Each day, I do what I can to be creative.

Creativity means endless possibilities. Recently, I’ve grown especially fond of DIY projects. Inspiration can happen anywhere with apps like Pinterest or TikTok. Through these projects, I have found a sense of pride in creating something of my own. Spending time instead of money, and you’ll feel good at the end. Here are some of my favorite types of projects.

Gifts for Others

Making any type of present or card for someone else holds a special kind of satisfaction. For whatever occasion, it represents the valuable time you set apart to focus on another person. It’s thoughtful, genuine, and original. I always love to give cards to my parents. They aren’t “present people,” so my version of a present to them is a card. I spend time looking for a pretty design or a funny phrase that I know they would enjoy. Then, I set aside time to make it. No matter how it turns out, they always love seeing my creativity and effort put towards something for them.

Home Décor

Decorating can be fun, except when something you need is over your budget. Home décor can sometimes be expensive. Luckily, most décor can be substituted for a DIY project. Whether making a table out of wooden boards, repainting an old dresser, or painting canvases to hang, you can make anything you want. This makes it easier to match a room without searching the entire internet. When it’s completed, the project is on full display for house guests to “ooh” and “aww.”

Costumes

Costumes are an integral part of college. I have dressed up as a piñata (adding streamers to a shirt and carrying a stick), the Kermit the frog tea meme (making a sign and adding green felt to a shirt), the Halloween dancing pumpkin man (cutting up a plastic pumpkin and adding mesh to the face), and more. For Halloween, socials, or other events, I get excited to create original costumes. This way I can ensure that no one will have the same outfit as me. Costumes are extremely easy to make. By going to Hobby Lobby to get art supplies or stopping by Walmart to buy cheap clothes, saving money isn’t hard to do.

Sometimes homemade crafts end up looking homemade, but that just means they’ve had a lot of love put into them. It adds more value to items that way! Using skills like creativity, patience, and determination to create an original design means that ultimately, pride is earned and happiness is gained.

Be well, Auburn.

Photography: Jennifer F.