Merry Chreativeness

Days come and days go, some more meaningful than others, but in the end its just another day.

Christmas time is big in my family, and so is every other holiday, but Christmas is planned for weeks and weeks in advance. Shopping is a daily activity, decorating hourly, and listening to Christmas music almost secondly. This year, I had the same overeager Christmas spirit as previous years except I finally made enough money to buy everyone the "most meaninful" gifts they could ever think of. Out I went, melting bank cards, spending hours looking for the best deals, missing waves and sunny days at the skatepark.

The "most meaningful" gift I gave this year was a typical sunrise picture that I snapped last October mounted in a frame I made from salvaged woods. Free.

I sat there thinking I have finally found my niche, photography, and then I discovered something deeper after visiting a outdoor retail giant.

I spent $41 and some change on insulated pants for winter hiking. There I was spending money so I could enjoy earths freedom. The outdoor industry is huge, and without it many people cant even fathom going out in a wooded area to camp for a night. It then hit me, you dont need to spend your money to enjoy life, or to give "meaningful gifts", all you need is a creative approach and an open mind.

The earliest pioneers didnt have insulated hiking pants, they didnt have strip malls and department stores that carried the "most meaningful" gifts, they only had their minds and creativity. The wilderness wasn't a place of recreation, it was home, and everything they could give the earth gave to them. They never missed perfect days standing in lines with hundreds of dollars worth of gifts piled in a cart, they never had to waste money buying the "most meaningful" cooking equipment, sleeping bags, and warm clothing. They could capture every part of the day while using their creativity to create the "most meaningful" survival equipment for themselves and gifts for their fellow adventurers.

The "most meaningful" gift comes from a creative mind, not from a fat wallet.

Step 2 of a 20 minute framing process

Next Christmas, do yourself and your family a favor and create something meaningful, don"t waste perfect weather trying to buy it.