I've never been the most visually artistic person.

I can do the school stuff. I can do the writing and the music stuff. But when it comes to visual art—painting, drawing, designing, creating—the talent just isn't quite there.

Not that I haven't tried. The number of times I have attempted a new artsy project is way up there. Calligraphy, journaling, knitting, photography ("If I had a dollar...", as they say). And yes, I can do them. The problem in my perfectionist eyes is that I can't do them very well. So after a few poor attempts, I usually give up.

This week we had a paint night to raise money for a sweet family who is adopting a daughter from Uganda. As I sat painting with my creative friends, I was quick to realize the gap in artistic talent between their effortless, beautiful designs and my sad attempt at painting in cursive which got smushed together at the bottom and didn't turn out like the picture in my head. And it was more than a little discouraging.

But as I thought more about it, I started to realize it wasn't my painting skills that were awry. Rather, it was my attitude that needs an adjustment.

I was having so much fun painting with my friends, but I let perfectionism take over and ruin it for me. I forgot how relaxing and enjoyable it was to just be artsy and creative and I got caught up in making things exactly right.

So here's what I've learned.

Just do the crafts. Who cares if you're bad at them? Who cares if they don't match the Pinterest-perfect creation that inspired you? Who cares if everyone around you can do it better? It's okay to be bad. Really.

The beauty of art is that it forces you, at least to some degree, to just let go. The ability to just allow yourself to paint, create, and design—even if it's a big splattery mess—is important and beautiful in its own way, regardless of the creative product. Doing something artistic stretches your mind and makes you see the world a little differently. It makes you think beyond the logical box. It can be comforting and inspiring.

So just do the crafts. Put aside your own expectations and just go for whatever artsy thing you want to do. Let yourself be bad at something. Or maybe, let yourself realize that you're good. You never know.

Now go be crafty.