Crafts I Love

I've been having a love affair with crafts my whole life. Many of them are like old friends that I go back to visit time and time again. Some of them I happened upon on my own, like learning to crochet from my mother and learning to knit with my dad.

Others I was lucky enough to take a class on in Jr. high, high school or college or at an art studio. Some were just trial and error and a big stack of library books. There is no escaping it, I'm drawn to crafts like a bee to a flower.

Right now crafts have taken over my apartment completely, but that's another story.

Rich or poor, traveling, or stuck at home, there is always a craft you can get some pleasure from.

Some cost pennies to get into, others can cost a fortune. Luckily with sites like Craig's List and Freecycle, you can pick up big items like kilns or vulcanizers for a lot less than brand new.

And if money is a hassle, you can find others of like mind and share resources.

1. Be flexible. Depending on where you live, you choice of crafts may be limited.

2. When you move, re-evaluate: Look around your local area. What is easy to come by? What isn't?

3. Let nature be your guide: It's hard to specialize in wood-burning driftwood if you don't live near water. So look around. What do you have a lot of? Riverbank clay? Willow branches? Junkyards full of steel and old window frames? If you base your craft on the local surplus you may be able to get cheap or even free materials. Shopping locally also keeps your carbon footprint to a minimum.

4. Re-purpose

You may think you have no art supplies on hand, but many crafts can be made with small branches, old t-shirts, collected bottle caps, old silverware, or trimmings from home remodeling. You can make altered books out of hardcover books that are duds or old children's board books. You can string up keys, copper tubing, or silverware to make wind chimes. You can carve branches into little folk art roosters.  Browse your library or the Internet and see what other people are doing. Or visit sites like Threadbanger or Instructables or Youtube for ideas.

5. Physical changes

We all grow old. You may have to adapt your crafting because of physical issues. There will almost always be some craft you can still do though. My blacksmith friend can no longer lift all that metal, so he's shifting to graphic arts and drawing.

Many people find arthritis makes knitting or embroidery difficult, but find loom knitting still possible. And even if you are vision impaired, some things can be done more by touch than by sight. I know a blind artist that makes amazing abstract stuffed sculptures out of tactile fabrics like velvet, corduroy, or silk. She displays them at libraries where other blind children can touch them and enjoy them.

I find in the long run, it's not so much doing one specific craft that brings joy and satisfaction, but rather creativity itself. I'm just as happy making an art doll as I am knitting a sweater or pinching some clay or stirring a pot of dye.

6. Keep an open mind

New craft opportunities happen all the time, but you have to be willing to be a beginner. Try something before you dismiss it. There are so many gender issues in crafts. If you are a guy and you want to knit, you'll never know if you'll like it if you don't try it. If you are a woman but think swinging a blacksmith hammer is fascinating, go for it. If your teacher seems sexist, gut it out if you can but keep looking for a more supportive teacher. Try each new craft for at least 2 weeks. That's long enough to get over your initial frustration. Don't invest a lot of money until you know it's a keeper.

 Once you've mastered a craft form, whether it's knitting, throwing a pot, or making fishing flies, share it with someone.  Mentoring isn't limited by age either. You can learn a lot from a youngster that paints or sews or grows sunflowers. If someone comes to your studio, and seems interested in the how-tos, take them under your wing and get them busy.

People always stop by our archery gatherings and someone will scoop them up and get them started on their first bow, or show them how to make an atlatl from a branch or something.  If I get them first, I put them to work stringing beads or doing embroidery.

If you don't think you know enough, try explaining it to someone else. You'll quickly see just how much you already know. You'll also see where you have maybe slipped up a bit. Because often you'll learn just as much from your student as they learn from you.  Sneaky, eh?

 Whatever you decide to make, share it with the world. That creates an energy loop that will keep you inspired.  Share your art on Flickr, Facebook, at your church, your lodge or your school.  Set up a display at the library. Most of us can't live in a vacuum and find encouragement from the praise of others.