Crafting is my release, it’s my ‘me’ time, where I focus totally on the task in hand, taking me away from the demands of daily life. We are currently renovating our home and taking craft courses has been a godsend! Being able to focus totally one thing is almost meditative and very much needed in the chaos that home alterations bring. The time goes so quickly in class… and it’s therapeutic to get your hands dirty!
I enjoy a whole range of ‘crafty’ activities, but I’m most at home in a class environment being taught and led by an experienced teacher, who can advise and direct. I’ve been taking classes in Pottery for over 2 years and have just joined the Stained Glass group. I’ve also taken a whole variety of Printing courses, Floristry courses, Felting classes and thoroughly enjoyed a History of Art talk about Grayson Perry.
Both pottery and stained glass allow a huge amount of freedom, I can make what I want.
I hugely enjoy the whole process from research (usually Pinterest), finding an idea that I’d like to have a go at, tweaking what I find, discussing with the teacher the best materials to use and then, just getting on with it.
If there is a challenge along the way, then I like establishing a way round. Ultimately producing the piece I’d imagined a few weeks prior. However that doesn’t always happen! Particularly in ceramics!
There is also a fantastic social side to crafting, I’ve made many new friends through taking classes, meeting people who I already have a lot in common with.
Sometimes class is full of discussion about the latest exhibition or new technique, sometimes all is quiet and the class is filled with the sound of concentration, and at other times we roar with laughter. Having similar minded people in class is also great for bouncing ideas and pushing personal boundaries.
I know that my life is richer because I participate in craft activities, and richer still because I’ve found a whole bunch of other people motivated by the same desire to learn that I have.
