I’m always curious about what makes other artists and makers want to dedicate so much time to their creative work, and I thought you might be interested in my story too of why I make.
I’ve shared a little bit about why I started sewing and quilting through various posts, the newsletter, and Instagram captions, but I’ve never sat and shared the full story of why I create.
Why I needed creativity in my life
My creative journey started out of a need for more creativity, this you know, but what I never really mention is WHY I needed that creativity.
There were a lot of challenges, uncertainty, frustration, and general burnout that I needed to deal with. And I needed to find a way to channel these emotions in a positive way.
Lifestyle change
You see, not only was I stepping away from a career I had built over the better part of 15+ years, but I was stepping away to focus on starting a family. I’ve been going through fertility treatments for a long time now – well over 5 years – and to say that it’s been a challenging journey would be an understatement.
There can be a lot of:
- darkness
- waiting
- hoping
- wondering what will happen
And, during that time, I found myself needing an outlet that brought me joy.
Colour is one of those ways that I feel joy.
Making also brings me joy.
Why I make – benefits of being creative
Plus, it gives me the opportunity to:
- Explore – new ideas and techniques.
- Challenge me beyond my comfort zone and grow.
- See my ideas come to life.
- Just play! When was the last time you just allowed yourself some playtime?
All of this brings me joy and then that joy is doubled when I get to share my ideas and patterns with you and inspire you to create too.
I like to think of it as the circle of joy.
Why I make – finding joy
Even when things are not joyful, I can find glimpses of joy when I create.
So, I make.
- I make to help keep me centered.
- I make to be creative.
- I make to share with others.
- I make to inspire others.
- I make for my sanity – ha!
- I make to be happy.
It’s become my outlet to help me stay grounded. Quiet my mind and work through things. Or, even just get lost in the colour and texture that quilting offers. Allow me a breather to just be – not worrying, overthinking, or dwelling.
So, that’s me. That’s why I make.
Why do you create?
I’m not sure I would have sat and shared this if it hadn’t been for LoveCrafts reaching out to let me know they’re hosting The Crafties – their Blogger of the Year Award. If you feel up to it, you can vote here.
Thank you for allowing me to share this side of myself with you.
xo
Shannon
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Thank you for sharing your story Shannon! I make for similar reasons – I noticed that when work and life got crazy stressful and I had too much on my plate, I stepped away from making because there was just no time for it. But then I started feeling even more stressed and hating Mondays and dreading just having to get up and go to work. That's when I decided I just needed to MAKE time for making. I've been able to get back to my sewing room for a couple of months now and I feel so much better. My work is just as busy and I've had to let other things go, but the simple act of going to my sewing room every other night or so has helped so much in keeping me balanced and sane! 🙂
Isn’t that the worst feeling – dreading Monday mornings. I’m so happy you made a similar discovery of how helpful making can be in reducing stress and bringing joy to our lives. I’m thrilled you’ve been making time to make! I know it can be difficult, especially when life is so busy. You always create such beautiful quilts and now garments too! Keep up the amazing work, my friend!