Why Do We Like to Make Stuff?

I’ve spent some time thinking about this phenomenon of art, creativity, and curiosity.  Why do we love to make things?  Why do I like to paint? Why do people like to produce and create things like art, music, craft, and literature?

Why do we spend so much time studying the mysteries of the universe, exploring them through experimentation and  and describing them mathematically and philosophically.  

Why do we like to make Stuff?

In speaking of “Making Stuff,” I should be making dinner right now, but instead I’m sitting out here on my porch, pretending to be a philosopher. And maybe I should find a hobby that I’m actually good at. 

But something compels me to paint the things I love and the beautiful things I see around me. Why? Why do I do it? Why do I care if it is good enough to be called art? 

I’m finding out that this art thing is more complicated, more stressful, and yet more satisfying than I could have imagined. 

Maybe you love to create things out of wood, or grow tasty fruits and vegetables or arrange beautiful landscape designs in your yard.  Perhaps you enjoy combining textures and seasoning and colors with food as you whip up something wonderful in your kitchen. Maybe you are into fun ways of applying makeup.  Or you like to sew clothing or crochet or knit with yarn.  Or decorating your house is your thing. 

Why do we love to do these things? I think I know why:

We are made in the image of God, our Creator. 

In the Beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.

In the beginning, God created beautiful, unique, and imaginative creatures, plants, and geographic features of all shapes, and sizes, and colors, and designs. From the micro workings of bacterial flagella and the elegant microgeometry of the diatom, to the unfathomable size of the universe we still have not begun to discover, God called his Creation “Very Good.” (Genesis 1:31)

All these complex workings –from the smallest to the largest– fitting together like a puzzle, are fascinating to us.

 Because we are made in the Image of a God who creates, we feel a compelling need to also try to create.

Art, music, literature, science, math–all reflect or describe the complex workings of this amazing creation:

As intelligent beings made in God’s image, we love to learn and create.

It’s like God leaves clues around for us to discover stuff–like a parent who hides Easter eggs for the kids, God seems to delight in watching us learn more and more about what he has made.

What is that? How does this work? Can I make something like it? 

As intelligent beings, our minds crave knowledge. We love to theorize, invent, uncover secrets, and predict, and we enrich our lives by creating machines and systems and art and music.

Man must make stuff.  We just can’t help ourselves!

All cultures, by definition, produce some form of art, music, or craft. 

In art, we often (not always, of course) copy the creation we see.

We love to create something unique and different. Our creations are a reflection of our abilities, talents, and individual personalities.

We want the things we make to be a reflection of who we are, just like our Creator wants us to see something about Him in His creation. We want our works to say something: to communicate something about our mood, our loves, and our experiences.

We find joy (most of the time!!) in our finished works and want to share them with someone else. In the same way, when God saw everything that He had made, He said it was “very good.”

Through the things we create, we seek out, and enjoy, human connection.  Bro!  Look!  I made a thing!  Wanna see it?  Oh, look!  You made a thing too!  Cool!  

I think God is delighted in our enjoyment and imitation of His handiwork.

The ability to produce a piece of artwork is a gift from God. 

We can say, “Thank you for your beautiful creation! 

Thank you for your gift of art (or music, or literature, or craft, or this garden, or this food, or…

And thank you, too, for the joy I get from making it! 

Thank you for my sight, my hearing, my hands, and my mind! 

So, as I try to capture the peace of home, the uniqueness of each tree, or the vastness of the rolling hills in my paintings, I am in some way reflecting the image of God as the Creator of all things lovely and beautiful. For me, that is why I try to create art, play music, write, and craft. 

Because God is the Ultimate Artist, all the things I try to paint will never, ever attain the same beauty of his works. 

But I still enjoy trying it, and I’m thankful for the chance.

Now, can someone please tell me something creative I can make with the chicken breast sitting in my fridge?