Creativity and Self Control
When I was planning my little blog I turned to ChatGPT, or, as I call it, Laurent, for some ideas, scaffolding; something to ignite the creative juices.
High summer and hydrangeas was the theme for a warm summer dinner
Laurent suggested a series of themed gatherings to host at home. “This is easy,” I thought! My partner and I enjoy having people around and as you know, I love playing dress ups with my table. I thought it would be a great challenge for me to be creative with what I already own in order to craft a new mood out of the same old dinnerware each time we had someone over. I even said as much in an earlier post.
Cut to last weekend.
The theme that I had bookmarked for January was “High Summer and Hydrangeas,” which you will read about in a couple of weeks. I was very excited about the prospect of this, but then, I started to get a bit carried away. And when I say “a bit,” I really mean “A Lot”.I began a hunt for hydrangea themed dinner plates and I found some that were actually on sale that very weekend. I thought of buying new cloth napkins and hydrangea themed fabric to make a table runner or a tablecloth and matching ribbon…on it went. However, common sense prevailed, and I resisted a very strong urge to splash out on plates and jugs that I would realistically only use once or twice, and then have to store for all of perpetuity.
I was very tempted to add these lovely blue glasses to my growing collection, but common sense prevailed. I left them behind for someone else to find and treasure.
I styled the table using what I have on hand and it looked lovely, fresh, cool and inviting, especially as it was a stinking hot day. But, when I reviewed the photos, it didn’t look sumptuous, or over the top and that disappointed me more than I expected. I had followed my own rules, exercised restraint, and yet, it felt like failure, even though it met my personal brief.
This is the table I ended up with. It felt cool and calm, simply blue and white, but I did miss the pattern upon pattern vibrancy I tend to use.
I wanted a Pinterest worthy table, I wanted indulgence and swoon-worthiness, and if I’m honest, to show off. A way to demonstrate that I live a Beautiful Life, when realistically none of our lives are beautiful all the way through. They can be wonderful, but there are also messy bits too. The bits that we hide from scrutiny, a bit like how we toss miscellaneous items into the dishwasher and dryer in a frantic last minute tidy up just before guests arrive. Surely we can’t be the only ones to do this? If you don’t already, take this as a life hack.
It’s taken a few days to let my thoughts settle. I had lost sight of what I wanted to really achieve. Yes, I would love to have those frou-frou tables that populate Pinterest, but that isn’t real life. That is styling for social media; styling to make a sale. I had forgotten that I wanted to challenge my creativity with what I already own, and how I could put a new spin on it, for my amusement if not for anything else.
I have nothing to sell, just my thoughts, and my table to share. So I played dress ups with what I had, took some photos, and then did the most important thing of all; I sat down and ate with people I love.
At the end of the day, sharing a meal with those that I love is more important than table linen.
