The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

48 The Idea of an Essay: Volume 3 of the two. To follow a crochet pattern, you must follow the words—words that have been written by a creative thinker. Just like a recipe, a pattern is a guide for creativity. However, a truly skilled cook does not need a recipe. A good cook is marked by his ability to use his knowledge of his ingredients and tools and to manipulate both until he achieves the desired outcome. That is just how art works too! A noteworthy crafter or painter or florist does not need a pattern or instructions to make something beautiful; he needs only knowledge of his materials and a vision that is worth working for. Many things can be trial and error, and sometimes you fail. You must learn to think outside the box. You must learn to see the potential in everything. Diligently working to overcome any obstacle in a project leaves the artist with more knowledge than he started with. My love and ability to create has been fostered by many people. But, like most of my other interests, my artistic hobbies started with my mom. My mother has successfully seen the elementary and middle school projects of eight children to completion. I vividly remember watching her work with my five older siblings in the years before I was in school. Our split-level Pennsylvania home was always buzzing with activity in those years. Every spring, each school-age child would work on a special project to present at our school’s “Excellence Fair.” The first project I remember observing was a sock puppet project that my mom did with my older sister Bethany. My mom used a hot glue gun to attach curly, brown synthetic hair to a white sock while Bethany chose a pair of googly eyes and other items to complete the puppet’s face. I wished that I too could make a puppet, but, of course, I was too young to use a hot glue gun, and my mom could only give this project so much of her time before she had to make dinner. Though tempted to pout because I was not getting to participate, my mom’s answer to my anxious request rang in my ears and then slowly sank into my brain: “Your turn will come.” I knew she was right. Every summer of my childhood, my siblings and I attended Vacation Bible School at our church. VBS was always a highlight of my summer. From the fun songs we sang in the morning and the great prizes you could win for Scripture memory, to the awesome water games we played outside and the red Kool-Aid and Oreos that were given as a snack --every moment of VBS was a blast! But,