Crafting: A Sort of Therapy

Crafting something from basic materials is a rewarding activity for anyone. When you have made something “from scratch”, you develop a sense of intrinsic accomplishment and pride.?áIn addition to the?ápure joys of making, there is?áthe final physical?áobject that you can use and?ádisplay. Crafting and art-making is good for you, and?ácan be used?áin a?átherapeutic manner.

When people make new things, they need to focus. When people learn new?ácrafting skills?áthey?ácoordinate?átheir minds, hands, and memory to work in synch. People with short attention spans,?ávarious levels of learning abilities,?áor who?áfind it difficult to connect with the world can?ádevelop their?áfocus and connections. I have seen this seemingly magic process in classrooms, where I have taught workshops in felt-making and sewing. Little children with major problems really do love learning, and?áhunger for?áthe sense of accomplishment?áachieved when they learn a new skill and?áhave something exciting to share with their parents after class. This sort of craft-therapy is useful to increase children’s engagement with the idea of learning. Focus is a skill that can be exercised like a muscle. The more a child uses the “focus muscle”, the better they are able to use this “muscle” in “sports” other than crafting… it really becomes one of their skill-sets.

Crafting in a therapeutic manner also?áincreases a person’s ability to connect with others, to adapt into the role of being a student (or a teacher, for that matter).?áProblem-solving as one navigates learning the new (yet often?átraditional) techniques of crafting?ácreates team-building, forms human connections, and encourages storytelling. An example: A group of teenagers get together to learn how to knit. There are problems at first, some of the kids don’t want to be “Grannies”. One of the kids becomes a bit of a leader, saying “Well, I loved my Granny. She was cool.” The kids settle down, reminisce, share some stories, and help one another with their knitting.?áThey have formed?áconnections with their past and?áwith one another, and are acting both as students and teachers as they learn their new (old) craft.

Development of?áfine motor skills and hand/eye/mind coordination is another benefit to crafting and art-making. Obviously, if one takes a pencil or paintbrush in one’s hand and applies it to paper, there is a cause and effect. The artist is making something. The artist sees what happens when they move their hand a certain way. They try it again, a little bit differently this time, and see the changes. They register this change, and with practice the movements and effects become?áskills of which they are more in?ácontrol.

Through art and craft therapy, people learn new skills,?áfeel pride, and reconnect with traditions and?áa sense of history.?áThey develop hand/eye/mind coordination and learn to focus. Crafters?ácan work in teams or groups to teach others their skills. Crafting is social, fun, and a?ábeneficial activity. As a person who has led several arts and crafts workshops with all sorts of people, I must say that the idea of a career as an Art Therapist is an exciting one!

Natasha Henderson, Montreal