Hormonal Sewing?

Just this morning a blog post by Julia Bobbin  brought back many thoughts of inspired sewing moments, or should I say binges? She references sewing creativity peaking during ovulation. While my eggs have long since parked their butts and dried up before heading down the Fallopian highway anymore, this brought back a lot of memories.

Do you get times when your sewing madness just binges with a drive that won't let you quit? While I never found ovulation to be my peak sewing time (isn't it the peak for something else?) that week before my period was gang busters! That is when I would shop, spend too much money, cut out too many patterns, and sew way into the night in an estrogen inspired haze that guilted me as soon as I started to flow. TMI! I would get ideas that begged to be realized and a drive that blocked out the dietary and laundry needs of the rest of my family. Call it Positive PMS. Truth is, if I didn't get to express  myself creatively at this time, we got into Negative PMS and you don't want to know what that was like. The good thing was DH didn't take long to learn it was a wise man who stayed out of my way. And I did always come up with some fantastical result that he would be very proud of. And peace was kept in the family. And as long as I was pumping out art in my basement sewing room, I was not going into family meltdown with the other two females in our home, who like in any larger group of women, manage to cycle at the same time!

Another experience I had with creativity that sticks out has to do with medication. Some years back I was in an auto accident and got a second concussion. I say that because I had a third last summer when I banged my face up. Anyway, after that second concussion I experienced something called Post Concussive Syndrome, turning into a maniacal different personality who couldn't walk a straight line or speak a coherent sentence. Luckily DH got me to the doctor fast. If you've had a family member diagnosed with concussion you know they always tell you "watch for personality changes". Well this one changed and went haywire. Anyway, my good doctor prescribed the standard treatment, a run of Prozac, and it helped tremendously and quickly helping to get my brain back in balance. My personality was in balance. Relationships were in balance. Life was in balance. Prozac will do that to you, everything is in good ole boring boring balance. It didn't take long to realize that the excitement/high of creativity was gone from my life. How can you have a high from sewing and creating when everything is always in balance? It's like this really important part of your life has just kind of sunk back into some hidden place not wanting to come out and play at all.

I got over the Syndrome business, got off the Prozac, and felt lots better. My creativity came soaring back like the good old days, especially before the start of my periods, just like the those Positive PMS days always did.

I can tell you that with the Big Meno, that creativity does not go away. I seem to have it at a slightly lower level, not so manic, but it is consistently there, day in and day out, just in case you were wondering about the next phase of hormone induced sewing passion. I like that it is not so maniacal. I like that everyday I feel inspired to sew and create, day in and day out. That is a good, satisfying thing.

Here's my question: have you found your focus and inspiration altered by hormones or medication or anything else? Inquiring minds want to know!....Bunny