Why do YOU craft?

Hey! Grace here with you again today.

As you may have noticed, Clarity is beginning to focus more and more on ‘mindfulness’ and WHY we craft. This works out well for me, because though I’m a beginner at crafting, I do love a bit of mindfulness.

As I get older, I realize that my Mum didn’t just start a craft company, but has actually created a wonderful community of people that often use their hobby (like most hobbies!) as a form of therapy.

If you think about it, nearly everyone you know participates in something that makes them feel good… Gardening, every form of sport, creating music, photography, writing, drawing, dance, chess, puzzles, video games, knitting, embroidery, hiking, crosswords, painting, pottery, art. The list goes on and on.

Whatever your hobby or passion, they all have something in common; so many of us use them for creative release, distraction, entertainment, diversion, escapism. That list goes on too!

Crafting is no different. It’s a safe place where you can escape the dramas of every day life, and keep it simple. It helps to get out of your head, to drown out that nasty inner-narrator voice that runs your day, to put your hands to work, to create something you can be proud of, and therefore build confidence.

If I’m being entirely honest with you? I don’t really have an obsessive or habitual hobby, like so many people.

  • My Mum? Crafting, and more recently pottery.
  • Her husband Dave? Creating music and playing guitar.
  • Little brother? Sports; basketball and rugby.
  • Boyfriend? Exercise/the gym.
  • Granddad? Gardening.
  • Oma? Crafting and creating jewelry.

Acting was always my ‘hobby’. And it served me well for a long time. How can you be in your head or worrying about something, when you’re pretending to be somebody else entirely? And you only have a certain amount of headspace for the lines you have to learn!

The problem with this choice of hobby though, I’ve learnt, is it’s not personal; it depends on others. And once you turn your hobby into your livelihood and something you have to chase (I’m sure my Mum can sometimes relate to this) it is no longer escapism, or something that brings you peace.

And so now, with a bucket load of life experience and new found anxiety, BUT a true love of mindfulness and meditation, I’ve decided that I need a new fun way (other than sitting on the ground and being quiet) to find productive calm, and you lot seem to have figured it out with crafting and Groovi.

So here goes!

What specific hobbies do you have, crafting or otherwise? What do you do when you can feel that pesky inside voice messing with you? Why do YOU craft? We’d love to know!

Talk to you Tuesday!

Lotsa Love, Grace xox

Clarity – The Home of Art, Craft and Well-being. 

23 thoughts on “Why do YOU craft?

  • 9th January 2020 at 10:31 am
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    Hello Grace, how lovely to hear another take on life! I think I am lucky that I have always been able to shut out anything I don’t want to dwell on (although that may not be entirely healthy as my various ailments will attest to). I craft a lot because I love making things and I enjoy passing on my skills to others in our craft group. I also do gardening. I think it’s always about having a go at producing beautiful things such as cards and flowers.
    I love that last picture – made me chuckle! Thank you. X

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    • 10th January 2020 at 12:07 am
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      Loving you blog Grace it’s so true when I lost my daughter carding making gave me something to help loss myself in even if just for an hour made many friends around that time your mum was one who helped me through when I didn’t feel up to crafting it watching others on tv crafting crocheting just presently is helping were pain in joints shoulders is helping ease some of pain love my crafting community done I have only spoke to on Fb through clarity but love them and there support means a lot looking forward to meeting more of are American friends on here x

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      • 11th January 2020 at 3:28 pm
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        I love to be creative, to make something from other materials, to design a thing, have an idea, and then bring it to fruition.. Sometimes to not have an idea, just wing it and see what happens.
        I also knit, and do colouring, and do crosswords, Sudoku, various puzzles. All of these things make me calm, quiet ‘the washing machine head’, as your mum calls it. If only it was all available on the NHS, haha!

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  • 9th January 2020 at 11:21 am
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    Thank you for your thoughts Grace and that last picture could just be me. A smile a day ____ I craft because I want to create something special for family and friends. I get a buzz when it goes well, which is not always. xx

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  • 9th January 2020 at 11:31 am
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    Grace – a huge welcome to you and your lovely blogs. So great to know you are officially part of the Clarity team. Yes! It’s so nice to be able to lose yourself in crafts. I dabble at a few things but am happiest card -making be it stamping, decoupage, embroidery, iris-folding, beading etc. I also enjoy cross stitch and tapestry, but these projects take much longer than making a card! I am a Groovi fan and in awe of the delicate work that crafters produce. Although I’ve been stocking up on Groovi products since they came out I am very much a novice and need time to improve. I have also re-discovered reading recently. Mindfulness and meditation have yet to be explored but I think with inspiration from your blogs (and Barbara’s of course) it is something I can work on in 2020. Very many thanks. xx

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  • 9th January 2020 at 12:34 pm
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    Hi there, Grace. I jumped on the clarity bandwagon just over a year ago and have got involved with stamps, groovi, dies and stencils although not as much as I would like as I work full-time. Other hobbies for me are knitting and crocheting…. anything that involves sitting down! Lol. However, I intend to start walking sometime soon! I could do with some exercise!! Anyway, it is good to read what you have to say and I wish you well in Clarity’s new venture. Hx

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  • 9th January 2020 at 1:47 pm
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    Hi Grace you are so right I’ve always loved my art I am now a carer for my Daughter and I have lot of health issues my craft is the only thing keeping me sane right now xx

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  • 9th January 2020 at 1:48 pm
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    Hi Grace, great for Barbara/Clarity to have you on board.
    I remember seeing you on tele with Barabara years ago. sorting cards that would go to charity!
    I love paper crafting, memory books, would love to get more into mixed media as well
    mindfulness, I go to meditition and also an alignment groups monthly – it helps that my daughter runs them

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  • 9th January 2020 at 2:47 pm
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    Hi Grace
    I love a bit of calligraphy when I am not being Groovi. I also make jam but not sure that counts!

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    • 9th January 2020 at 10:18 pm
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      Hi Grace,
      I found your blog post very interesting, I love paper crafting as well as knitting and when the weather improves I like to get outside and do gardening. I have also dabbled with watercolour painting but find that I’m very critical of what I manage to produce. I think that’s why I enjoy following your Mum doing the unpredictable art, sometimes you produce something you’re really pleased with and it gives you a real sense of satisfaction. I find that the actual process of whatever hobby/craft I do is what is important and it’s a bonus if it’s something I am pleased with, at least that’s what I keep having to remind myself 😉

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  • 9th January 2020 at 2:47 pm
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    Hello Grace. You write so nicely… You certainly follow in your mum’s footsteps there!!
    You got me thinking about why I craft and how I got into it all in the first place.
    I think I’ve always done some sort of crafting. As a child I was taught how to knit and sew at an early age and was always encouraged to do something crafty.
    Then at high school I was put off art by the teacher I had and didn’t draw or or paint again until I became a mum! I started doing cross stitch and made stitched cards for people then thought there would be a simpler way so got into paper crafting.
    I then met your mum at a show and watched her demoing the clever corners and she had me hooked!!!
    For a few years I crafted as a way of getting away from the stresses of teaching full time and it’s right when you say you can really lose yourself in a project.
    And now I craft because I can and because I enjoy the challenge that being a part of your mum’s dt brings me. I love getting a new product and coming up with ways it can be used. That’s why I craft!
    Looking forward to your next installment!
    Love and hugs Xxxx

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  • 9th January 2020 at 2:58 pm
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    Hi Grace,
    Lovely words and thoughts…all so true. I would also add the following,
    When the minds starts racing or it gets just too busy, we have a saying.
    “Get out of your head and get with your hands” .
    If you are focusing on whatever you are creating , those unwanted thoughts seem to dissipate .
    because you are engaged in something that requires care and attention.
    Dave. x

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  • 9th January 2020 at 3:57 pm
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    Many of us crafters have so many different interests that we feel pulled in many directions and mindfulness goes out the window and is filled in with stress. Every kind of coloring, cardmaking, art journaling, blogging, design team requirements, and so many more are always tugging at me. However, I have recently become enamored with the Groovi system. I love that, with a few projects going at once, I get to do almost everything I enjoy every day. Each step is so different from the other, coloring (oh, the choices there!), piercing, snipping, embossing. And, I love that I can still be very creative since the system has been designed to allow mixing and matching of its pieces and gives room for self design as well. Yay Groovi and yay for you, Grace, for understanding that everyone needs an outlet. Join us in the Groovi journey and you will not be disappointed. Find your own way of using those fun plates and inspire us with a different way of looking at the same things. (And, as a beginner, you will see things in a totally different light and then help create MORE things that we really need, LOL!)

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    • 9th January 2020 at 4:57 pm
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      Wow you’re a natural at this. Really enjoyed the story. I wish I could say the gym was my hobby however getting back there more often since holidays are over. Plants and my outdoor flower gardens are my pride and joy plus I love to cook and create new dishes hence the gym. Keep up the great work always enjoy your thoughts and listening to you much love!!!

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  • 9th January 2020 at 4:52 pm
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    Hi Grace, I love Groovi and parchment craft. I started off with general paper crafts 20 years ago, when dressmaking just go too physical for me to manage. I have a lot of pain, and parchment craft just slows me down and takes my mind to a different place. When you concentrate on something intricate, pain takes a back seat I believe.

    It has led me to the Clarity design team and all the blessings of being a tiny part of this beautiful community xx

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  • 9th January 2020 at 5:38 pm
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    My gran did crochet, my mam knitted and sewed and my dad was always busy in the garden etc so I was brought up in a family where someone was always doing something to keep themselves busy and I guess it just rubbed off at a very early age! I still love keeping my hands (and brain) occupied…. saves me reaching for the chocolate so much lol! x

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  • 9th January 2020 at 8:02 pm
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    Hi Grace. I craft because I like the challenge of doing something new although paper crafting is my favourite. I get a real sense of achievement when I master a new craft and I love making things for family & friends. I have depression & anxiety but find crafting a way of diverting my mind from negative thoughts. I’m sure a lot of other crafters will find this too. I have crafted from an early age. My mum was a keen dressmaker, knitter & cross-stitcher. My grandma taught me to crochet so I think it must be in my genes! xx

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  • 9th January 2020 at 8:56 pm
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    Hi Grace. Its so lovely to see you on here. Nice Post Missus!!! I actually always wished I was Arty but could never find my Niche, so I would Tap Dance, Belly Dance etc, then I discovered Paint and did a Painting and Decorating course and went on to became a qualified Interior Designer. I could walk in any house and tell them what make and colour of paint they had on their walls at one point! However, like Acting, trying to become an Interior Designer makes you dependant on other people. They want your advice and ideas but they don’t really want to pay for them. So after painting my house a different colour almost every month I decided to decorate something a bit smaller, so I spent a week undercoating a Card, then I gave it a Top Coat and then added a Paint effect on top of that. As you can imagine, that card was pretty curled up at the edges after that!

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  • 10th January 2020 at 6:09 am
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    Hi Grace, what a lovely blog post and a huge amount of truth in it. I hope you find your trigger for Inner Peace. Why do I craft? Because it is the total opposite of my day job in IT, and it takes me away from all the corporate rubbish. Even if I can only do half an hour crafting, it focuses my mind away from worrying about project deadlines. Take care all. Bx

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  • 10th January 2020 at 11:16 am
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    Groovi and stamping have always been my life saver especially over the last two and half years. My husband became disabled with a brain cyst. We take each day as it comes but my calm down time when able is crafting. Always been into arty crafts especially with my childcare job of 40 years. No escape really. Demoing to others is lovely and our groovi group has been a great tonic. Socialising with like minded crafters. What more can we ask for. So yes crafting is great. X

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  • 10th January 2020 at 12:58 pm
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    Hi Grace – another lovely blog post. I come from a crafty family so I’ve always done something with my hands. I love baking, cooking, crochet, knitting, sewing, papercraft, stained glass!!! Too many hobbies, and too little time. What I think I love best about all those hobbies is that you can take very simple, basic raw ingredients and change them, transform them with a bit of time, your hands and your imagination. It’s like playtime for adults. x

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  • 10th January 2020 at 5:18 pm
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    I did my first piece of embroidery at 5 yrs old on Jeys toilet paper with a bodkin and 4 ply wool. Got a smack because I’d used scissors unsupervised but mum kept the piece until she gave it back to me before she died. The women in my family all knitted, sewed, crocheted, embroidered, cooked and made clothes so I followed suit and have never stopped. The men were all handy with tools and one uncle had some marquetry in the British Museum.
    As I got older I added card craft and colouring, went to art classes, took up encaustic art and pyrography and made quite a few wedding and celebration cakes. Got cancer in 1998 and everything stopped for a while but when my treatment stopped in ’99 I went to a Pergamano demo in Hobbycraft and was hooked. I trained with the lady, she was a good tutor, kept me occupied until I got the all clear and eventually was offered the chance to run parchment worshops in a local venue. It was here I discovered Clarity stamps. Now I am a devoted Groovi crafter but still occasionally make traditional pieces.
    The problem is I get so engrossed I forget the other things I should be doing – like cooking dinner.
    Reading is my ultimate relaxation but it has to be a proper hard or paperback as my eyes cannot read on a screen for more than a few minutes.
    When I retired in 2000 my boss asked me what I was going to do with myself. He couldn’t understand how the time would be filled by not working as he was a workaholic. Well I sure filled that time and have never been bored. Just wish there was more time in every day to do more of the things I love.
    I wish you all the best Grace in your new venture. Happy crafting.

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  • 10th January 2020 at 7:50 pm
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    Have done many over the years but my love right now is Groovi. Was so excited when I found it as it isn’t really a thing in the USA. So it is new and fresh. I also love to read, most paper crafts, jewelry making, basket making, rug hooking, weaving and the list goes on 🙂

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