Aids to get you into the creative zone

Crafting can be such a therapeutic process and we can often lose track of time when we enter into the creative zone.  Here are some of the things that help me with creating a comfortable creative atmosphere that enables me to work on my craft projects.

Audiobooks

I love to read however there are so many things on my to do list that I very rarely have the time to just curl up and read a book.  But thankfully there is a solution that helps me enjoy a good book as well as completing crafting projects.

There is audiobooks available for you to purchase on audiobook providers like https://www.audible.co.uk/ However I have so many books already on my kindle that I wanted to read first.  Therefore I just use the read to me function on my kindle to sit and listed while it reads me a story.  To be fair it does take a little while to get used to the computerised voice when the kindle reads.  Also there are a number of words that are misread.  However this just adds to enjoyment of guessing what was actually written.

I find that an audiobook is a bit more calming and is better suited to some crafts.  Especially ones that you have to concentrate on.

TV

My favourite craft is probably knitting and luckily that is the products that I most often get orders for.  I find knitting quite calming and it helps me relax in the evenings before bed.  Therefore it is the perfect partner to sitting and watching TV.  It also cuts down on the interruptions from the husband as he is watching the TV he won’t interrupt your counting too much.

A calming drink aka creative juice!

Depending on the time of day (well what is an acceptable time of day) will determine what drink I have to accompany my crafts.  But also the weather can rule what drink I have to accompany my crafting.

Usually in the evenings in the winter it is nice to curl up and craft with a hot drink.  Recently I have discovered flavoured rooibis tea that I have as loose leaf.  The chocolate orange flavour is my absolute favourite.  Feels like a hot chocolate without all the naughtiness.

However if given the choice I think crafts should always be accompanied by a nice glass of chilled white wine.  This is particularly helpful if the particular project that you are working on is not going to plan.

Music

Depending on the craft I find that music can be a good background to the process.  I particularly like music when I am painting.  As painting is just a basic covering exercise on which I then add to I find it a bit mundane.  However if I put some music on it tends to help with the process and I feel that I am finished a lot quicker.  Having music on in the background can really lift your mood as well, particularly helpful if you project has hit a bit of an issue.

Snacks

Now I love a good snack, however surprisingly I don’t personally craft with them.  I know that a lot of people love a good grazing snack while crafting so I have included it in my list although I don’t do it.  I find that I would get the residue of what ever I am eating all over the project I am working on.   Which is why I don’t do it, but I do take regular snack breaks. 

To be fair a snack break usually coincides with when the sewing machine has eaten my project or I have dropped a stitch.  So rather than aiding my crafting I think my snack breaks are more consoling when a mistake happens.

It is so satisfying when you can take the time and really get into the zone of creating something fantastic.  Anything that helps with this process I think is a bonus.  Crafting to me is a natural stress reliever and can really work wonders if you suffer from mental health issues.  If nothing else it makes you sit and just spend some time on yourself.

If you have enjoyed this post have a look at my post on using crafting to relax https://www.claireyatfairycrafters.com/crafts-to-relax/

Please share with me what helps you with your crafting process.  Or let me know if there are any that you hadn’t thought about before.