I Want To Be Crafty, Again

In what seems another life, or at the very least a lifetime ago, I made tiny polymer clay foods, porcelain figurines, and stuffed animals. I also crocheted a bit, painted (oils & acrylics), made softwood cutouts and painted them, sketched in pencil/charcoal and even did a little oil pastel work. I would often ask myself why I stopped doing those things and then I remember, I got my first home computer.

My first at home computer was the beginning of the end of a lot of things for me. Unfortunately, I sacrificed tactile art for the virtual stuff. I mean just no more real life stuff, all my paints dried up and eventually, I got rid of my art supplies. Basically, it was because I fell in love with graphics programs. I starting with the simple make your own greeting cards stuff and eventually, I was staying up for more than 24 hours at a time learning full-blown 3D graphics programs (even doing some animation). I was in it up to my eyebrows, chain-smoking and not really being very healthy, but I was so addicted! There was no mess, no cleanup, no waste and people were fascinated with what I did. I even got a job as a professional graphic artist after only a few years of self-teaching and no formal training. I also learned to create websites when the internet was new to most people (AOL was still the number one ISPs).

Then later when everyone’s next door neighbors cousin’s best friend from 8th-grade summer camp would offer to make anyone in the world a shitty free website using a word processing program, I went to IT college. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I worked as a tech, a network admin and a gui developer during those mostly artless years. Then came “the game”. I mean I liked video games since I first got my son a Nintendo in the 80s, but I’d never experienced anything like World of Warcraft and I fraken love it.

I played almost daily for 6 years, then off and on for 4. I find I can’t really play just an hour or two on the weekends or set aside a few nights a week to play. I tend to let it take over and all the other stuff in my life is done in-between gaming sessions. Sometimes I can live like that and sometimes I can’t. I recently tried to go back to it but I missed my friends who used to play and the feeling just wasn’t the same. I asked myself what the hell did I do before? Before computers, the internet, and gaming? Oh yes, arts & crafts!

So here we are, 2015. It’s been like 20 years since I was a real crafter. I still do graphics & web design, (it’s how I make money) but I don’t want to do that for a hobby as well. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it, but I want to love something else too. Something that does not involve being in front of a computer. I want to get my hands dirty, I want to make messes with color and screw stuff up with no undo button, wake up with multicolor hands and glitter stuck to my forehead! I want to be crafty again!

I’ve purchased a sewing machine, saved up loads of materials from fabric to cardboard and scribbled in my idea book so much I’ve actually got 3 now. I’ve stocked up on paint and glue and glitter and other bits. I’ve ordered a craft table and cleared space for it (which was no small feat in itself). I’ve read, clipped, highlighted, watched and bookmarked my brains out… I am just bursting with inspiration and ideas!

In a later post, I will “reveal” my plans in a lot more detail (other than “I’m going to do crafts”). I am really looking forward to sharing my born-again craftiness!

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