Creative or Crazy?

My kids love art. They are creative creatures who love many mediums to help them create the ideas in their heads. I am often impressed by the stuff they create, even at a young age.

I am not sure why I am surprised by their artistic view of the world since I like to think of myself as a creative person. However, I find that much of my creative energy never gets focused into actually creating things, unlike the boys. I try to encourage this urge they have to make things. I keep an abnormal amount of crafting and art supplies around the house. I have almost everything they might need to draw, paint, sculpt, cut, glue, build, knit, etc.

Ethan began crafting normal everyday items around the house into sculptures. At the age of three, he had taken binder paper and napkins and stapled them into a very realistic looking dog (I wish I had a picture of that). In fact, it was so well done, that I thought an adult had to help him with it. Nope. Ethan is also interested in crafty stuff. He made me teach him how to knit and crochet. He likes making jewelry and friendship bracelets. He is an all around crafty kid.

Ethan also loves to draw. Again, at the age of four, he drew a rocket ship that was so impressive (really, because at this age, it is a struggle to color in the lines) that it hung on our fridge for a few years. I have encouraged his love or art and projects because he obviously loves it and has a gift. He subscribes to Family Fun magazine because he loves the projects they have in it. We often make deals that if he saves his money, I will match it to allow him to buy art supplies. His latest purchase was a sketch book (with some instructions on drawing people) and a charcoal set. He was in heaven.

Now, Emmett also loves art, but in a much more hands-on kind of way. He likes to create things using the glue gun and whatever scraps he can find outside. Often, he is creating some sort of weapon. Still, this is a creative process. That kid loves molding clay and paint. He can spend hours at the dining room table "playing" with the art supplies. It is not unusual for them to choose art to do out of the many, many activities available to them on our farm.

This all sounds lovely, doesn't it? The problem is they destroy my house in the process of creating this art. The messes are unbelievable. Sometimes I find myself telling them they CAN'T do art because I don't feel like cleaning up the mess. The other problem is the stuff I need to do my work goes missing from my desk.

In this house we have endless supplies:

13 pairs of scissors
4 staplers
3 tape dispensers
2 drawers of pens, pencils, markers, and crayons
5 drawers of paper
3 drawers of stickers, buttons, brads, beads, flowers, bling, etc.
A half of closet of yarn and knitting/crocheting supplies

Basically, anything you would want to complete whatever project your creative brain had come up with, yet many of these things disappear.

Yesterday, I needed scissors. The two holders on my desk had not a single pair (there are usually 4 pairs there); I checked my stash (the drawer), nope. The kitchen drawer? Nope. The bathroom? Nope. 13 pairs of scissors completely gone. I ask the kids, where are the scissors? No one knows. They claim they haven't touched them. So, I go into Ethan's room and pick up his clothes off the floor and find ALL 13 pairs. I guess he needed scissors to finish his art project.

Last week, I wanted to use some tape. EVERY. SINGLE. TAPE DISPENSER. EMPTY.  Even my drawer of refills had none left. I was trying to figure our how they could have used 200 yards of scotch tape, and then I saw it. A giant ball creature of tape, plus a "sticky" trap between the beds in Emmett's room. That is right. He had used ALL of the tape in the house to create a spiderweb and spider out of tape.

I find myself angry at the "misuse" of my supplies and the messes they create in the same moments I am awed by their creative minds. In my dreams,  I would build them an art shed - a studio for them that they can make messes in and design all of their heart's desires without me flipping out. Or I just need to get over it.