I've always said that frugalites are the most creative people there are and I still believe that it's true. This article, Waste Not, Want Not, proves that the mindset is alive and well. Using what you have for what you need or want is as American as apple pie and ice cream... it's the "can do" attitude that made America strong. And on and on...
Anyway, making do is the mark of a creative mind. You have to think past your nose. You have to see things as they really are and not what they're perceived to be. If you need to practice that a little, you might have to "psych yourself out" until you can see an object properly. Look at a table. Look at the shape of it. Consider the weight bearing properties it has. Think about the usefulness of a smooth, unbroken surface. Think about how the color contrasts or complements the room it's in. How tall is it? Do the legs come off easily?
That's the way we need to learn to look at our worlds. Everything is made up of a number of properties and those properties can be useful in a lot of different situations.
Again, the table: It can hold several hundred pounds... of TVs, of automobile parts, of baby baths, of potted vegetables or flowers, of baked ham and turkey. The same table can present a surface ideal for a child's artistic efforts, for little cars and trucks to travel on, for adult paperwork, to hold a rag rug level while it's being sewed together, for.... whatever your creativity demands.
Don't stop at tables, either! Buckets (carrying things, planting things, sitting upon), baskets (carrying laundry, holding toys, holding an arrangement of large wild flowers or winter bouquets) and pencils (writing, pointing, lubricating tiny areas, holding a wick while a candle sets) - go ahead. Look at your world.
