Everyone is capable of creativity.

Back in high school, my teachers always told me to challenge myself. I never knew what that meant.

I didn’t think of myself as a super creative person back then. I wasn’t good at drawing, didn’t know how to paint, and couldn’t come up with “good” ideas. I believed I wasn’t someone who would ever think outside the box because there were always others with better ideas.

I’d never taken the time to explore the possibilities of finding my creative hobbies. I’d always wanted to learn embroidery but told myself I had other things to do, like homework or studying.

Surprised by my Creativity

A few weeks ago, I saw an old jean jacket at a thrift store. I thought it would be perfect for my sister’s birthday—I could embroider her favourite flowers, forget-me-nots, on the back.

I had to learn how to do that first, though. After what felt like hours of Googling, I was ready. I had some repurposed supplies with me already—they had been lying around the house waiting for me to use them. All I had to do was to start.

When I was done (after a week or so), I was surprised by my creativity.

Think outside of the (recycled) box

I had finally done it—I challenged myself to do something I had always wanted to do. This opened the door for other other creative ways to reuse and repurpose old items while turning them into something I’m proud of. Knowing that I had created this project made it more valuable to me than if I had bought the same thing from a store…maybe it’s because I had spent so much time and effort on it, so I was familiar with every inch of the jacket.

Sometimes it can be hard to think outside of the (recycled) box, especially when it comes to reusing something. It doesn’t have to be like that though—there are so many ideas online about how to turn something most people would throw away into a fun, reusable item.

If you don’t feel like turning a cardboard box or an old piece of clothing into a craft project, you could always recycle or donate (Value Village offers coupons for donations).

The next time you think about throwing something away, challenge yourself to come up with a way to turn it into something amazing.