I am a maker of small things: pieces, poems, pictures, and posts. Even the book I’m currently writing will be a relatively small one. For a time this concerned me. “How,” I would wonder, “Will I ever be seen as a truly creative person if I never succeed in creating something huge?
“Where’s your War and Peace?” I expected people to ask, “Your Inferno? Your three-volume History of People Who Changed the World Forever?”
Big Rules
In my mind, there hung a sign reading, “Real creatives create big things.”
Then I thought of song writers, people who devote themselves to creating pieces of music that, when played, seldom last more than five minutes.
I also thought of poets who craft works that take up a page or less.
Where do you and I get such rules? Is a painter not a painter unless he’s working on a mural? Is a composer not a composer unless she’s writing a symphony?
Small Treasures
I’ve decided that if making small things makes you happy, then you should make them. What’s wrong with being happy?
Small carvings, tiny figurines, pieces of jewelry, short books of poetry: these things can bring great joy.
How often have you fallen in love with a simple tune and played it again and again and again?
Feeling Rich in a Small Way
Small things can make you feel rich. The more of them you create, the richer you may feel.
If you wish, you can certainly focus your time and energy on creating something larger, but I think it’s good to consider how many truly beautiful, wonderful, and amazing little things might never get made if you do.
A tiny truth is still true, a small thing of beauty is still beautiful, and a little act of kindness still has impact. When all these things are gathered, they can comprise a great fortune.
Think small. Feel rich. It’s a perfectly acceptable way to succeed.
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I loved chatting with you about this today, Ken, about challenging limiting rules and doing what makes you happy. This is an example of a truly agile mind – when you can overturn your own rules by questioning them and opening your awareness to a more diverse reality. love it!
When I get overwhelmed, I’ve learned to ask myself, “What’s the next small step I’d love to take?” and to focus on just that. So I really resonated with all of this.
Keep up with the delightful tidbits!
Cath
P.S. Being a little over 5 foot high, I’m all for delighting in the small…
.-= CathD´s last blog ..Call Recording: How to Unleash Your Genius with Max Kaizen =-.
Hi Cath.
I love short people. They make me feel tall. (just teasing)
I think I’m still in the process of accepting what makes me happy, but I’ve made some very big strides thanks to people like you. Much love, my sister.
I love it, Ken. I tend toward the small and simple. This helps me value it. Thank you!
That’s really the trick, Sue. You have to learn to accept and value it. Then you can really enjoy it and do great things with it. The small and simple can be magnificent.
Even the smallest things can be art; I bake, and I feel that (most) every creation that comes from my oven is a small poem. When you sink your teeth into something that I’ve put my very heart and soul into, I’m transferring some love to you.
It doesn’t have to be big to make you happy. I learned that a long time ago, and it’s a wonderful lesson to take to heart.
Oh oh. Now that you’ve told me about your baking, I’ll expect to sample one of your creations. :O)
Cool! Yes, “small” is great!
I’ve definitely been trying to keep things simple and minimal as of late. and I find its making all the biggest differences in my life!
.-= Rocky | R O C K O N O V A . C O M´s last blog ..Why Bursting Into Spontaneous Dance Is The Way To Go =-.
I love this post, Ken. It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to do something significant, worthy, BIG, that we can so easily overlook the tiny things that we can do that ironically end up making more of a lasting impact.
Cath D – Small is definitely beautiful! Whenever I’m asked how high I am, I say 5 foot nothing – just sounds that little bit more!
.-= Natalie The Tiny Soprano´s last blog ..How You Can Help To Sew A Special Kind Of Magic =-.
Five foot nothing, and that’s really something.
If you want to see someone inspired by truly small art, check out this TED talk about Willard Wigan’s microsculptures:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBKV4rOgSJU
His microsculptures are impressive *because* they are so incredibly small.
.-= Deborah Stearns´s last blog ..The silence of the grave =-.
How funny, Deborah.
I was thinking about him, and I’ve actually posted that video here on the blog. Working Between Heartbeats
Ken,
I agree that small pleasures can bring bring rewards.
I believe when you create something from your heart, it is big in meaning no matter the size of the project.
.-= Sally Evans´s last blog ..Are Too Many Choices A Good Thing? =-.
Amen.
Barbara,
I love what you said about sharing your love through baking. That’s a keeper!
Ken, I believe totally in what you said. Today I was overwhelmed with creative projects to be done, and I finally decided on doing two small things: cutting out a sewing pattern (and not doing any sewing afterwards) and then making a home cooked meal for dinner. That’s going to be it for my day, and then maybe a little writing in the evening. Yay for simple things. I think they make you feel content and happy with yourself.
Thanks Ken for your wonderful entry and to everyone else for their insights.
Bigger isn’t necessarily better. In fact the attitude that bigger is better, and the accompanying notion that we should all have more and more, are two misconceptions that seem to have gotten us into lots of trouble as of late.
Maybe the silver lining in the cloud of this “Great Recession” will be, and is already, that in being forced to save more and spend less, more of us will take stock of our own gifts, and both rediscover gifts we’ve taken for granted and find within those yet undiscovered. Maybe the silver lining will be a quiet renaissance of creativity. I think all people are born with the potential to be creative. It’s just that many of us haven’t realized it yet. Lots of people doing small creative things can make lots of difference.
Small is beautiful.
I’m bookmarking this post, not only for the blog entry but for the great comments!
We were in Europe recently for a few weeks and saw a LOT of art, at Versailles, the Portrait Gallery in London, and many other places. But walking past the huge murals of war scenes, Bible stories, and many Dead White People…there was a full room of people wanting to see Mona Lisa at the Louvre. And she’s much smaller than you’d think…but probably the most famous painting in the world.