So many creatives refer to how their mother influenced their creative journey, but few refer to their Dads. And, yes, my mother was always making something – sewing clothes for all of us, knitting, crafting and more. She taught me my love for textiles.

I now realize that my Dad had a lot of influence on my creativity. He showed me patience, persistence and perfection with his woodworking. I learned about composition from his love of photography (even though most of the pictures were slides we never saw!). And, my thirst for adventure and life-long learning was given to me by my Dad.

My memories are long walks with him when we travelled as a family, seeing new sites and exploring new cities. As I grew older, Sunday afternoons were my time in the garage with him helping him with his latest woodworking project, whether it was building the beautiful cedar chest for my mom, building another bookcase for our books, or helping him to create a custom made stereo cabinet that fit all of his equipment perfectly, made out of teak. His influences in my creative life today include:

• Measure twice, cut once
• Draft what you want — it’s just math
• Take the time to do it right, don’t take shortcuts
• Enjoy the process of watching something come to life from a pile of materials
• Be proud of your work; enjoy it in your home
• Explore new cultures
• Willingly accept new adventures
• Be a lifelong learner

Thanks, Dad for always being there, and happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

Browse through more Father’s Day stories on Create Whimsy.