|
I have several hobbies that I would consider creative. I make stained glass objects, most of which I design myself. I create scrapbooks (mostly genealogical albums) which I don't really consider so much a creative hobby as an archiving project, but there it is. I also have several hobbies that don't result in concrete products - I'm not sure why you would include that as a criterion. I swing dance, I belly dance, I sing, and I am in the process of training my dog to be a "therapy dog" who visits hospitals and nursing homes. All of these things (except maybe the scrapbooks) I consider creative, and to some extent I consider the ones that DON'T produce an object to be more creative - they produce a series of transient moments in which I bring myself to a situation (choosing how to move my body, expressing myself through music, working to bring myself and my dog to provide a moment of pleasure for someone else) and am truly present.
I think the real horror of consumer culture is not our disconnection from the means of production, but our disconnection from our true selves. We have been "tricked" (all too willingly) into believing that we are what we buy and own, that our identities are tied to our consumption habits. Consumption in and of itself is not a problem for me (to the extent that it's sustainable, which it's not at its current levels), what's a problem for me is un-self-conscious consumption that serves as a poor substitute for self-creation, self-expression, and connection to other people.
__________________
"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."
- Anatole France
|