For years, we have heard about the benefits of crafts. Putting your hands to work does not only mean coming up with cute things, it also means that you can relax while doing it. Research shows that knitting, quilting, and making jewelry, among others crafts, help you reduce stress, improve your mood (significantly, if you ask me) and even help you battle cognitive decline as a consequence of age or any mental disabilities.
The good thing about picking up a craft is that opportunities are endless. Everything counts, from doing a puzzle to putting beads together to create a pair of earrings or organizing those photo albums that you have had forever into a nice looking scrapbook with your best memories. In any case, you can get the benefits of doing your crafts and also get things done around your house… even get your friends happy with a nice gift.
Are there any rules when it comes to starting experimenting for crafts? Of course not! However, there are some tips to start if you are completely new to this world or if you want to make the best of this experience and make it into a hobby that will relax you and probably give you an idea to start new projects (maybe a new venture will start right here!).
No expertise . You don’t necessarily have to be an expert on the craft you want to start in order to enjoy it or make it your new hobby. When thinking about starting a new hobby, you should think about what interests you instead of what you are already good at. Have you always wonder about painting? Or maybe you want to do accessories or knitting? The world is your oyster at this point, and you can even go through different things before you actually find what you want to focus on.
Have a great space. Once you decided what you want to do, the best tip is to find a space in which you can let all your creativity go loose. It can be within your house, but preferably not in your bedroom and yes, your bed doesn’t count. The idea is that you get to stretch and move, and don’t have the temptation to be on your back or just go to bed and leave it like that. If you find a little corner within your house to store all these things, you can also adequate it with music and posters, some things that encourage you to get your hands to work. It will work wonders!
Consistency is important. Crafts can be a great hobby, but if you want to get the benefits of it, the best you can do is, to be honest about the consistency of your time to do this. You don’t need a strict schedule, but this is like a workout, you need a bit of it every couple of days in order to get better and obtain the benefits. If you are using crafts for therapy purposes, it’s good to document how you feel after doing it, and to do it anytime you feel anxious, in need of a relaxing moment, or an activity to focus all your energy. If you are constant you are not only going to fall in love with your craft and get great at it, you will also come to it by instinct and feel amazing.
Don’t overdo yourself. It is called a hobby for a reason. While it is good that you gain consistency, you don’t require to be overly strict about it. In that same spirit, you don’t need to get extremely critical about your results. The point of getting into craft is to have fun and relax, so take it from there. If something doesn’t turn out how you expected, start over. You will have nice pieces in no time, with practice and dedication.