Jun 11, 2019
Hello … welcome to The Craft Room Podcast, and if this is your first time listening, a special welcome to you. A few weeks ago I attended The Artful Business Conference in Adelaide here in Australia. I love this conference … it is for people with creative businesses, and at any given time you can be sitting next to a writer, a jewellery maker, a yoga instructor, an accountant, a business coach, a graphic designer, a bridal accessory designer, a virtual assistant … it’s just amazing! While I was there, surrounded by so many incredibly creative people, I thought I’d ask a few of them three simple questions. I had an idea of how this episode would go, but the answers that these incredible women gave me were not at all what I was expecting. In hindsight, I don’t know why I was expecting run-of-the-mill answers … I should know by now that creative people are going to give me creative answers. They did not disappoint … they actually knocked me back on my heels, and this episode is going to be different, and so much deeper than I had intended!
Craft is seen to be this frivolous thing that women do, faffing about with fabric, yarn and thread. But that’s far from true. First of all, craft is not exclusively for women, and what crafters do is so much more than making pretty things to pass the time. Absolutely we make tangible things. We can give them as gifts, use them to keep warm, decorate our homes, sell them for some extra cash … and those are all fine reasons to engage in crafting activities. But the real reason we craft goes so much deeper than that.
Today I want to introduce you to five wonderful ladies who were
feeling game enough to answer my three quick questions.
You’ll hear me ask each of them …
1. What’s your day job?
2. What is your craft / creative pursuit of choice?
3. What do you get from this?
Some of them I have known for a few years, some for a few months,
others I just met. Some are older than me, some younger, some about
the same. Some enjoy the same crafts as me, others are into things
that aren’t quite my scene, or that are still on my to-do list. All
of them are amazing at what they do professionally, and having seen
some of their work in person, it’s not surprising that they are
great at what they do creatively as well.
There will be a little bit of background noise … it’s always
buzzing with conversations during break times. I can honestly say
that it was worth sacrificing my afternoon cup of tea to chat
briefly to these wonderful ladies, and after each mini interview
I’ll go deeper into my takeaways from these conversations.
I would like to introduce you to Miranda.
1. What is your day job?
I work in social media and marketing
Summary
I absolutely loved Miranda’s answer. Yes … science is
catching up and starting to prove that craft and creativity is
excellent for our mental health. We did talk about that in
episode 8, which I’ll link to in the show notes. Sometimes we can
cruise along and just craft to keep our hands busy, to create a
quick gift, or try something new. But sometimes our creative
pursuits do more than just keep us occupied … they can seriously
support our mental health. It may be that we work diligently on a
project to pass the time whilst under stress or going through an
unpleasant life event. It can help pass time quickly and
serve as a great distraction to stop us obsessing over waiting for
test results, to stop our mind wandering to dark thoughts or inject
something beautiful into our lives when things may otherwise be
bleak. I understand what she means about people looking at
you differently. I used to work in a very corporate type job,
and when my co-workers would catch me cross-stitching on the train,
or would compliment me on my outfit and I would tell them that I
made it … it absolutely changed the way they looked at me. It
helped them get to know me, see there was more to me than a great
voice on the phone and fast typing fingers. You think you have a
person pegged, you think you know what they’re like, then you find
out they knit jumpers for penguins … whoah … your mind is blown!
You question yourself … do I really know them at all? Have I
made assumptions? What else do they do that I don’t know about? It
sparks conversations and deeper connections with people. And I’m
not going to gloss over Miranda’s joy of putting colours
together. This is one of the most wonderful things about
craft … colour. It’s not just choosing colours, but
considering the mood that they convey, the reactions that people
will have to them, how they will suit an individual, and how the
light will play off them at different times of day and in different
seasons. There’s an element of challenge to colour choices, and
absolutely it’s the colours that make craft fun.
Click here to hear
the podcast EPISODE 8
If you are looking for Miranda in her day job, you can FIND HER
HERE.
I would like to introduce you to Ashleigh.
1. What’s your day job?
I am a VA and podcast manager
Summary
I think my favourite thing that Ashleigh mentioned was that her
favourite creative pastime fills her cup. Wow … that is
something we sometimes forget about. We are so busy giving
and giving to others, that we forget that we need to fill that
cup! I know that self-care is a buzz-phrase, but I don’t care
… because it’s important. There is a saying that you can’t pour
from an empty cup … in other words, you can’t help others when
you’re running on empty. Sure, sometimes others can fill your
cup, but a lot of the time we need to remember to refill that
things ourselves, because we know better than anyone what is going
to do the job best. When you give and give and give, and don’t
refill, that leads to burnout, and when you’re in burnout, that
isn’t just an empty cup, you’re at risk of getting a crack in
it. Trust me … I know … I’ve experienced that bone dry
burnout, and there is a lot more effort required to bounce back
from that, because you need to repair the crack before you can
refill the cup and be able to give again. Best to find that
thing which fills your cup and enjoy it regularly so you don’t burn
out. I also know quite a few people who draw to help with focus.
Doodling is one of those things I’m terrible at, and it does
nothing for me … but that’s me. I do other things to focus,
which is why I say this to you … it’s not what you do, but what it
does for you that is important. A lot of times we think we
have to become an expert at our craft or hobby, so we can make it
into a job or a business, but that’s not necessarily true.
Sometimes we just need to be creative to fill a need, not make a
buck.
If you are looking for Ashleigh in her day job, you can FIND HER
HERE.
I would like to introduce you to Doone.
1. What’s your day job?
I’m a bookkeeper.
Summary
I saw one of Doone’s gorgeous hand-bound books at Artful BizCon,
and it was absolutely gorgeous! I have to admit, it’s not something
I ever thought I would try, but seeing the gorgeous stitching and
the beautiful papers she used, it’s now on my list. Again, here we
have an instance of creativity and the act of using your hands to
create something beautiful and practical that is giving more than
that to the maker. It’s no coincidence that many crafters are
known to work in front of a movie, or whilst chatting with family
or friends. For some it’s hard to sit still and let your hands be
idle, for others it’s non-optional, and with ADHD it can absolutely
help you focus on the task at hand, even if to the casual observer
it looks like you aren’t paying attention. I’ve often said that
crochet and cross-stitch are like meditation to me … the rhythm,
the repetition. I can totally understand how these qualities assist
those with ADD and ADHD to focus and be present.
If you are looking for Doone in her day job, you can FIND HER HERE.
I would like to introduce you to Shilpa.
1. What’s your day job?
I’m a book writing and marketing mentor for coaches, consultants
and experts who want to put their message out there.
Summary
As I was talking to Shilpa I could see some beautiful jewellery
that she had made, and I cannot go without saying that her chai tea
is absolutely amazing! I have been forever spoiled after tasting
the real deal. Shilpa and I have a lot in common … a need for
colour and variety, and craft is such a wonderful place to meet
that need. There is always a new craft to try, and a new
challenge to conquer. Sure, some people pick up one craft and stick
with it forever or at least for a very long time. I am not one of
those people, and I am obviously not alone. Years ago I read
a wonderful book by the author Barbara Sher called ‘Refuse to
Choose’, subtitled ‘What do I do when I want to do everything?’ If
you are like myself and Shilpa … craving variety and not sure what
to settle on, this book is an excellent read. I knew I wasn’t
a specialist, and I found myself in this book. I also meet my need
for variety and challenge and colour through craft. I will link to
the book in the show notes for my fellow crafty bowerbirds.
Looking for 'Refuse to Choose' by Barbara Sher? FIND IT HERE
If you are looking for Shilpa in her day job, you can FIND HER HERE.
Lastly, let me introduce you to Kate.
1. What’s your day job?
I’m a writing entrepreneur. All things to do with writing, selling
courses, teaching, etc.
Summary
Crafting as an escape from your day job, to slip out of your
logical, analytical, sensible mind and slip into something more fun
as you play with colour and texture … it’s yin and yang really.
Kate is incredibly creative with words … far more emotive and
descriptive than I could ever hope to be … seriously, I would read
her shopping list for fun, and her Instagram posts are often a
highlight of my day. She raises a valid point here, and I
almost blinked and missed it. When your hobby becomes your
job … you need to find a new hobby. I’ve head that said many times,
and there’s a reason it’s repeated … why I’m repeating it now …
because it’s true! If you write stories or poetry or lark
about with words for fun, there’s a lot of joy and escape in
that. But when it becomes your day job, writing clever words
for clients, and to promote your own business, it might still be
joyful, but it’s also work … and traditionally we do need an escape
from work. The saying ‘Love what you do and you’ll never work
a day in your life’ … I feel like it’s kind of misleading. I
absolutely love what I do, but in those moments when you need to
meet deadlines, and you find yourself embroidering your 3,487th
backstitch in a verigated yarn unicorn head at 4:30am … that very
much feels like work, and you do need a break from it. That is why
I have reserved quilting just for me, as my hobby … my escape. It’s
why I enjoy singing in the car … because I work with my hands and
talk all day long … sometimes it’s nice to escape from that and
sing along to the Wicked soundtrack as I drive along the
motorway. I absolutely understand the appeal of mosaic … you
can make it neat and orderly if that’s what you’re feeling, or you
can take some crockery you found at the op shop, or tiles you found
in the bargain bin at the tiling store, by donning some goggles and
gloves, and letting out your frustrations with a hammer! You
can create order from chaos, a thing of beauty from tiny pieces,
and each time you see it, it’s a reminder of those peaceful moments
of escape and the fun you had in the making process.
If you are looking for Kate in her day job, you can FIND HER
HERE
So … now it’s over to you. I would love to ask you the
same three questions.
What is your day job?
What is your craft of choice?
What do you get out of it?
If you’re up to it, I would love to know your answers. You
can comment on the blog at https://www.dawnlewis.com.au/podcast13,
or maybe you’d prefer to email me or send me a message via Facebook
or Instagram. If not, well, that’s ok too … but have a think?
What does craft do for you? I love that we can contribute to our
craft, but it is also giving so much to us … sometimes it’s deep
and meaningful, sometimes it’s light and fluffy, usually it’s
exactly what we need.