FROM MY LIFE

Inspiring Relatives

Many relatives are creative, each in their own way, and so am I

To be creative means to be in love with life. ~Osho

About two months ago, I wrote a post about the strong women in my life, and how I believe that they all influenced me in some way to be the person I am today. Those women were my grandmother, my mom and my daughter — each of them inspiring in their own way.

I come from a very creative family. As a child, I thought only my parents were creative, but I now look around me and am amazed at how many creative people there really are in my family.

My parents

I grew up with parents who were always busy creating something. My father was a welder by profession, and made anything you can imagine — from changing an oil drum into a barbecue, or making it from scratch, or making security gates for our house or those of others. He made those gates up to when he passed away at nearly 80 years old.

However, welding was not his only way of creating. My father was an artist too. He made some beautiful oil paintings and later turned to making paintings with a soldering iron on wood — pyrography. I still have three of his works of art stored away with my own.

My mom sewed clothes, and she had made some of my most beautiful dresses — with pockets! She sewed, and she knitted, and there came a time when she knitted with a specific yarn, ironed the pieces of ‘cloth’ she had knitted, and then she could cut it to sew clothes. Don’t even ask me the technique she used, but I vividly remember the beautiful clothes she made from it. Just like my father sold gates to others, my mom did the same with her knitting and sewing. And both of them did this besides working too.

There was this one day we sat talking about drawing and painting and my father remarked my mom couldn’t draw to save her life. What do you think? She grabbed a book, found a picture of a fox and created the most beautiful pencil drawing perfectly resembling the photo.

My parents’ creativity definitely sparked and fed the creativity in both my brother and me.

Extended family

As said above, I have so many creative people in my family. Four of my cousins — sisters — are all into making their own paintings, all with African themes, whether it’s with the bright colors and patterns of Ndebele homes, or a painting of a lion or a cheetah. Beautiful creations, some in acrylic, some in oil and others in water colors.

Then there are two other cousins — sisters too — of which one makes lifelike baby dolls, which she paints herself, dresses (she makes the clothes) and then she sells them. She also makes molds of the babies she has created and sells the molds and the silicon needed to create the doll.

Then there’s her younger sister.

In her early twenties, she had her own salon and won one award after the other with her hair creations. She also created paintings and murals, and ran an interior design company with her parents.

Some years ago, she tried her hand at body painting. She has won several competitions over the years, and continues to be a big name in that world, as she teaches others, not only in her home studio but also at international gatherings. Everything she needs for her creations — silicon masks, headdresses, severed limbs (yes, really!) — she makes herself. My cousin is so big in her creative world, she has even done the make-up and face masks of the white walkers in the Game of Throne series, when HBO promoted the series in The Netherlands.

She is and continues to be an inspiration for so many people, and every time I see one of her accomplishments, I feel pride surging through my veins.

If I look at the next generation — my children and those of my cousins — I see the creative streak too. There are photographers, award-winning digital artists, artists, website designers, makers of cards and clothes, make-up artists, and much more.

Not too long ago, I learned that my maternal grandfather, who passed away when I was 5, was an artist too. Apparently, this creative streak has been with us for generations, and just like my parent’s generation inspired mine, my generation has inspired the next one, and they will inspire their children too.

Me & my art

During my life, I have tried my hand on many creative things.

In high school, I had art class, but sadly we moved away and the new school didn’t have art as a subject. As an adult, I tried my hand at creating patterns for clothes using my own measurements, then making the clothes from those patterns — I created the pattern for my first wedding dress.

I made wishing cards, created websites, went through a phase of making charcoal drawings and then started at a club where a coach taught me different painting techniques, and I made some paintings I’m really proud of. I stopped because I chose to continue with writing, as that has always been my passion.

I wonder if I would’ve been so into creating things had my parents had not inspired me from a young age.

Below is a small selection of paintings I have created during the period from 2010 to 2012. Maybe one day, when I am old and grey and have written all the words I have in me, I might take up my paintbrush and paint some more!

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