As seen in Mollie Makes and why crafters NEED validation
Mollie Makes has been one of my favourite craft magazines since Issue 02.
So it’s no shock that I was ecstatic when they wanted to mention me as their ‘one to follow’ in Issue 26. Squeals might have been involved. Rest assured I’ll be celebrating properly.
Being able to see Crafting Fingers in print, when it’s such a new little project, is such a cool feeling. It makes this project feel a bit more real. What started as something fun and silly is quickly turning into a creative funnel for my crafting projects. It’s nice to have a place to shout from the rooftops about how much I love handmade.
Which brings me to an important topic that I’ve been thinking about recently.
Why does getting support in handmade pursuits matter so much to us?
I’ve realised it all boils down to validation. Yes, it feels good to be accepted in the crafting community, but it’s more than that.
Creative pursuits are a bit hard to judge. If you’re an accountant or passionate about chemistry, the results help speak for themselves. Whether or not a project is worth your time is a bit more self-regulating. But when you’re being creative and have (finally, from dozens and dozens) chosen an idea to pursue, how do you know whether or not it’s worth it?
Most of us find out we’re better at something than we realise, or that we’re focusing on the wrong thing. But we don’t wake up and realise that ourselves.
It’s something we learn from others.
In crafting, hearing from other people about what we do is how we get context for our work. It’s what tells us to pursue one project over another. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean we’re all just following the whims of our Twitter friends, but feedback does affect us. That’s what ‘feed back’ is; it feeds back into the work it’s commenting on and affects it.
Blogger Anna Simmonds has made it her mission to learn a new craft every month as part of her mantra to live a fuller, simpler, handmade life. We’re in, are you?
– Mollie Makes, Issue 26
The important thing is to be aware of who’s worth listening to.
As for me, I’m happy to hear from my favourite mags and cool crafty people on Twitter. It feels good to know that I’m not just whispering into the wind.
It keeps me going.
It keeps me crafting.
Thanks for the validation,
Awesome! You go, girl! =)
I bet you were excited to see your name in the magazine. I have always thought this was a neat magazine. I have not been able to find it here in the states. You guys really have a lot of neat craft magazines in the UK. Lucky you! Have a wonderful weekend!
Patti, I’ve seen it at JoAnn’s! =)
Marina-
Thanks so much for that info. I always forget that Joann’s has magazines. I appreciate the reminder, :)
Congratulations on the feature in Mollie Makes! That’s one heck of a validation lady!
You’re so very right about crafters needing validation for their work. I don’t think a lot of us like to admit it but the positive vibes and juju keep the creative juices flowing and encourage you to make/share the next creation!
You actually are the source of my validation this morning! I was checking my blog traffic sources and it tracked back to a stamping post where you recommended my blog. Sometimes validation can be as simple as a comment. And yours made my day! Thank you! I’m so happy to have found your blog too!
Thank you so much Chelsea! Positive feedback really can mean so much, even (or sometimes especially) when it’s from strangers. So glad I helped you feel good about your crafting, too! I think it’s good for us to remember that even when we don’t have time to help or money to support, we can all help creative people with a quick comment. Just a, ‘I love your work’, means so much. Thanks for reading!