Crafting competition.

I loved going to school at BYU-Idaho. My roommates and I had some crazy times that I will not write about here because my mom reads this blog. Just kidding. The worst thing I did was sneak out past curfew to get a milkshake at Dennys.

But after Jake and I got married, I started feeling claustrophobic in that small town. We lived in a new apartment building specifically designated for married students. We were all newlyweds with no kids, going to school at the same small university. "Competition" ensued. It seemed like everyone was trying to be the most spiritual, the smartest and the best in order to make themselves standout. One fast Sunday at the beginning of the semester, some of the bishopric were released from their callings. During the meeting, one guy got up to share his testimony and I overheard his wife say, "You go (name of the husband). You get that calling."

Noooooooooooooo.

Jake and I moved outta there shortly after that and I thought I had escaped the world of one-upping.

Not exactly.

I'm in it again.

The blog world is a virtual version of that apartment complex we lived in. The blogs I read are most often written by young moms with small children who are trying to find an outlet and something to do other than wipe noses and bums (me included). But now it seems like everyone and their mom has a blog dedicated to sewing/baking/photography or some other artsy craft. That's fine. I do like looking at pretty things people make and trying to recreate them. But it's getting to be overwhelming (especially now that's Christmas and there are a million Christmas crafts floating around). And it feels like in an attempt to be THE sewing/baking/photography/craft blog, bloggers go to great lengths to make their creations stand out. Case in point, I was browsing a craft blog showcasing Christmas party invitations. Instead of just taking a snapshot of the thing, the invite was staged next to two mugs on a cute (vintage, I'm sure) table and, of course, the lighting was perfect. The photo in and of itself was a work of art. I understand the need to make things look good, especially when you're trying to sell something. But for pete's sake, pretty soon people are going to start wearing headbands across their foreheads in the name of being unique.

Oh.

Wait.

People already do that.

I don't know who this girl is. I think I'm supposed say where I got this picture but maybe she doesn't want me to? It was on google images. That's fair game, right?

But you know what I mean. And what happened to just taking a nice, simple family photo? No. We've got to include a vintage chair or beat up truck in the middle of a wheat field at sunset in an effort to stand out from everyone who does take nice, simple pictures. But now that everyone is starting to use the same props as everyone else, what will be next? Posing on elephants?

BTW, our friend took awesome pictures of us. They were perfectly simple and that made them so beautiful. Thanks, Shay.

A sampling of her great work:

Brandy from The Apprentice said it best when she explained why she isn't as vocal as other contestants in the boardroom. She lets her good work speak for itself. No need to oversell. I think that's a good point. If the invitation is cute enough, you don't need a mug to make it look better. If your photography skills are sharp enough, you don't need a rusty truck to make a nice picture. (Having cute kids helps though).

Maybe I'm just tired of the felt flowers, glitter glue, mod podge and embellished Ts. Or maybe I'm just realizing that I can't compete with those that are crafty. Maybe I need to simplify my own life by eliminating the pressure I put on myself when I look at what others make and feel I also have to be creative in order to fit into the world of stay-at-home-mom bloggers. I don't need crafts to feel validated as a wife/mom/woman. Do I sometimes enjoy them? Yes. I did just spend a couple evenings making a felt nativity board. I haven't posted about it because it's not as great as what others could probably make. That, and I couldn't get a good picture of it.

So here's to keeping it simple. Crafts, food, photos, life.

And headbands.