I’ve always been what I suppose you might call a thoughtful gift giver. I don’t see the point of dashing to the shops at the last minute and buying something that’ll ‘do’; I’d rather give nothing at all.
I’m sure I’m preaching to the converted here, but I do know people for whom gift giving isn’t so much a joy and a process as it is a chore and a struggle. Each to their own, but that seems a shame to me.
There is so much joy in seeing someone’s face and knowing you totally nailed it. Obviously receiving is joyful too, and as my teacher would say ‘in truth giving and receiving are the same’, but I’ve always preferred the act of giving.
I nearly started a business a while back based around thoughtful gift giving. The intention was good but in practical terms it wouldn’t have worked, so I put the ideas I had into practice for my friends and family instead.
It’s not rocket science or anything. I just get a huge kick out of really thinking about a person and who they are, what they would love, what would make them feel ‘seen’, in modern parlance. And for the most part I’ve succeeded; people know me as ‘good at presents’.
Sometimes that means I make the gifts, sometimes I buy them, and I tend to pick things up throughout the year when I see them rather than waiting til a birthday or other event is coming up and freaking out in last minute panickness. In recent years I’ve really enjoyed putting together gift bags with several small things inside. An adult’s version of a stocking if you like!
So that’s what I’ve been doing over the last few weeks; slowly gathering small things here and there until I have a small pile of gifts for each person that say ‘I’ve thought about who you are and what you love and I created this to reflect that.’ {God, is it me or am I sounding incredibly worthy today!}
One of these things is a tiny heart painting I’ve done for my teacher’s bag; it’s very simple but I hope she’ll see the love that went into it. We had a conversation the other day about how she loves soft greens at the moment, and because all her teaching is fundamentally about love, of course there had to be a heart. So although it only measures 10 x 10cm, it’s bursting with significance!
Another thing I’ve learned from her is that we are not bound to keep the gifts we’re given. This is quite challenging in a way because if you spend time and effort thinking about what someone would love, you kind of feel they ‘ought’ to not only love it, but keep it forever and ever amen!
But by that rule you must also keep the gifts you don’t love too, and you know how crappy that can make you feel. So I give now knowing that the love and thought behind the gift are what will be absorbed and appreciated, and that the physical bunch of atoms that are the gift itself will end up wherever it most needs to be.
You have a beautiful heart, it is shown via your art & thoughts!
I am loving you blog….this is my first of many visits! Your work is simply marvelous.
I’m right with you Tara. I LOVE giving gifts. I totally admit it’s really about me feeling good about making others feel good. I usually start shopping on boxing day and pick things up all year long. Things that make me think of a certain person in that particular moment and that I know they will love. Rushing around in December just to get ‘something’ seems to completely defeat the purpose and the message to me.
So thank you for your beautiful post reminding us what gift giving is really about and for sharing your gorgeous, thoughtful piece (including the steps of your process, also so thoughtful!!).
Giving has always been a special joy for me, whether it’s birthdays, Christmas or “just because”. Giving away also feels good. I bought a bracelet in the spring and one of my best friends was admiring it … a lot. When I went to spend a few days with her at her summer home I had wrapped the bracelet beautifully as a “thank you for having me” but also because I wanted her to have this bracelet and this seemed the perfect time. She was chuffed and so surprised! It made me feel soooo good. The bracelet was really meant for her and not for me. When I was away this past weekend I was buying some Christmas ornaments. One was a crystal deer and for some reason I went back and put another in my basket. I had them both out today and when I came home with a friend I had spent the day with she was admiring them and loved them. I picked one up and told her to take it home. She insisted she was breaking up a pair, I insisted it was meant for her to have and she took it home with a smile on my face and I realized I had gone back for the other because it was meant for her. So yes, I fully understand what you are talking about.
What you have made for your teacher is beautiful and she will see immediately that it has been created from your heart for her’s. And I second with Lorinda said…thank you for this post for reminding us with giving is about and how special it not only makes the recipient feel but how good it makes us feel when we know we’ve pleased someone else. xo
I love finding just the right gift too, I’ve bought presents as early as July if I’ve seen something and thought ‘ooh, so and so would love that!’ I love the colours in the little painting 🙂
Could I be nosey please and ask what make of canvas that is? 🙂 It looks a lovely linen sort of colour around the sides…
Hi Chloe ~ it is, and I was going to mention that and forgot! It’s a linen stretched canvas by Pebeo and I found it in my local art shop. You can see an example here: http://www.lawrence.co.uk/acatalog/Pebeo_Linen_Primed_Stretchers.html
Hi Tara, thank you for that, I’ll go and take a look 🙂
I am in love with the heart! 🙂