Today we’d like to introduce you to Esther Sumner.
Hi Esther, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When I was a teenager, I bought a card with a quote I liked it on, and I still have that card on my dresser to this day. It said, “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” The author of the quote, James Barrie, wrote Peter Pan.
Years later, in October 2008, Dieter F. Uchtdorf repeated that quote while talking about the beauty of creating. He said, “Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.” He later added, “As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you.”
Isn’t that beautiful? When we create, we can bring joy to others and ourselves. Until that moment, while I enjoyed creating, I did not prioritize it, because it was “just for fun.” Now, I know that creating is more than that.
Creating is unifying. Creating can be as simple as making others laugh, writing a thoughtful note, or making a flower arrangement. For me, creating means writing, watercolor, and photography, much of which is inspired by my love of the outdoors (which manifests in birding, gardening, and mountain biking).
I have taken these loves to find inspiration and find different ways to create and share what I hope are uplifting images, thoughts, and experiences on my Instagram account @iliketocreatestuff. I’m best known as someone that focuses on uplifting others through my account, as well as for my two children’s books, “My Nativity ABCs” and “My Nativity 1-2-3s.”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My creativity comes in bits and spurts. It’s easy to get busy with the routine parts of life – job, family, daily home chores, etc. However, I created what became the book “My Nativity ABCs” during a time when I was dealing with a very stressful and upsetting work situation. The act of creating helped me to survive. Looking back, many of my most creative moments came during affliction. I recognize this about myself and try to lean on the talents the Lord has blessed me with to keep pushing forward into the light, to seek joy for both myself and others, at all times, but especially when I know I need to be uplifted.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I try to inspire and uplift others through the joy of creating, not just by sharing what I create, but by encouraging others to create, too. I love when someone reaches out to me and tells me about an experience with them or a child reading, “My Nativity ABCs” or “My Nativity 1-2-3s.” I have been able to encourage children during school assemblies to go out and create their own stories. I also love when someone tells me that they go to my Instagram account @iliketocreatestuff because it makes them feel happy and peaceful. Social media has a lot of valuable and different purposes for different people. Just like not everyone watches the same television show, not everyone enjoys the same kind of feed. I want to be a refuge for people, where people go to bask in the small and simple joys of life.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Don’t undermine your talents and your desires. Everyone has a talent and everyone can create beauty in their own unique ways. If I compared my children’s book writing to author Shel Silverstein or my art to Sergio Martinez (an artist that beautifully illustrated “You are Special,” by Max Lucado), or my photography to Paul Bannick (a conservationist that specializes in owl photography) I could say, “well, they are better than me at each of these things, I guess I’m not a writer, painter, or photographer.” Instead, I say, “I love to write. I love to paint. I love photography. I will do these things because they bring me joy and because I think I can use them to bring others joy as well.” I do these things in my own unique way, and I have found that is what works best, rather than trying to compare myself to or be someone else. Be you, enthusiastically.
Pricing:
- I sell art and photography upon request. Custom pricing.
- Buy “My Nativity ABCs” on Amazon; amzn.to/2ZR9lPJ
- Buy “My Nativity 1-2-3s” on Amazon: amzn.to/2ZQgM9I
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.estheryusumner.com/
- Instagram: @iliketocreatestuff
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iliketocreatestuff
