Craft For Health

Happy To Be Creative Everyday by Julene

My craft of paper cutting helped me through the challenge of being laid off in 2008.  Now I'm so happy that I can be creative everyday and earn a living from it. It's a dream really.  Because of the lay-off, this changed the path of my creative career. I began making paper cuts as one-off gifts for friends, and realised they were hugely popular.  Although I am now very busy, the time spent at the actual cutting mat however is very relaxing. The precision required and the repetitive nature helps me to focus and unwind. Not only from the stress of this new venture but also from the other things in life that weigh you down. It's a time for me to think and plan rather than the running about like a headless chicken which I now seem to do the rest of the time.

Shortly after my job loss, I started getting commissions for my designs. Since then I have set up a website and blog (madebyjulene.com) to deal with demand, and have since created hand-made paper cuts for people all over the world. I haven't done any advertising myself, I really have the online design community to thank. None of this would have been possible without the internet and the encouragement of others. 

My name is Julene Harrison and I love how my art of paper cutting helps me to relax.

Healing From Illness Made Easier Through Artwork by Gail Green

After the initial shock of my early breast cancer diagnosis, I created an illustration line (Sweet PETatoes®) that was immediately licensed for memory products for pets and is the foundation for my current illustration style that I am known for nationwide.  Prior to that, I had always spent my time creating art according to client needs and specs, instead of exploring and expressing my passions.  Art and crafting had become a business, and, in doing so, had lost much of the pure joy associated with the act of simply playing. 

The unexpected diagnosis, however, was a wake-up call for me.  At that moment I realized I didn’t have unlimited time to create the art I wanted to create—the kind of art that comes straight from the heart.  When I was healing from my surgeries and later, radiation, I began playing, going back to a time when I was an art student drawing and painting for the sake of creating instead for the purpose of pleasing a client. 

I Don't Have Time to Be Sick--I Have Crafts to Make! by Sharyn Sowell PLUS GIVEAWAY

 

“I don’t have TIME to be sick!” was my reaction when I woke up with a scratchy throat.

 

And then it dawned on me. I am badly infected with Hurry Sickness.  It’s not a diagnosis your doctor will ever make, but it’s an affliction nonetheless.  And I know a great remedy for it, short term anyway.

 

A rainy afternoon crafting with your favorite girlfriends. It’s what I call “recess for grown-ups” and it works wonders.

 

I called up a few friends and invited them for a few joyful hours of play in my studio. Because I was working on a new book on crafting, I invited them to try out some of the projects. Because they know my studio is full of paper and glitter, antique type and vintage lace, papier mache supplies and soldering irons they all jumped at the chance.

 

We made a terrific mess and ate too much chocolate, we laughed until the tears ran down our faces. When they left I realized I hadn’t worried about a deadline or glanced at my watch all afternoon. My neck wasn’t tight and my teeth weren’t clenched.

 

We can’t erase stress from our lives or throw out the crammed calendar, but we can build in spaces of time to snip some paper or solder a necklace. Time for creative play. Recess!

 

My book is out now and the calendar is too crammed. I think it’s time for another stress breaking afternoon. Time for recess again!

 

My name is Sharyn Sowell and you can find more of my artwork at www.SharynSowell.com

 

GIVEAWAY:  Sharyn has graciously offered to giveaway one of her books.  TO ENTER simply post your comment on her entry and we'll pull the winner out of a hat!  Good Luck!  This offer ends on November 19, 2009

Crafting Life into Something to Cherish - by Cherish Flieder

I love working with my hands whether it is pouring a candle, sculpting a figure, designing blooms in a garden, cutting paper collages for a card, or painting a children’s book illustration. For me, crafting is my way of escaping from our fast paced, digital world, to relax and to make something new. The creative process can be as energizing as it can be demanding, but I think it is a great way to reset your mind and see things in a different light. There is such a wonderful world out there to engage when you are not tied down to your computer! The process of crafting allows that exploratory adventure while looking for new possibilities.

My Story

While I was growing up, my parents adopted 2 babies in addition to us 4 biological kids. Their big hearts led them to also take care of about 7 more special needs foster children for several years at a time. These precious children suffered from all types of medical challenges including autism, cardiac and pulmonary conditions, cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome, and a liver transplant. Since I was the eldest, I took on a lot of responsibility to help out. From a young age creating art and crafting was my way to share creativity as well as express my individuality within our large fun-loving family. 

I loved being a big sister to so many unique siblings and fondly remember spending time teaching my little sisters and brothers how to use their hands to make things. All forms of crafting were a joyful part of my childhood passed on to me from my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother. I even had a little store out of my bedroom called "Bluebird’s Hideout" where I sold for a penny or two my prized creations to supportive family members. I was a creative entrepreneur even back then!

Today, I am a classically trained illustrator and designer, but I am always looking outside of the box to find something that is unique, fun and meets a need. As I was developing my most recent style, I made a conscious decision to incorporate hand crafting into my art to embrace the texture and colors of the mixed materials. Currently, I create my illustrations with watercolor and with hand embroidered accents. I call this style or technique "Something To Cherish".

 I am capable of making many of these my images 100% digitally. However, it is important to the quality of the work and for my health, to implement the maximum amount of hand crafting possible. I am far too aware of health risks and how working at a computer for extended periods could cause irreparable damage to my back, wrists and eyes. I designed this style of art purposefully to get me away from the computer to use my hands and eyes in a different way.

Now, that I have my own art and design studio, Cherished Solutions LLC , crafting is a great stress relief for me. Crafting allows me to do something on my own which is very therapeutic and centering. It also helps me feel emotionally connected with and honor the memory of my great-grandmother and grandmother who were avid crafters in their day. 

I often use crafting to decompress during a break in a stressful day or to unwind at night. The skills I have developed by crafting over the years have given me the ability to create almost anything visually that I can imagine for myself, my family, my friends and my clients. I am hoping that continuing to celebrate crafting in my business and art will bring joy and health into my life and the lives of others.

Cherish Flieder  is a visionary artist that works with publishers, manufacturers and other niche businesses, assisting them to achieve their goals by creating designs and illustrations in sight of thoughtful marketing objectives. Projects often include the creation and production of conceptual and cohesive licensing collections, product development, books (especially children’s books), packaging, and other marketing materials.

Creativity Is So Important When You Suffer From Chronic Pain by Maria Nerius

When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 12 years ago, I knew my life was going to change, but I thought I’d have to give up most of the things I enjoyed in life. Chronic pain can eat away at you, taking your energy, your creativity, and much of your joy. However, I was blessed with a supportive family and community. I’ve worked in the art and craft industry for over 25 years now and each day is a new discovery! Creativity became an even more important part of my life. 

With fibromyalgia, I have great days, good days and some not so wonderful days. I’ve found that my “not so good days” aren’t so bad when I concentrate on my art and craft work. I can’t sit at the computer to write, but I can paint, needlepunch, bead, and create all kinds of paper art. The pain melts away as I get involved with color, texture, design, and creating! I am no longer someone with chronic pain, I am an artist, a craftsman, a someone who is learning new things and building my skills.

 

I am not sure what path I would have taken if I didn’t have my crafts. I sense it wouldn’t be the fulfilling, peaceful world I am so happy to enjoy. With creativity we have an outlet to express ourselves, we don’t have to let an illness, disability or handicap limit us. Art and craft opens up our lives and is a fantastic way to be productive. Through creativity we can make a difference and give back to our family and friends. 

Crafting is a healthy; healing activity with so many rewards and benefits. With that apple a day, I make sure I always craft each day for wellness!

Maria Nerius is an author, writer, designer, and consultant in the art and craft industry. Her work has been published in numerous consumer magazine, books, and websites. She lives in Florida with her charming husband and a merry band of dogs. Feel free to Twitter or add Maria as a Facebook friend.

Crafting is the Answer For All My Life Challenges by Barbara Matthiessen

 

I always tell people I am one of the luckiest people alive having been blessed with a wonderful family, friends and being able to do what I love.  However, there have been some rough times too with loss of loved ones, illness and financial setbacks.  Crafting has helped see me through all of these.

After losing my grandmother, dad and dog I went into a very deep depression.  Sure I went through all the motions, took care of business and acted as though things were OK but they weren’t.  Each of us must handle loss of loved ones in their own way and time but I found myself sinking deeper, I quit making things, hid out, and basically climbed into a shell of sorrow.  I knew I had to do something, something new, something to get my mind into another place.  Since I had been painting and working with fabric for years I sought something totally different, something I had to really focus on.  I found cold metal forging.

 

Cold metal forging is basically using a hammer and anvil to beat metal into submission.  Maybe it was the physical energy release or the fact that I had to focus on the work to keep from injuring myself but I found myself feeling better and enthused to try more and more metal working techniques.  I became wrapped up in the process and then started adding in some of my “old” mediums like fabrics and fibers. I felt better, started sleeping and eating better which gave me the strength to do more and a far better mental attitude.

Life can be a rollercoaster ride, things are bright then slide down again which is what happened to me.  Depression wasn’t the thing this time as much as stress and anxiety.  My husband had a couple of very serious health issues including open heart surgery we also lost about 70% of our income over the next couple years.  Trying to care for him and pay the bills was taking its toll.  Again, I let my time, my creative time for me go.  Not a good idea!  Here again I was not sleeping, was not eating well, and allowed circular thoughts and worries consume me.  I gained 40 plus pounds blew out one knee and most days felt rotten and miserable, really cranky. 

During this time period of my husband’s delicate health, a loved one also got lymphoma. I devoted myself to health issues, what to do to help both of them.  I did loads of research on the causes of cancer and heart disease.  I became versed on everything from nutrition, metal attitude to environmental causes.  What I found shocked me to the core.  Many of the products deemed safe and non-toxic, including many of my art supplies, were potential contributors to disease!  So now I am in a real pickle knowing I need to get back to crafting for my own mental and physical health but concerned over the products I use.  This is when I found Earth Safe Finishes, the only no VOC and truly non-toxic paint and finish products made in the USA.  I fell back in love with painting. 

I am normally a private person and am surprised I opened up this much here. (I even cried in the shower when my husband was ill so he would not know how I felt.) It is important to me to let others know that they are not alone and that there is an answer; love and crafting!

My name is Barbara  Matthiessen and you can view my artwork at:  

www.earthsafefinishes.com

http://artofgreenrecycling.blogspot.com/

http://totally-creative.com/

http://craftgate.com/blog/BarbaraMatthiessen

 

 

Finding the REAL Me in Art by Judi Kruis

When you aren’t living the dreams God has for your life, it can seem futile, empty, and often hopeless. I was born creative but left it behind to be “responsible” in the corporate world. It was an okay existence but not filled with regular joy or a feeling of real purpose.

Was I was really making a difference in this world or the lives of others? 

Did my life really matter?

I went back to college in my 40’s and was getting the itch to do something more with life. After college, I started classes at a local arts council and at first was embarrassed. In class two, I could see something finally emerging. I started to paint scenery in my mind and imagined the brush strokes as I drove down the road. Oh, those clouds…I’d use a light wash of blue, with a touch of brown…then pull of a bit to bring in the clouds. Those greens…add a touch of red here and yellow there. I would sit in meetings and imagine portraits of those around the table. I was starting to find the real person underneath; I was discovering who I really was created to be and it felt amazing. I went from watercolors, to sketching, then oil painting. I was discovering more possibilities lying under the surface.

Soon after this, I was invited to go to Haiti to help with a women’s art co-op. They were thinking I'd be helpful with my business and product development background but it was even more fuel for my creative self. 

Our presence brought a message of hope as we worked our “Business as Mission ” with Haitian Artisans for Peace International (HAPI). I spent six weeks that first trip then returned home to my job. I started painting more and would be in awe that these creations were really coming out of me.

Six months later, God said to leave my job (I know that sounds bizarre but facts is facts). I thought it would be for further missions in Haiti or Guatemala, but instead felt God saying to pursue ART. ME?? You have to be kidding!! How often do we doubt ourselves and God to just stay in a place that does not feel right, maybe shape our lives to look good or please others, yet we know we aren’t where we truly belong?

I still do short term trips and work from my home on HAPI business. It is through my paintings that I have found such a spiritual healing for myself. I work to share that hope and encourage others locally and internationally to do the same. I have been restored through creativity and life now seems very natural, not forced; filled with a purpose and benefiting others. I’m at a place of really loving who I am because I can be who God intended me to be. Created in His image…a creator…a reflection of Him.

 

Judi Kruis works at home in Holland, MI , painting in oils, weaving rugs and shawls, and sharing her journey through speaking, writing and creativity classes. You can connect with her through www.WeaveOrKnot.com , www.HaitianArtisans.com , or www.facebook.com/jkruis

Craft Your Fat Off by Janice Taylor

“What’s your ‘stay fat’ strategy?”  
“Is your past masquerading as your future?”  
“Are you drowning in drama?” 

And my favorite, “What’s the difference between you and an Olympic swimmer? … Seriously!”

You can be sure that these queries bring about lively conversation that ultimately helps to change their relationship not just with food, but with themselves! 

Extraordinary results!

And then the day culminates in an arts & crafts project. One such project that has popped up in previous workshops is: The Affirmation Container!

What is An Affirmation?

An affirmation is a form of auto-suggestion a.k.a. self-hypnosis, in which a statement is made about the future in the present tense, as if it had already happened in the past.

Yes, that's right. Repeat, please ... An affirmation is a statement about the future, made in the present, as if it had already happened in the past!

It is a statement or a desirable intention that you can deliberately meditate on, or repeat in order to embed in both your conscious and unconscious minds. It is a statement that transcends time and space.

Repetition opens the door to your unconscious mind. And your unconscious mind is much like a computer. Today, you are beginning to input the right program into your mind. Your programming is called the "I CAN" Program and it is designed by YOU!

When we speak in 'affirmations...'

"I am in control of my life, and I am committed to my goals."

... our unconscious hears the affirmation as a fact that is yet to be and it immediately seeks ways in which to manifest this new fact. Yes, your unconscious is taking your affirmation in as fact.

Unconditional Love Gave Me Confidence in My Art by Linda

 

My name is Linda O'Neill and I'm the Artist behind Abby Creek Studios.  I work in three styles of Art: Dog Portraits, Abstracts  and Still Life what touches my heart the most is painting dogs.

I have always had a very strong love for dogs...but never did I realize how much until my husband and I adopted a beautiful Retriever Mix about 10 years ago. Her name was Abby and she inspired me to start painting dogs.

I didn't have a lot of confidence in my art until then. I had worked for LucasFilm in the San Francisco Bay Area as a Digital Painter before moving to Colorado in 1998. When we got here, I started pursuing my Fine Art career again but felt as if I didn't have a real direction. We didn't have any friends here yet and so I felt a little isolated and unsure of my talent. I was definitely lacking confidence and was feeling pretty depressed.

When Abby came into our lives, things changed. She was a silly, funny, smart girl who looked up at me one day with those big brown eyes and I decided I just had to paint her. I think she sent me doggie brainwaves or something! Anyway, my first painting of her was pretty raw and unpolished...but there was something there that was special and worth pursuing. I kept at it and soon, with a new sense of self, my business was born. Abby had given me real gifts with her companionship...of love and confidence.

 

So now you know why my business is named, Abby Creek Studios. I just finished a new website, AbbeyCreekStudios.com, so please come for a visit and take a look at my recent dog paintings

I have a blog as well, where you can read about the latest goings on as well as the antics of my new dog, Maisie.

She keeps the legacy going...and makes me laugh every day!

Boy's Craft Too--Giancarlo's Jewelry

This is the bracelet that my 13 year old son made in his jewelry class.  It's a beautiful hammered and twisted steel bracelet that I wear all the time.  I especially love the way the clasp is integrated into the design.  

I think he signed up for the class because a friend told him that it was a great way to meet girls, and in any case he was only one of 2 boys in the class, so in that regard, he considered it a big positive. What surprised him, was how much he loved the class.  After this project they moved to bead work, and I don't mean stringing beads, but blowing their own glass beads.  I'll post those photos next week.

I was a little surprised that a teenager, who likes to skateboard and plays his fair share of video games would be so interested in a crafting class.  But, he not only liked the class, he signed up for the next level. Every day he came home with another wonderful treasure that he created, which made him feel so good.  It was the same in wood shop last year, the sense of accomplishment that these middle school kids get is priceless.  His wood shop teacher said that these types of classes help kids with eye hand coordination, with problem solving skills and learning how objects are made.  

When I think about it, it was only about 75-100 years ago in our history that most people made most of the objects that they used every day, they didn't buy them ready made.  People made their own clothes, blankets, window coverings, tables, chairs, and yes, even jewelry.  

Middle school kids, and especially boys need lots of creative outlets and opportunities to build, design and create.  They thrive on the sense of accomplishment and learn so much from the process.  I highly recommend jewelry or any other of the craft offerings as electives.  Creating something with your hands just feels good.