Craft as Therapy

My first collage picture

I didn't intentionally set out to be a collage artist, I was driven back to it by fatigue and anxiety. My love of paper had been there since childhood (see post from 21st November 2012), I was drawn to it when life didn't make much sense anymore. It was the only thing that seemed familiar in a shifting landscape, when I didn't even seem to recognise myself.  I remember picking up the paper and tearing it and feeling the overwhelming relief that I knew what this was. It was familiar like an old friend's embrace that captures all the years of memories and love that has ever passed between you in an instant. 

I needed some place to escape to in a life that was spiralling dangerously out of control. A strange medium to have chosen for a control freak, but there was something about the fragments of paper that seemed to mirror my life at the time perfectly.

I was trying to piece myself back together as much as I was trying to slot the myriad of multi coloured scrap paper, together to make a whole. 

What I've discovered in my crafting journey is that I'm far from alone in this quest to seek solace in a craft to loose ones self and block out the world, as one keeps hand and brain busy in a repetitive motion, like the sweeping motion of a swimmer gliding across the water. I started a group a number of years ago called Material Girls which has been fundamental to my own recovery and a place where others can come and share their love of crafting with others. 

Neuroscience is finally catching up on brain health aspects of the trend some have called "the new yoga." Research shows that knitting and other forms of textile crafting such as sewing, weaving and crocheting have quite a lot in common with mindfulness and meditation — all are reported to have a positive impact on mind health and well-being. Interestingly those found to create as part of a group were even happier than solo crafters. Suggesting that Material Girls or other Knit-ins, stitch ‘n bitch groups, and even scrapbooking parties have many keys of mind and brain health covered.

We are beginning to understand how mindfulness, meditation and experiencing "flow" impact the brain. Research shows these practices improve depression, anxiety, coping style in the face of adversity, improve quality of life, and significantly reduce stress, we all need something to help us forget ourselves for a while.
I find as I have said before a state of transcending when I loose myself in the maze of infinite possibilities and while these choices scare me in real life, I feel a calm clarity when I set about making art out of chaos. It's the same rhythmic and repetitive nature that some may get from knitting or weaving - it is calming, comforting and contemplative. It has helped me to be more mindful a practise I can only equate to a form of mediation.

Blogger and author Kathryn Vercillo is an expert in the area of using crafting to heal, having researched the topic extensively for her book Crochet Saved My Life. #CraftAsTherapy People immediately took notice, others started using the hashtag widely.

Mandy says, “It became apparent to me how important craft is as a form of therapy, not just for me, but for many other crafters. Many have shared their stories about why they craft for therapy. Some are suffering with mental illness, infertility issues, chronic illness, physical illness … and some craft simply because it is cheaper than (traditional) therapy and keeps them smiling!”

Here are 10 ways crafting with friends may improve mind and brain wellness:

1. Mental challenge and problem solving
2. Social connection
3. Mindfulness
4. Development of hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness and fine motor dexterity
5. Learning and teaching
6. Focusing attention and thoughts on a task

7. Encouraging active creativity 
8. Gives a sense of pride and achievement
9. Teaches patience and perseverance 
10. Facilitates memory formation and retrieval 

Elizabeth Gilbert suggest in her brilliant book 'Big Magic' (creative living beyond fear) that to have creativity and not use it is like having a border collie for a pet: "it needs to work, or else it will cause you an outrageous amount of trouble. Give your mind a job to do, or else it will find a job to do, and you might not like the job it invents."

I believe that crafting can play a significant role in reducing the impact of modern life on our stress levels and be incredibly enjoyable and rewarding too. My art then is not necessarily about the financial rewards (though there's no denying that would be nice, making money out of something one loves is a familiar shared dream), but it is created to preserve the restless ebb of my soul and that is priceless. Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi describes as “a state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand and the situation. It is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter.”