Mindful Craft

A light bulb moment recently got me mulling over the concept of mindful crafting. So as I reviewed my list of 14 Craft Projects for 2014, it struck me that perhaps this was not quite the best way to go about it. Because I have discovered the art of mindfulness. Being present. Not past wallowing or future worrying, but present existing. Sounded easy enough, but putting it into practice has been akin to breaking a lifelong habit. However, very slowly it is permeating my world. Enjoy the moment. It sounds so glib. Like one of those shallow quotes floating around the twittisphere, or taking up space on Facebook. So much of my creative time has been about the finish line - out of necessity when I ran my own business and studied fashion design. So how to get back to enjoying creativity for what it is. Way back when I was a child, something attracted me to creating and craft. Was it the steady, soothing sound of mum’s Elna sewing our clothes, or the Agee jar filled with 3 generations of buttons to sort and play with on rainy days? Maybe it was the smell of the local fabric shop, and the tactile pleasures of its velvet, silks and satins? Or the visual symphony of prints, patterns and colours splashed over fabrics? It’s about getting back to the simple pleasures of creating. And reconnecting with living in the present moment of creativity. So maybe quantity is not so important as quality. My creative time has gone from a run to more of an amble. The finish line can wait. I am going to enjoy the scenery along the way. And stop to smell the roses – or in my case sort the buttons in the Agee jar!*

*this column is featured in the latest issue of Hazed Magazine - here is the facebook page to find out where Hazed is stocked... https://www.facebook.com/thehazedcollective?fref=ts The above pics are part of my "Cushy Little Number" tutorial which i had so much fun putting together (with my very talented Stylist and friend Dawn Gatenby)