Make new friends,
But keep the old.
One is silver,
And the other, gold.
This simple children’s song, meant to teach kids the value of old friends, also holds true for crafts. Learning a new medium is always fun, but nothing can replace the comfort working with our “heart craft,” as one Purple Crayon member calls our favorite medium, brings.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been teaching a Beginning Patchwork Quilting course at Purple Crayon. During last week’s class, one of my students quietly left her station and retreated to the back room. (Some of my students are PC members and are attending the class in-person rather than online.) When I checked on her later, I found her completely engrossed in a crochet project, her heart craft. I asked her if she was doing OK, and she assured me that she was. She said that she was just feeling a bit anxious and needed to crochet for a while to relax. I commended her for taking care of herself and left her to her “therapy.”
As my student illustrated, knowing what your heart craft is, and doing it whenever you feel called, can not only be enjoyable, but also a great way to de-stress.
If you know what your heart craft is, I encourage you to cherish it, like an old friend. Always make it accessible and judgement-free. Even if it’s not the most trendy medium (and it most likely won’t be), it can still be “gold” to you!
Scrapbooking, for instance, was really popular at the turn of the century. It brought great joy to millions of people, most of whom were women. In 2004, Creative Memories, a home-based retailer of scrapbooking supplies, made over $425 million in retail sales. By 2013, however, it was so easy to share memories digitally that many scrapbookers abandoned their passion for social media. Not only did Creative Memories and other scrapbooking companies lose their value, but millions of crafters lost their heart craft, ostensibly because traditional scrapbooking became passé.
If you don’t know what your heart craft is, or you don’t remember, you might think back to your childhood. What did you enjoy making before you had “higher priorities” or convinced yourself that your medium wasn’t “cool enough"? Coloring? Doodling? Baking? Sewing? Knitting? If something comes up, consider doing it again if you remember how, or relearn it if you don’t.
If you can’t think of anything, consider starting to explore, or continuing to explore, options, either on your own or through a workshop or class. If you need some ideas, this month, PC is excited to bring back one of our favorite instructors, Terrilynn Dubreuil, to teach a four-week Watercolor for Absolute Beginners class starting September 15th. You might consider enrolling in that, or, if you’re drawn to something more tactile, you might think about taking Barbara McGuire's Polymer Clay Mokume Gane Pendant workshop on October 17th. Barbara is an innovator in her field, and we feel lucky to have her as well!
With enough trial and error—and, of course, an open mind—I'm confident that you’ll eventually find a craft that makes your heart sing.
I look forward to exploring with you!
—Pam Robbins, Owner
