Shopping and Creativity

So some things have happened over the past month that have made blogging something I've neglected. Also I tend to want to be a perfectionist and felt as if I had nothing to truly blog about so why begin? IF I simply wanted to keep a diary, than I should keep a diary. And, I've found that through the Picasa site its better to simply email family if you want to keep them posted on your daily life.

But, then I realized that I did have something to say and I wanted to work on it publicly, so it will come, it will be part of this blog that will also hopefully help D and I keep our families up to date (mostly with things like porch building and tomato picking, interspersed with cute pics of the dog!) But more on that later, like in a few weeks, after I've compiled some info.

In the meantime, D and I went back to school shopping. Okay, I went back to school shopping, D played super interested in women's clothing fashions husband. The part was played well and I think he could have picked up most of the women in Ann Taylor Loft if he wanted! Plus, he really picks out very nice clothes. One day I will post about a special pair of yellow shoes that are amazing, vintage, and make almost anyone of my outfits turn into high fashion, which he picked out on his lonesome for me while I was 600 miles a way!

Anyway, this is not about shopping or fashion, really, although I don't mind giving a shout out to the loft for always providing pants in petite sizes that DO NOT make me look like a child or an teacher from the 80's. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for always providing a dress on sale that would look awesome at a NYC cocktail party but can be dressed down with a cardigan and scarf for teaching sleepy freshmen.

But this posting is about what happend when D and I returned home. No, there was not a fashion show. It was much too hot for that. Instead, we were both struck with a huge burst of creativity and energy. And this seemed strange, so strange that we both commented on it at about the same time! I had played around with my camera for a short while and D began reading the science times but then we both jumped up and started furiously writing/scribbling/making notes..and I even jumped back onto this blog.

I know, my father would rather I jump back onto the dissertation, but that is entirely too much to ask for at 8:00 at night!

Anyway, we wondered: Is there something to consumerism and the vaccous American Mall that makes one return to creativity? Is there something creative in the mall? Gasp! Could it be that our very need as a society to meet and exchange (even banal things as store clerk pleasantry and cheap articles of clothing) is also that which we need for creativity...despite the fact that we tend to say we think better alone?

Perhaps it is simply a reminder to us creative folk to leave the malls quickly and return home to better and more beautiful things but it may be a reminder for those of us who are quick to leave the folds of humanity and its dreariness (and I'm one of them!) that for all its banality and cheapness, humanity needs us and we need it!