crafts – Thoughts From My Crowded Mind

“The first demand any work of art makes upon us is to surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way.” –C. S. Lewis

Desk with open sketchbook showing plant watercolors, paintbrushes, potted plants, and books on nature sketching

I have been experiencing a creative block that I have found challenging to overcome. Typically, I have countless ideas swirling in my mind, eager to be expressed through various creative outlets like writing or art. Over the last few years, my interest has been primarily with the fiber arts, like knitting, crochet and the latest, sewing.

I love watching videos, doing deep dives in research, understanding the history of fabrics and fashion, etc. I get a thrill shopping for different fabrics and patterns. I have stocked my sewing room (a.k.a. dining room) with the supplies I need and have enough different items that I can make quite a few projects. Yet, I have a hard time starting! Is it fear? If so, what is the fear? Am I worried I’ll make a mistake? Am I afraid I won’t like the end results? Do I think I won’t be able to do the project at all? Can I finish?

I think I am paralyzed by my own lack of confidence and perhaps a bit of a need to be perfect. Yikes! Perfection was never part of my vocabulary, but the more I look back at previous craft endeavors, I always wanted things to be “just right.”

I remember last year I was going to make a tote bag for my mom for Mother’s Day. I bought an easy pattern, shopped with mom for the fabrics of her choice and all I needed to do is cut up the pattern pieces and sew! It wasn’t my first time ever sewing, either. Yet, when it came to actually sewing the pieces together, I froze. It wasn’t until I admitted I had a fear of failure, that I made myself go ahead and start. I carried on and finished it! The best part was my mom liked it!

I am my own anomaly. I am creative, but I am not always productive. I can come up with lots of ideas, but I have difficulty moving onto the next step. I love trying new creative things yet lose interest quickly if it becomes mundane or routine. I love learning and applying new techniques, yet I second guess what I just learned because I think I’ll still do something wrong.

I went to a quilt show recently sponsored by American Quilters Society with my friend, Kate. It was quite a fun day. One of the highlights was viewing the numerous quilts that were on exhibit. There were so many different kinds, too! We were in such awe. We kept saying these quilters were so patient and creative. They made true works of art! I know I left the show feeling inspired.

Perhaps that is what I needed to finally tackle the unfinished projects sitting in sewing purgatory. In fact, I finished a tote bag I started almost 3 months ago.

Enhance lighting, sharpness, and color naturally — The Courtney Carry All tote bag I made. Pattern by @shesewsseams Chelsea Swindle

I need to remind myself that being creative doesn’t mean getting perfect results, but it is the actual process of creating that brings the most joy! Not to mention looking at the final project and having a sense of pride knowing that I made it with my own two hands!

Here are a few things that might help with those creative blocks:

Step away from whatever you are working on and take a break. The project will still be there and maybe you need to just give yourself time to recharge those creative waves.
Visit a museum. Attend an art show. Expose yourself to different creative venues. Maybe you need to joggle those blocks by seeing something new.
Go outside and smell the fresh air! There is something about nature that can also rejuvenate and destress our minds.
Remind yourself that mistakes are ok to make. It’s how we learn and improve.
Pivot/Change Direction. Realize that it might be time to move on to something new that will spark that creativity again.

Do you ever struggle with executing your ideas into tangible results? What are your tips to jump start your creativity?

I’d love to hear from you!

Emotional Support What???

If you’re on Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook or YouTube, you most likely have come across the latest craze in the fiber arts/crafting world…the emotional support chicken! What?? When I first saw this, it was actually through a Local Yarn Shop (LYS) I follow and saw they had a class on how to make your own Emotional Support Chicken.

I was curious as to the connection of “emotional support” and a chicken. Maybe I’ve been living under a rock or something. I read somewhere that people started keeping real chickens as emotional support animals ¹during the pandemic. I can see that. In fact, my husband and I have had backyard chickens for about a decade. I see the benefits. But do people really want to make their very own stuffed toy chicken? Certainly there are other cuddly creatures that could lend their emotional support? I’ve seen “positive potatoes” and other similar cutesy things. I suppose if you can’t have real pets or animals, a stuffed toy can be the next best thing!

About a year ago, I started to learn how to knit. I had tried crocheting years ago when my mother-in-law tried to teach me, but back then, it seems my patience and understanding of that craft wasn’t there and so I gave up. I carried on my way doing other crafty and artsy things like drawing, painting, needle felting, sewing…the list goes on (IYKYK.) The one yarn craft I hadn’t tried was knitting. It always seemed complicated and if I couldn’t crochet, how could I knit? Fast forward to 2023. I went on Facebook Marketplace to look for used knitting needles and yarn and started going on YouTube to learn the basics. I also took a couple classes with someone I knew to help me get the technique down.

I explored different projects to make, like scarves, hats, blankets, coasters, etc. As I kept trying different projects and immersing myself into the plethora of videos and tutorials out there, I discovered I really enjoyed this new hobby. A new world of creativity opened up for me and I was excited to learn and try all I could get my hands on to become an expert (ok, maybe not exactly an expert.)

During my knitting discovery, I also started a new job. It was the first one in over a year and I was excited, but also nervous because I had not been in the workforce in awhile. It took some time for me to adjust and there were days where I thought I made a mistake or I felt completely lost. It was tiring and also somewhat stressful. I needed time to adjust and be in work mode. Thankfully, I began as a part-time employee for a few months and transitioned to full-time later in the fall.

I noticed the creative part of me was waning. I was still making little projects, but I felt unbalanced. It made me sad and kind of grumpy, too. Work was the priority and any spare time I had was spent basically plopping in front of the TV and then I’d fall asleep. There wasn’t much time to create and play. Welcome to the real world, Elisa!!!

As I settled and got into more of a routine, I started exploring more in the knitting world. I have become quite a YouTube fanatic and follow many creators who have been inspirational and helpful with my knitting journey. If I had the confidence several months ago, I would have tried making one of those chickens earlier for obvious reasons. We spend a majority of our time at work earning a living to support our families, only to come home to chores before we can get a chance to relax and maybe watch re-runs of Everybody Loves Raymond or day dream of a vacation home you see others buying on HGTV.

Luckily, knitting and crocheting is a craft I can do while I’m relaxing. It’s portable, too! I bring my project bag with me everyday, with the hopes I can grab a few moments during lunch to knit or crochet. I have brought my knitting on road trips, breweries and even when I know there will be a long wait at an appointment. This particular hobby suits me just fine!

Toys seem to be my favorite type of project. Perhaps because they are cute, soft, or whimsical. Or maybe because they remind me of my childhood and my favorite stuffed animal dog, Pappy, who currently resides in my son’s room. Little loveys, softies, stuffed toys, amigurumi, whatever you want to call them, seem to bring out the best of us, too. They comfort us. They make us feel secure or safe. They remind of us of happier times when life wasn’t so chaotic…when we didn’t have to “adult”. I found a blog post by www.bunniesbythebay.com that describes all about the benefits of having a stuffed animal for emotional support. They aren’t just for kids!

Life is challenging. Managing our emotions can be difficult. Sometimes we need a little help from someone (or some thing.) The fact I can make my own now taps into my creative side, too. At the end of making that little softie, I will have my very own emotional support buddy made by me! I can just look at it, smile and feel all those good feelings a stuffed animal can bring out in all of us. Why not make it a chicken?