The Origins of Creativity: The Secret Life of Gloria

I have been exploring how the gift of creativity has been passed on to me. To date, I have completed pieces on my paternal grandmother, two uncles (one paternal and one maternal), and my father. It is now time to explore the creativity of my mother. My mother’s name is Gloria. She would probably be one of those people who would insist that they are not creative, but I can’t help but beg to differ. I do believe that we are all creative. Creativity is not limited to artwork, and it can be gifted to us in many forms. There are three specific things that I think show that I did get some of my mother’s gifts. In this piece, I intend to explore those things that I feel make her a creative person.

I remember the first time I ever had a chance to see my mom’s collection of rare coins. It was not long ago. As an archivist, I am intrigued by all types of collections. It is amazing to think that I don’t know everything about some people, particularly my own mom. I couldn’t believe it when she pulled out the collection to show it to me. I was very impressed with her enthusiasm for what she had hidden away. She had her little research notes, or what would be deemed as some history on the coinage. Some of the coins were in small, soft bags, and others in unique cases. She had even completed a board that forced her to collect specific coins! I loved the fact that she had history I was unaware of tucked away like that. Collecting takes creativity. One needs to be creative to contemplate what they will collect, how they will organize their collection, and to think of new and interesting things to add to the collection. I deal with a multitude of collections in the archives on a daily basis (these are mostly paper collections). I also have several private collections. It is likely that I got some of my love of collecting from my mother.

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My mom has worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory for 22 years. She is a Quality Assurance Specialist/Auditor. In her position she has received many awards. She was recently acknowledged by one of her supervisors for excellent job performance. I would have digitized some of her awards and put them up, but she was being sort of shy about it! In her position she is required to have a great attention to detail, as well as strong research skills. She has implemented several plans over the years on several notable projects. Some of these plans have included the research into best practices for records management and quality control, in addition to sophisticated research into federal regulations mandated for her programs. She works in teams and alone, but what matters is that no matter how she is asked to work she always gets the job done, and she get it done on time. All of the things I noted about her position take creativity. Just looking at the one that really stands out, I would say that research skills may be the main one. You have to use your mind in creative ways to connect the dots when it comes to researching. One needs to be creative to contemplate where they will look for laws, what is the best way to implement the laws into a program, or to decide which projects are not in compliance with the laws. I also got these skills directly from my mother.

Lastly, but definitely not least, is my mother’s yard. Since I was a little girl, I remember my mom loving to sit outside. She has basically made her yard a nice retreat. At the end of a long day, she can simply enjoy the beauty around her. We have taken many family photos in her yard, which she wanted me to include, but the main focus of this piece is my mom. She has grown several vividly colored flowers over the years. Some of the flowers come back, and some do not. There is a tree in the middle of the yard that died many years ago. Now the stump is used to feature angel sculptures, and other religious figures. My mom has painted that stump many different colors as time has marched on. When I was small, we had strawberries growing under that tree. I remember big smiles abound while eating them. There is a gorgeous Spanish Broom, and other bushes. Some of the flowers include the Iris and Poppy. When it comes to her flowers, once they bloom, Gloria is like a proud momma snapping photos galore! It has been a few years since my mom installed a waterfall (of course with the help of Gilbert- thanks Gil). She was quick to point out that she has a lot of help in her yard. I think that when it comes to creativity in a yard and flower garden, creativity is quite evident. I was once a professional florist. From time to time, I still create flower arrangements, and have done a few weddings for friends. Looks like I also got the love of flowers from my mame!

The longer I continue to work on this research, the more I realize that creativity does have a specific origin. I did get so many gifts and such character from so many people who came before me. Yesterday my mom and I were at a baby shower. My paternal grandma’s sister Cora kept telling my mom that talking to me was just like talking to my mom. It is funny, but not only do I look like my mom, but I apparently received a little of her creative mind as well!

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