Benefits of Crafting

How do you measure a life? Trips taken, dozens cookies baked, miles walked, and yards of yarn knitted. Did you know that crafting has benefits? In addition to exercise and eating well, discover the benefits crafting has to offer.

Are you a crafter? I was an adult before I began to identify myself as a crafter. I’ve never been skilled at sketching or painting, and so, when I was younger, I never identified myself as either an artist or a crafter. It wasn’t until I was an adult, and learned how to crochet, that I began to fully realize the joy and benefits of crafting.

5 Benefits of Crafting

Builds self-esteem: Finishing a project gives you a sense of satisfaction. Visualizing your project and then seeing that project through to completion gives you a sense of satisfaction, pride, and achievement. When we craft, when we create something with our hands, we are investing our time and energy into that project. Depending on our job or other circumstances that sense of completion can be hard to find in other areas of our lives. 

Helps you relax: Concentration on crafting with our hands allows us to become absorbed in our project to the point where we can let our worries go and just focus on what we are making. In some ways this can almost feel meditative. Crafts like knitting and crochet in particular are great for helping you relax. Crafting is also a great outlet for when we are feeling restless, frustrated, or bored. Crafting is a positive outlet for boosting your mood. 

Brings people together: Learning how to crochet, and then knit and many other crafts, has brought so many people into my life. I’ve built friendships through sharing the crafts that I make, teaching craft classes, and even hosting craft shows. There are groups devoted to specific crafts where people gather, especially knitters, and all craft together while they talk and visit. Shared hobbies are a great way to meet new friends. 

Allows you to express yourself: Crafting allows us to showcase our taste, style, aesthetic, and even our emotions. Each step of the creative process is a chance to express ourselves, as we choose the patterns, the colors, the sizes, and the shapes we make through our crafts. 

Is open to anyone: Crafting is for everyone. Crafting is open to anyone. That means any age and any skill level, you just have to find the right craft for you. That could be knitting, pottery, jewelry making, painting, or so many other mediums. Engaging in crafting stimulates your creativity and leaves you with a beautiful and unique finished product. When you are working on a project, you see the evolution of your creativity.  

Start Crafting!

Want to get started crafting? Check out these knitting and crocheting resources.