Make Time to Make
Sunday is my favorite day to dedicate large chunks of time to craft.
Obviously, since I own an art shop, I do quite a bit of crafting during business hours, too, but that doesn't matter when it comes to answering my own pen pal correspondence, making things for my home, or altering and repairing my clothing. Yes, I try to do all of this!
Besides paper crafting, I am a textile arts fanatic. I am an amateur with most of it, but I've tried dyeing stained sweaters, embroidering over rips and holes in fabric, darning socks, tying macrame, making needlepoint pieces to hang around the house, sewing curtains, and more. I looove to craft. If I am not working on something, I get sad and restless. Besides, I am a penny pincher and conservationist, so making things is close to my heart.
Making things is good for you. I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that having a hobby combats discontentment and stress in life. According to this post by Kentucky Counseling Center, hobbies can actually add a positive kind of stress, eustress, where you get to know what you're really capable of and can safely push the boundaries of it, then celebrate success when you finally master it. So making time to make (or craft, or write, or play tennis, or make music) is really important. The link above also recommends 15 stress-relieving hobbies, and not all of them are craft-related, so check that link out!
My friend, Saskia, talks about the importance of crafting / making in her conscious crafting podcast called A Smaller Life. In one of her more recent episodes, titled Make Time to Make, she gives some great tips for how to make more time in your life to do that.
That's often the trick, right? When you want to learn a new skill, start a new habit or become more disciplined with one? How to start, and how to keep going. So Saskia outlines a handful of ways that you can set up your life to be more conducive to making and crafting. Setting projects and the tools needed to complete them in certain rooms, making sure you have enough of the staples, having a system for how you start and finish projects or how you buy and use materials... all of the logistical ways that you can make more room in your life to make. I thought some of you may enjoy listening to it.
I wanted to tell you all about Saskia's show because I think you will like it as much as I do. If you are a crafter, a sewer, a knitter, or someone interested in fashion, you will find this show interesting. Also, if you own a small business, specifically a small creative business or you would like to, this show is great for you, too! Saskia talks with other people in the textile, craft, and fashion world about business strategy, how to price things you make by hand, social media, environmentally conscious business decisions, and more!
I love listening to the interviews, and even Saskia's solo episodes, while I do housework or getting into a creative mindset. She is not paying me or asking me to recommend her show, I just wanted to share it because it brings me joy and keeps me thinking. So visit her website at www.ja-wol.com, preview all the episodes and what they're about at www.ja-wol.com/blogs/podcast (it's a bilingual show, so there are Dutch and English episodes) and please, let me know if you liked it!
In fact, please let all of us know in the comments on this post! And show Saskia some love on her website, podcast voicemail, or email.
I hope you've all enjoyed this Sunday's Make Time to Make adventure.
Keep writing and stay curious...
Xx,
Alison