Ok, if you make enough things to sell on Etsy, you're probably an avid crafter like me. And if you are an avid crafter like me, you probably have multiple projects going on, using multiple mediums. Well, have you ever noticed a correlation between your mood and the projects you work on?
I ask because I recently noticed that whenever I feel depressed, I start making something with yarn! I think I mentioned before that I made myself a scarf when there was a death in the family. I also knitted and crocheted a hat, a scarf, 3 adult sized cowls, 1 doggie sized cowl, and 2 cowl-necked sweaters for dogs during the few months I went AWOL last fall from this blog. To tell you the truth, I had a miscarriage at that time, and I had A LOT to think about.
I got back on the saddle around the holidays, and was doing great in January. The sale I had was a big success, and I sold more bracelets than I ever expected. I wanted to get my listing numbers back up quickly, so I started remaking the ones that sold. I got bored with the task though, and the new listing I was working on just wasn't looking the way I had hoped. So I figured I'll take a little break and do some crochet.
...Or so I thought. I immediately found myself back in a dark place again, and this time, I felt like I didn't have a good reason to be there. But as I traced back my memory to figure out when exactly I started feeling blue, I came back to the day one of the journalists on a local news station revealed that she also had a miscarriage recently. Although the story did make me tear up at the time, I didn't think that it affected me that deeply. It stayed with me for a day or two, and then I moved on.
My crafty little fingers apparently knew, however, that there was something more that needed to be addressed. Once I figured out the cause of the depression, I did think more about it, had a good cry, and voila! I'm ready to go back to working with beads again!
I guess it's not exactly great for my business that I feel the need to work with a different medium every time I feel blue, but I am glad that I figured this out. Now that I know, whenever I feel drawn to yarn, I can take a good look at what's going on in my heart, and hopefully, I'll be able to get back on my feet sooner.
Do you also have an "indicator" craft that automatically warns you and your loved ones, "Something's wrong"? If you do, what is it?
P.S. Yes, I'm well aware that my dog hates me. She hates me for making the sweater. She hates me for making her wear it. She hates me for making her pose for a picture in it. She hates me for posting the picture for the world to see. Poor girl... :)
Actually, I clean, straighten and organize obsessively when upset. Whenever there's a death in the family or something is really weighing on me, suddenly there's not a thing out of place in the house.
ReplyDeleteI have several people in my life who do that too. I think cleaning helps to "sort" your thoughts and feelings as well.
ReplyDeleteI also feel the need to clean after I've dealt with my feelings. It helps me get rid of the negative energy that had been accumulating for a while.