<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Creative Matters]]></title><description><![CDATA[Creative Matters]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:25:35 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.creativematters.blog/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Start Before You Feel Ready]]></title><description><![CDATA[You don't have to feel ready to begin. We tend to think creativity starts with a feeling. Inspiration. Motivation. Confidence. A clear idea of what we want to make. But most of the time, those things don't arrive first. Sometimes you have to pick up the pencil before you know what you want to draw. Tear the first piece of paper before you know where it will go. Put down the first brushstroke before you know what the painting will become. Starting can be the thing that makes you ready. I...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/start-before-you-feel-ready</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8e031028d0cf71ca038dcb</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 02:04:29 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Things You're Drawn to Matter]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pay attention to what keeps catching your eye. Maybe it's a certain shade of blue. Old handwriting. Flowers. Uneven lines. Bits of worn paper. The same shapes appearing again and again. We tend to think of these little preferences as unimportant. We like what we like. We don't always stop to wonder why. But the things you're drawn to can tell you something about your creativity. When I look at the things I make, I notice certain colors, shapes, and materials showing up again and again. I...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/the-things-you-re-drawn-to-matter</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a84674c3c8b4d26e635e4b8</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 20:58:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/73d262_3729b53786f7420d95329500e2c93d34~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_500,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Make Something Because You Like It]]></title><description><![CDATA[Not everything you make needs a reason. As adults, we seem to want a reason for everything. If we're going to spend time making something, we want to know what it's for. Will I hang it on the wall? Will I give it to someone? Is it worth keeping? Is it good enough to share? Sometimes we even decide what we're making before we've picked up the first piece of paper or put down the first brushstroke. But creativity doesn't always need a destination. Sometimes you can choose a color simply because...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/make-something-because-you-like-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8125170184b89c47fa396d</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:01:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/73d262_c384887735724cc4997c6155b8db54cb~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_500,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Your Hands Need Something to Do]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our hands were made to do more than swipe and scroll. So much of our day happens on a screen. We type, tap, scroll, answer messages, read, and move from one thing to the next. Our minds stay busy, but our hands aren't really making anything. There's something different about picking up a pencil, tearing a piece of paper, threading a needle, or moving paint across a page. You can feel the materials. The rough edge of torn paper. The drag of a pencil across a page. The softness of thread. Paint...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/why-your-hands-need-something-to-do</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7aa5d62ea6eb4d2c727717</guid><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 04:51:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/73d262_48708ee032984a949ac27e5192d70c62~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_500,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Five Minutes Can Change Everything]]></title><description><![CDATA[Somewhere along the way, we started believing that creativity needed a block of free time. An empty afternoon. A clear table. The right supplies . Enough energy. We tell ourselves we'll start when things slow down. But for most of us, that day never arrives. I've discovered that the days I spend just five minutes making something are almost always better than the days I don't. The truth is, creativity doesn't ask for hours. It simply asks for a beginning. Five minutes may not seem like much....]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/five-minutes-can-change-everything</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a66f29fb59210289e93d03d</guid><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 01:03:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/73d262_38a75a7a268d4176b4847e928a32fe6c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_500,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What I Notice on an Ordinary Walk]]></title><description><![CDATA[There was a time when I thought inspiration arrived in big moments. A beautiful landscape. A museum. A perfect sunset. Now I know it usually arrives much more quietly. It shows up on an ordinary walk. Not because the world suddenly becomes more interesting, but because I start paying attention. I notice the way sunlight catches the edge of a leaf. The peeling layers of paint on an old fence. Tiny weeds growing through cracks in the sidewalk. The faded lettering on a weathered sign. The...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/what-i-notice-on-an-ordinary-walk</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a62fcf0532301fe59f722d5</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 06:06:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/73d262_e09feda749254db89c579ae35f6327c0~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_500,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Joy of Making Something That Doesn't Matter]]></title><description><![CDATA["The object isn't to make art. It's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable."  — Robert Henri There was a time when I believed every creative project needed a purpose. If I was going to paint, it should be good enough to frame. If I was going to draw, it should be realistic. If I spent an hour making something, it should become something useful. That way of thinking can quietly take the joy out of creativity. Some of the most meaningful moments I've had with art came from...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/the-joy-of-making-something-that-doesn-t-matter</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a600a51e75006338f59dfac</guid><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:42:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/73d262_a3269dd900234030b55782050ebd7e92~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_500,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Don't Need Inspiration to Begin]]></title><description><![CDATA["Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." —often attributed to Pablo Picasso Whether those words came from Picasso or not, they contain an important truth. Most of us believe creativity begins with inspiration—as if we need to feel motivated before we can make something. We wait for the right idea, the right mood, or the perfect moment. But after years of making art, I've learned that inspiration usually doesn't come first. Beginning does. I've started many projects with no clear...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/you-don-t-need-inspiration-to-begin</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5ef973bd30a9e3e57c7bc8</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:07:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/73d262_c87a7a57f80f4e1199575bd1e23f3e1c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_500,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Lost Art of Playing]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I was a child, I never needed a reason to play. I built forts out of blankets, collected interesting rocks and leaves, made tiny creations from whatever I could find, and spent hours drawing simply because I enjoyed it. I wasn't trying to be good at any of it. I was just curious. Somewhere along the way, many of us quietly stopped. As adults, we become very good at doing things that are useful, productive, or efficient. We measure our days by what we accomplish. Even our hobbies can...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/the-lost-art-of-playing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5b12bee447e3bde5864852</guid><pubDate>Sat, 18 Jul 2026 06:04:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0cb9696bb03a46a78e155c6bb68aa4b8.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Paying Attention Is a Creative Practice]]></title><description><![CDATA[Many people think creativity begins when you pick up a paintbrush, open a sketchbook, or sit down at a sewing machine. I don't think that's true. I think creativity begins much earlier—with paying attention. Before we create anything, we notice. We notice the way morning light falls across the kitchen table. We notice the tiny crack in a leaf, the peeling paint on an old fence, or the surprising color hidden inside a shadow. We hear a phrase that makes us smile or collect an interesting...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/paying-attention-is-a-creative-practice</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5b0b06830cbda37bbdbd6e</guid><pubDate>Sat, 18 Jul 2026 05:34:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_77048d8f557f4a7898515076c1a3005f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Happens When You Keep Making Things]]></title><description><![CDATA[Most people think creativity is about making beautiful things. I don't. I think it's about paying attention. When you keep making things—whether it's a blind contour drawing, a collage from scraps of paper, a page of painted marks, or a handful of stitched lines—you begin to notice the world in a different way. You slow down. You notice the veins in a leaf. The shape of a shadow across the kitchen table. The colors hiding in a weathered fence. The edge of a torn piece of paper that somehow...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/what-happens-when-you-keep-making-things</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a59c695bc7847d5de0a9ee1</guid><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:29:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/73d262_ac3608fc31e84284b3a461c5807341ab~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_500,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Creativity Matters]]></title><description><![CDATA[When people hear the word creativity, they often think of painters, musicians, writers, or designers. But creativity has always been much bigger than art. It's the way we solve problems. The way we decorate a table for a family dinner. The way we rearrange a room until it finally feels like home. The way we wrap a gift, write a note, or plant a garden. Creativity isn't another thing to add to your to-do list. It's a way of moving through the world. When we stop creating, something quiet...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/why-creativity-matters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5442823ab8079a04e58f2a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 17:01:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/73d262_d2d49ed31f3e42c5aa2617cb4af9e3fd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What If You Didn't Have to Be Good?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Somewhere along the way, many of us decided there was a hidden requirement for making art. You had to be good. Good enough to draw. Good enough to paint. Good enough to knit, sew, write, collage, carve, or play an instrument. If you weren't good, why bother? So we stopped. Or maybe we never started. We watched other people make beautiful things and quietly admired them from a distance. "I wish I were creative," we'd say. But what we often meant was: "I wish I were good." There's an important...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/what-if-you-didn-t-have-to-be-good</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a528250661479e527e4e078</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 01:31:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/73d262_fc9ed9eaa09944b4b8b1ef230565b6b9~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_500,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Everyone Is Creative]]></title><description><![CDATA[Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped believing we were creative. Maybe it happened in an art class when someone else's work seemed better than ours. Maybe a careless comment made us question our abilities. Or maybe life simply became too busy, and creating slipped quietly out of our routines. We began to believe that creativity belonged to other people—the artists, musicians, designers, writers, and makers. We convinced ourselves that creativity was a talent you were either born with...]]></description><link>https://www.creativematters.blog/post/everyone-is-creative</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a51b6435c421b82021b9f6e</guid><pubDate>Sat, 11 Jul 2026 03:43:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/73d262_66aa55f996574afbaf9e07e17ca6db94~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_500,h_400,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christine Marie</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>