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I don’t know about you, but if I’m not making someone’s gift myself I try to support an artist by purchasing something lovely, hopefully some unusual silver jewelry or hand-crafted toys created in my own country.

Since I love horses, the gorgeous Quarter horse jewelry designs I discovered recently would be my first choice, either on my own gift list or if I were shopping for an equestrian friend. You can’t always find horse pendants or earrings that seem to speak to you; and I believe this artist has done just that.

All of nature is worth representing in art, as I’ve said many times. What could be more beautiful than a gift item that evokes the passion all animal lovers have for living things. I believe animal lovers are the most sensitive of all people, and they seem to care not just for animals but the plants that make up our natural environment as well.

And who knows, you might become inspired by all this creativity and start to write a book, paint a picture, or string some natural beads together. Creating your own artwork is the very highest level of gifting. When the years have passed, and the recipient of your gift is admiring their present twenty years from now, do you think they’re more likely to think of you if you made it, or if you picked it up at a local department store? That’s an easy one!

Life is all too short not to stretch your creative muscles and see what you can come up with. Leaving your mark on the planet can be as simple as granting yourself the time and energy to make something yourself. Even a journal left to your children would be a precious heirloom passed down through the generations. I’ve often bemoaned the fact that my mother didn’t write down her thoughts as she progressed through her life’s journey. Think how wonderful it would be for future generations to have an inside glimpse from a family member of life in the early part of this century. I think we get too complacent about our own time, forgetting that in fifty or one hundred years life now will appear unique and possibly unfathomable.

And if you want to be daring, why not learn to make jewelry or paint on canvas yourself? There are many ways to do that, from working with polymer clay to learning how to work in wax and molten sterling silver and gold. You can take a painting class at your local junior college and learn to cast jewelry at the same place. But whatever you do, remember that all of us are artists at heart, and don’t you forget it!