Welcome to Crafting Focus!
So what's this newsletter all about?
Hi, I’m Laura, and I have a problem: I’m addicted to collecting creative hobbies. Watercolours, cross-stitch, gel plate printing and bullet journaling. Building miniature houses, art journaling, lino printing and crochet. Believe me, I could keep going. By now I have so many supplies that I could open up my own arts and crafts supply shop.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing to be drawn to so many different creative activities. I can always find something to do that suits my mood and works around potential time and space constraints. If I have an entire afternoon and don’t mind some cleanup, I can get out my gel plate and have fun with paint. If I just want to keep my hands busy while watching TV, I’ll get out a crochet hook and some yarn to work on a scarf.
What I lack however, is focus. I may play around with watercolours for an afternoon or two, and then not touch them again for 6 months. Or I may start a new cross-stitch kit with the intention of making someone a Christmas gift, only to see Christmas come and go while the kit lies abandoned in the back of a cupboard somewhere.
While I do thoroughly enjoy ‘playing around’ with my arts and crafts, my lack of focus prevents me from getting the most out of my creative pursuits. It feels like I’m depriving myself of opportunities to learn more, push through obstacles, and generally just make cool stuff. If only I could focus on one hobby for a while, then I could get better at it and maybe even finish a project!
I’ve started this newsletter to help me do just that. Here’s my plan: I will pick one (1!) creative activity, and for around 8 weeks I will dedicate a few hours each week to this activity. Every week I’ll write about my experiences and share my progress in this newsletter. My intention is to focus on one craft at a time, and by doing that, work on (or craft, if you will…) my ability to focus, commit and persevere. Crafting Focus!
Now, the first order of business is choosing which hobby I’ll focus on for the next couple of months…
I'm looking forward to seeing the thoughts that contribute to the stationary madness that goes on in that room.
You've really grown as a creative soul over my years of knowing you and it's quite awesome to see the fruits of that labor. Now... I'm looking forward to reading the inner musings that make it all happen.