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1 November 2002 Newsletter

"Crafters aren't like other people." When my husband first said that, I was offended. "We are too like other people!" I thought. But in the two years since he said that, I have come to realize that, once again, he was right. Crafters cannot stop themselves from creating. If they go for any period of time without creating something, they suffer. It is no surprise that doctors have found that a knitter's blood pressure drops when they are crocheting. Every long term care company or educational institute has art or craft classes available for their clients. When people can make something, they gain a feeling of accomplishment, a boost to their self-esteem. Creativity is naturally at the core of a crafter's work. But creativity can be expressed in many ways that are not crafts. Some people express their creativity by devising ways to organize a project or sell a product. Even handling difficult people can require creative ways of communicating. The best chefs find ways to use what is freshest and readily available to create a balanced menu with little waste. Historically, crafts have been the step-child of creative arts. Crafts were looked upon as "useful" rather than decorative or evocative. I have no interest in limiting our newsletter by dissecting the difference between art and craft. I am more interested in people and their appreciation of what people create. One of the phrases often heard at craft fairs is "I could make that myself." My response is, "Then do it." There is a wide gulf between knowing how to do something and actually doing it. Once you try your hand at making something, you gain an appreciation for the skill in doing so. Crafters are frequently the best customers at craft shows. They know how much time and effort goes into crafting something unique or useful. . Crafters hate to waste anything. They are most inventive at recycling what others see as trash. Simply thinking of a way to use what might be dumped in the landfill excites a crafter. At the craft fairs, the "junkyard art" is usually the most discussed work. In our town, the art association organizes an annual art show. It has been incredibly successful for more than two decades. Nearly ten years ago at that art show was an artist who made art from cardboard egg cartons. He created a sensation at that show, sold all his pieces, and has never returned. A decade later, local residents still talk about that artist. The two things every crafter wants are new ideas and new ways to share or market crafts. Through this newsletter and website, we will try to provide you with both of those wants. Each month we will have a free pattern and we will provide tips on how to market your crafts. We will be providing ideas from a pool of crafters who have decades of experience in a wide range of crafts. Just as truly creative people cannot stop themselves from creating, they cannot stop themselves from sharing. Each idea can spark that inspiration that will lead to something new and unique. For the beginner crafter, we hope to have some guidelines to help you get started in exploring your creativity. Crafting isn't a way to become rich, it is an attitude toward life. You will be enhancing your health by exercising your creativity and making your surroundings more comfortable. Be patient with yourself. Do not set unreasonable deadlines for yourself. Your learning a new craft will evolve in stages as you relax and enjoy the pattern unfolding as you work. Now for the experienced, or hard core crafter, I don't want you to sneer about trying to create a serene space. I know you have heaps of unfinished projects cluttering your space and stressing your mind. We are going to address your needs as well. I am a member of a crafting group called the Galileo Guild. During one of our get togethers, we started describing all the material and craft supplies that were cluttering our sheds. We got a wonderful laugh describing the hazards of trying to find something we know we have but is buried in our overstuffed sheds. We might have been laughing, but we were also describing a situation that stifles creativity. In future newsletters, I would like to inspire you with ways to organize, use up, and transform that clutter so that it will release the stress of mess and free up your creativity. In the real near future Rosemary will publish the Holiday Turkey. This pattern will provide instructions for making your very own "Holiday Turkey." Happy crafting and holidays.

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