Creativity in Every Crumb

“Do you want to know what makes the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich?” said the voice of one of our awesome creative community members at a recent Art Equals Hive. The table was strewn with all types of materials, from felt and yarn, to colorful buttons, and paper, as everyone worked and chatted over various projects. Once the challenge for the most amazing PB&J had been offered, others began to share their own ideas about the perfect ingredients for this simple classic. Whether the peanut butter should be crunchy or creamy, sourdough or cheap sandwich bread, grape jelly or pineapple. And then there were the extras like potato chips and crunchy peanut butter granola. It was a delight to hear everyone’s creative take on something so simple in life . Something that most might think wasn’t worthy of creative effort.

But that’s the beautiful thing about creativity, it makes even the simplest things in life seem extraordinary and exciting. A water bottle cap carelessly thrown on the sidewalk can be turned into a hat for a handmade doll or a stamp for printing flowers. The possibilities are endless when creativity gets involved. We all have unique ideas about what is beautiful, brings us joy, makes us laugh, and those ideas color our creations. And most importantly it communicates to the world our unique views and allows us to share with others, creating connections.

After being inspired by all those who shared at the Art Hive, I was eager to try a crunchy PB&J on toasted sourdough with bananas, jelly and some peanut butter granola for myself. But I also was curious to try my next sandwich with some pineapple jelly and see what it might taste like with peanut butter and pretzels on hardy wheat bread. I am certainly grateful for all the creatives who were willing to share and inspire us to look at new ways of seeing that humble lunch box favorite.

If you’re feeling inspired to create your own version of the “Best Peanut Butter Sandwich” we’d like to encourage you to Go For It! Monday March 10th is National Pack Your Lunch Day and we’re inviting folks to be creative with how they pack their lunch for our Monday Creative Boost, but feel free to get a head start with the perfect sandwich.

And if you’d like to gather around the table with us and share other great conversations and even more creative supplies, join us at our next Art Equals Hive on Tuesdays at the Hellmann Creative Center from 6 -8pm