Last night I stayed up late applying face masks, watching movies, and painting pumpkins with my sister and her girlfriend. I have two research papers coming up, readings, blog posts for a freelance writing gig to write, and a stack of pleasure reads sitting on my nightstand that I have barely put a dent in. Before our movie night festivities began, I questioned if I really should be giving myself the night off when I had so much to do but I decided “What the hell? The work will be there in the morning.” I wasn’t too keen on painting pumpkins. It feels like it had been forever since I’d held a paintbrush, but once I got into a good rhythm I felt a lot more comfortable and turned my pumpkin into an artistic masterpiece.
With many of us stuck at home, we may find ourselves with more time on our hands than before. I would highly suggest using some of that extra time for some sort of creative activity. Giving yourself the time to be creative and partake in some fun arts and crafts can help you relax and collect your thoughts. Activities that involve very tactile materials (i.e. molding clay, slime, sand, etc.) make for the most calming. We often associate things like painting, and coloring, or arts and crafts in general with children, but arts and crafts are just as beneficial for adults as they are for children. According to Mindfood.com, arts and crafts can relieve stress, enhance brain productivity, boost confidence, and increase empathy.
So you set out on your first arts and crafts endeavor, but you’re a little worried about getting in over your head. What supplies do you need? Is this going to be really time-consuming? How much money am I going to spend? These are all valid questions. Keep in mind that arts and crafts don’t have to be complicated. Take it back to basics with a good old-school magazine collage. These are widely popular for elementary school-aged children, but as an adult, your chosen collage may be a little different than it would’ve when you were a kid. Maybe that collage kick starts you finally getting around to creating a vision board or just a cute picture to frame and hang on your wall. If you’re looking for something that’s a little more rigorous than a magazine collage, Goodhousekeeping.com has a great article with some lovely crafts to tap into your more creative side.