If you’re looking for a relaxing hobby that’s reliably satisfying and entertaining, you need to look no further than crafting. Once you give crafting a try, you probably won’t need any encouragement to keep at it—you’ll be too busy crocheting or creating beautiful folded ornaments—but if you’re unsure, these five great reasons to have a go crafting could be the nudge you need.
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Get Curious
A curious temperament is one of the defining personality traits of many people who are drawn to crafting. When you start on a new craft—whether it’s icing cakes, repurposing furniture or embroidery—you get the excitement of mastering the skills you need in order to achieve your desired effect, and technical knowledge is only the beginning. If you’re a naturally curious person, you’ll encounter no end of opportunities to master complex instructions, learn new techniques, familiarise yourself with new materials, and try new patterns created by others. No matter which craft appeals to you, once you begin your crafting journey, you’ll enter a whole new world of expertise and mastery.
Start a Business
If you get really good at your hobby, you might like to start a side-hustle. Whether you've become an expert knitter or you do ceramics, a side-hustle can help you earn a little extra cash if you find the right audience for your crafts. Time to share your new-found talent with the world! To go from home crafter to running a legitimate business, all you need is a couple of professional touches. For example, create your own website or Facebook business page, and make sure your product is packaged in a professional manner. (Hint: Epson ColorWorks Inkjet Label Printers are a sound investment if you’re planning to sell homemade food products like preserves or cookies.)
Many crafters-turned-business-owners find that the biggest challenge of running a successful crafting business is not producing the items to sell (they’re great at doing that!) but marketing their product. If you have a business background, you’ll already be at an advantage, but if not, there are well-known ways to get set up without having much business-savvy. Word of mouth (both in your community and via your Facebook network) is a great starting point, and starting your own blog is another great way to build a following for your craft. Some followers will become customers, but at the very least, they can help spread the word. Etsy is a great place to sell online, and don’t forget to show up for the local craft markets in your area.
While you may not have loads customers when you first get started, you may find that business picks up once you’ve been going for a while and made a few contacts through your craft. And if not, it doesn’t matter too much, since you started crafting for the joy of it, anyway!
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Make Amazing Gifts For Your Loved Ones
We all know that person who always shows up at the party with amazing, homemade gifts or other contributions that they poured a lot of love into. With just the foundations of understanding of most crafts, you might try your hand at, you will be able to create gifts for your family and friends. There’s no need to think that you have to be an expert—even simple designs or techniques will be appreciated if you’ve put care and time into them. The next birthday or Christmas to roll around on the calendar will be a great opportunity to show your loved ones you care with a special homemade gift. Of course, knitted jumpers and scarves are the iconic crafty gifts (Christmas jumpers are trendier than ever these days!) but almost every craft out there, from baking to needlework, has some avenues for making personalized gifts.
Stay Forever Young
One of the best ways to ensure that your mind stays sharp as you get older is to learn new skills and keep setting yourself challenging tasks that demand a high level of concentration. And what better way to do this than to spend your leisure time crafting? It’s not true that old dogs can’t learn new tricks, and crafting is no exception! The more new skills you learn in midlife and beyond, the more adaptable your mind will be. Studies have shown that active learning generates new pathways in the brain. This fresh neural activity slows down the natural aging process. And the good news is: it hardly matters what new skills you decide to pick up, as long as you keep learning new things, your brain will thank you.
If you’ve never tried your hand at crafts, these benefits will have you crafting in no time.
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