TLC for Creative People: Caring for Yourself, Your Craft, and Your Creative Space
The craft room is your happy place—but happy places can become chaotic, exhausting, and occasionally hazardous.
Sometimes you get fixated. (Someday I will tell you about hunting for glasses online.)
Other times, your energy sucks, and you forgot snacks—and you really don’t want to stop what you’re doing and go to the kitchen.
There are some things you can do to make things flow better, take better care of yourself, and maybe even make your crafting time more productive.
1. Define Your Space
Even a corner of the dining table needs boundaries. Give things homes. This might take a little time, but the good news is that afterward, you will actually be able to find the superglue and Sharpies.
And once you have designated homes for your supplies, try to put things back where they belong. I know. I know. Easier said than done.
2. Inventory
Know what you have before buying another bottle, jar, or ball of yarn. Include the “what the heck is this?” pile, followed by, “Oh…now I remember.”
Keeping an inventory can save you money by preventing duplicate purchases.
Inventory also applies to your finished products. Set up a spreadsheet and review it every few months. This can help you determine how best to use your craft time—and what you need to buy to keep your products in stock.
No, I don't mean that red, sparkly, shiny thingy. Although you probably need that, too.
3. Purge
As the saying goes, “Out with the old, in with the new.”
Get rid of old, dried-out, expired, separated, rancid, or otherwise questionable supplies. This can be hard because you think you might just need it in a day—or a year.
You probably won't.
And if you really do need it someday, you can probably find another one.
4. Make Something Just Because
Not every project needs to sell, be photographed, enter a competition, become a gift, or justify its existence.
Make something for yourself.
Creating something without an agenda turns down some of that “perfection” mode. Let yourself have fun. Play with colors. Try a technique simply because it looks interesting.
Bonus prize: This is when I get some of my best ideas.
5. Mistakes Happen
There is a very real moment of grief when you realize that amazing vision in your head simply isn't going to work out.
First, take a deep breath or two.
Then, I suggest repurposing, salvaging, and experimenting. Can the mistake become something else? Can you take it apart and use the pieces? Can you turn an accident into a new technique?
And keep notes about what went wrong. That way, the same disaster doesn't become a recurring tradition.
6. Remember to Eat and Hydrate
I am sitting at my desk, typing away merrily, and all of a sudden the kids are telling me to get ready for dinner.
What??? Where did the last eight hours go?
Did I eat anything?
No.
And I wonder why I want to scarf down that spaghetti.
It is very easy to get lost in the creative process and lose track of time. Keep water nearby and have some easy snacks available—preferably something that will give you sustained energy rather than a quick sugar rush.
Your brain and your body need fuel. Creativity may feel like magic, but it still runs on food and water.
7. Sleep
I do not sleep well. My Muse seems to think 3 a.m. is a great time to whisper in my ear.
Do I get up and work, or try to go back to sleep? That is the question nearly every creative person I know has asked at some point.
The answer is: It depends.
Keep a notebook near your bed. Write your idea down, then try to go back to sleep. Sometimes simply getting the thought out of your head is enough to quiet your brain.
If you're still awake at 4 a.m., you can try warm milk (it does work sometimes), or just start your day early.
Coffee pot, here I come.
As an aside, take a few moments to learn about sleep hygiene. There is a lot of information available, and using some of those tips can prove invaluable.
8. Tool Time
Clean, maintain, sharpen, oil, wash, and reorganize. That brief moment when everything sparkles brings a smile every time.
Working through your tools gives you another opportunity to ask yourself, “Where's the best spot for X?”
Even if X has been in that same location for a decade, there are times when you may want to change things up—especially when you start trying new techniques.
9. Walk Away
When something isn't working, sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop. At this point, you could spend a whole day getting nowhere. Instead, walk away.
Dig through the refrigerator. Take a shower. Make a cup of tea. Put on some music. Watch a silly comedy on TV. Have a good cuddle with your pets.
Give your brain a chance to stop wrestling with the problem.
Then go back to it. Review your initial steps. Look at the project with fresh eyes and move forward.
Sometimes the answer was there all along.
10. The Spiritual Element
There is no reason you can’t use your magical toolkit to help with your crafting time.
* Meditate
* Set sacred space
* Burn incense
* Chant, incant, sing
* Weave spells
Think about what makes sense and go for it.
***
Caring for yourself is something a lot of people struggle with, but when you do, it’s not only healthier, but your craft benefits as well. You have the right outlook to pour all those good vibes into the finished product.
Comments