Craftfulness

With anxiety and depression being the most common mental disorders in Britain, we need techniques that will help us overcome self-criticism, lack of confidence and self-doubt – and crafting might just be the answer.

Craft enthusiasts are already aware of the joys that come from making things with your own hands but they might not know is that there is more to crafting than the simple enjoyment of a creative hobby.

Authors Davidson and Tahsin affirm that, through making and mending things, we are also potentially making and mending ourselves. Indeed, numerous research studies reveal how the regular practice of a craft activity has a positive impact on our mental health.

Drawing on the first-hand accounts of everyday crafters, Craftfulness considers the vital well-being effects to be gained from the simple expression of your creativity, and investigates the soul cleansing and stress-relieving benefits of making things by hand.

Investigating the areas of mindfulness, neuroscience, positive psychology and creativity, they talked to GPs, psychiatrists, and mental health experts about the links between creative making and improved outcomes for well-being.

 This is an all-you-need-to-know guide to inspire you to give making a go that also

* Suggests ways to make time in a hectic life for everyday creative work;

* Considers how we can try to overcome self-judgement and doubt;

* Features simple but immensely satisfying craft projects to still the mind and soothe the soul, complete with beautifully illustrated step-by-step illustrations.

About the Authors

Rosemary Davidson has worked as a publicist and editor at Bloomsbury and Vintage, Random House where she launched the Square Peg imprint in 2008. Taught by her Glaswegian seamstress grandmother, she started to make her own clothes as a teenager. She continues to sew and knit - both of which have helped her hugely with repeated bouts of clinical depression - and has recently added pottery to her craft activities. She lives in Hackney and doesn’t like curtains, can’t drive a car or use a drill. She can’t crochet or felt either… but she’s willing to learn.

Arzu Tahsin has worked in publishing for over twenty-five years, beginning her career as a temp at Virago and going on to edit and publish outstanding authors such as Khaled Hosseini and Malala Yousafzai. She cannot remember a time she was not working on one craft project or another. From Japanese woodblock printmaking to bookbinding to simple weaving, she has found it hard to focus on a single craft, and feels all the better for it.