Daisy Kuhns has always been a friend who opens my eyes to the light of God’s presence. Her creative nonfiction and poetry stir hearts to search for His light of life. These days, much of her creativity is found in being a magical friend, a wonderful wife to Titus Kuhns, and a loving mother to their son, Rowan.
Today she’s going to share with us her experiences with writing and creativity.
Sheri: Hi Daisy, thanks so much for taking time to do this.
Daisy: Thanks for asking me!
S: Let’s get started. First, what are your three most favorite ways to create? This can include anything that fulfills you.
D: I enjoy using flowers & nature for indoors décor, reading aloud to anyone who will listen, and writing. It’s difficult to leave group singing out of this list. At least I managed to mention it. 🙂
S: So many beautiful things God has given us to do. 🙂 So, we’re all affected by the people we know well, right? Can you talk about one person who has positively affected your ability to write or create in other ways?
D: Specifically in the realm of writing—an aunt introduced me to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was very young. The book captured my heart and imagination. My aunt was (and is) an honest, vivid writer. Her example has made me hold writing as something that’s wonderful, something amazing. It’s the power of connecting people to memories, thoughts, ideas.
I really need to give credit to my mother as well. She homeschooled me, along with my four siblings, giving us plenty of space to dream and time to dabble in all manner of hobbies. Her love of books was contagious and her organizational skills expanded my definition of creativity.
S: I think I’d like to meet your aunt. 🙂 What piece of advice would you give to someone who is surrounded by people who don’t encourage creativity?
D: Frankly, I haven’t been in that place, so I recognize I may speak idealistically about that situation.
First, you need to find someone who does encourage your peculiar creative talent, even, or maybe especially if that someone is outside your normal “circles”. Secondly, identify creative things the people immediately around you may be doing, and try to relate to them in those avenues. These things will probably not be readily obvious. Thirdly, God is creative. Spend time with him.
S: Good advice. Especially about spending time with our creative God.
S: Our surroundings also can shape our ability to make good things, if we let them. You got married and had a baby in recent years. How have these new circumstances affected your creativity positively and negatively?
D: They seem to have chased words from my mind, and left me in a creative “lull”. That’s the negative. A huge positive for me is that my husband, Titus, supports my creative expressions probably more than I myself ever have. I’m not sure I can express how much this encourages me to continue creating.
Also, managing my own house and caring for my own child is making me realize how many beliefs I live out of unconsciously. I’m trying to examine these beliefs when I find them in order to plan for a more intentional life. This on-going learning process gives me hope for ever more meaningful and Christ-like artistic content in the future and frees me to consider new mediums of expression.
S: That’s beautiful. I experienced some of the same things in my first few months of marriage, but Dan was so encouraging. I love what you said about discovering unconscious beliefs and examining them to live more intentionally. Creativity is our way to express our beliefs about beauty and usefulness in this life. And it isn’t an effortless fountain, though that would be nice.
What one thing motivates you to write even when you’re busy?
D: Questions from Sheri. 🙂 No, but truly, interactions with kindred spirits, church family, and community often trigger thoughts that need to be put down onto paper. Also, observations of the natural world and less concrete things, such as nebulous ideas, need caught. It seems to me that at times my head feels brim-full of life-fragments, and I need to store some of those fragments in a safe place until I have time to sort through them. That is most often my motivation to write during busy times. Providing myself with a vent, or safety valve, if you will.
D: Life-fragments. Yes, indeed. It’s amazing how God uses our interactions with others to prompt creation.
Thank you for sharing so honestly. I’ve been blessed and encouraged to hear what you had to say about your creative journey. I hope my readers are as well.
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