet, exercise regimes, learning styles, fashion styles, medical procedures, religions - we are all different. #youdoyou That's because we all have different DNA, gut biome, brain mapping* environments, experiences, priorities and values. I put this here as context that this isn’t about setting out what will work for you. It’s about my experience and observations - which ofcourse are coloured by my past experiences etc. The following are some of the lessons I’ve learned, and continue to learn from being a beginner.

Knitting - learning consistency

My family could say that knitting was my “beginning” to becoming an old lady before my time! It was the first thing I tried as a beginner- following YouTube tutorials and the really unhelpful patterns (I’m sure there’s got to be a better way to do instructions!). The thing with knitting is there are no short cuts. You’ve got to create each stitch one after the other. You’ve got to keep track of which row you are up to and you’ve got to keep turning up and doing it to literally see any progress. Do you have any idea how hard that is for someone who seeks instant gratification!

So many times I’ve pulled apart my progress as I realised I stuffed up somewhere along the line. And I’d begin again. And after a few, well quite a few times to be honest, I realised that starting again isn’t all that bad. I realised that getting it wrong didn’t mean it was never going to happen, just that it may take a wee bit more time. For a few projects I abandoned them completely - and life continued!

Knitting has taught me the benefits of consistency, of accepting things go wrong, that when things go wrong life continues and that you can never have too many balls of wool for future projects!

Preserving - learning patience

Like knitting, my attempts at preserving have resulted in very mixed “products”. Jam that didn’t set, shrub that tasted awful and kombucha that prompted one of our friends to ask “is that your Nana you’re preserving on top of the pantry”.

I also now have, twelve months later, a full “homemade pantry of goodies”. Pickled onions, piccalilli, sundried tomatoes, marmalade, jam, relish, capers, sauerkraut, preserved limes, preserved lemons, cider, kombucha that worked. Most of the raw ingredients came from our garden too which is extra special.

Preserving taught me to think beyond just the here and now, again challenging my instant gratification desires. It takes planning and then time to reach the consumption ready stage. It’s also taught me how to minimise waste, enjoy the simplicity of food, enjoy slow living and that spending time doing something productive for our future selves really does pay off.

I’ve tried my hand at being a beginner at a whole lot of other things too including liquor making, cocktail creations, baking, starting a vege garden, composting, making christmas decorations, drying herbs, collecting seeds, drying flowers, submitting writing to a short story competition, creating lip balm, moisturisers, face oils, infusing oils with herbs and flowers, pressed flowers, learning new languages, refurbishing a rocking chair, crochet, making a trug, soap making, bath salts, homemade golden lattes, pottery, drawing,

And I’ve done all this while working full time. That’s the biggest thing this year of creating has taught me.

Create the space for creativity.

It doesn’t have to turn into a “job or business” and “pay its way”. I think I had been bombarded with so much hype around “make your job your passion’ that it was killing any passion I had.

I kept trying to monetise things that should be hobbies and all that achieved was a lack of energy, low resilience, roller coaster emotions and self destructive habits. I’ve never been someone who felt pressured to look a certain way by magazines, but I sure did fall for all the promises that random social media accounts claimed would occur by my chucking in the corporate life to truly live a “satisfying and thriving” life. That I couldn’t possibly be happy unless I was running my own business selling soaps/flowers or any other creative endeavour.

Instead I appreciate my “paid job” for the resources it provides us while ensuring that it’s not the thing that defines me. By being a beginner at things the expectation of turning this into a business wasn’t there - trust me no one would want to buy a lopsided jersey! It took a year, and during that year there were still times I would think “oh I could sell this and start a business doing…….” but then I took a breath, gave myself a virtual uppercut and got on with just enjoying the process.

As for getting out of my head - well now I’m actually starting out loud conversations about what the future could look and feel like. When I say it could include a mobile bookstore run out of a VW van I’m not sure my family is 100% convinced that me coming out of my head is actually a good thing. But if it does eventuate, at least they won’t be wondering where the hell that came from and in the meantime I get to have some fun tormenting them with the many ideas that are always racing around my head!

I'm looking forward to sharing the year of creating with you through these pages

*Highly recommend reading Livewired by David Eagleman