Covid-19 is one of the biggest reasons as to why crafting has become something people do and have to do to get through the day. Covid-19 started in the UK in January 2020, by March 2020 the entire country had shut down and people stayed at home due to how fast it was spreading around people. Therefore, many people turned to crafting as an outlet for this because they didn’t want to just see and hear about covid-19, they wanted an escape. Crafting is an escape for so many people.
For Lynn Charlish covid-19 affcted her mental health. She used to listen to radio shows and since covid-19 hasn’t been able to because it affects her mental health. Crafting helpes her manage her mental health.
Lynn started her business with her working along side it so it was slow to start with. “My daughter went back to school and I managed to get some time to work solely on my business, or that was the plan. Until a day later when the schools closed again and I had to do home schooling.”
“I started my business in September 2020, and I have always crafted. Then my house got full with crafts and I decided to set up a business. I work in a school and I want to make enough money out of my crafting business so that I can cut my hours down at work. So I started it up and cut my hours at work due to my mental health anyway. The goal of my business was to cut my hours at work and to help my mental health.
“I make personalised things, esoecially of peoples pets such as my dog who passed away, I am making something out her collar for my mum because thats what I do and specalise in.”
Lynn works in a school for children with special needs and when the pandemic hit she was so scared that something would happen and she could possibly pass on the virus that her mental health detoriated.
Therefore, she has turned to crafing. “I have tried every single craft going, for example wire trees and wire decoration. I do felting, which is good when I am angry or I can’t concentrate. I do card making, scrapbooking and I used to do cross stich."
Lynn suffers with anxiety and depression, and when she has high anxiety her hands start to vibrate so she has things she can do to stop the physical side to her anxiety.
“I do felting and origami to help stop my hands from moving, I have found that if I stop the physical side effects of my anxiety I can calm down my anxeity when it flares up.
“Also, you feel a sense of acheievement when you have completed something. Then I feel relief when I have finished a product and I can put it away and start something new. I love that feeling.
“I love making the personalised crafts that I do, for example people send me photos of their dogs and using a laser cutter I make a silouette and engrave it so that it is personalised to do. However, even though I love doing this and I love crafting I also enjoy the feedback. I love people getting back to me and saying that they have enjoyed what I have made and it has brought them joy. Its just amazing.”
Crafting isn’t just thing ssuch as drawing and painting, it doesn’t have to be completely hand made crafting can be anything and this includes something that is made with a computer, or a laser cutter because although it isn’t hand made entirely it still is because people have still sat down and made something for someone else even though it was made through technology.
Lynn said: “I never understood the laser cutter things before I got one, my mum was an artist and anything computer based is not classed as art. And now I have to do it all and make it myself, although the final product can only take a few minutes to make in terms of the engraving and things. But, the additional things like the computer work takes such a long time, it takes the same amount of time to input it on a computer then it would to make a craft. All the effort and the heart is still there and still goes into it. This can crate connections as well, with my family there are times you cannot physically talk and at one point I lost the ability to speak but with crafts you get to speak without speaking and you get to express yourself without words. Even when I can speak I am not the greatest communicator and I show them I love them using and through crafts.
“I made them all something a few months ago that are personalised to them, things that they would love to show them all that I love and I care about them. That is what crafting is for me, its what it shows and how it shows them that I care for them.”
Lynn tells people who want to craft that it doesn’t matter what it looks like, it doesn’t matter how to turns out and what people will think it is the crafting that matters.
Also, crafting is there to make people happy, its there to bring you joy and in return maybe you will spread some joy, it doesn’t matter if its good or not what matters is that you have sat down and crafted. That you have taken that time and been able to sit and think that I have made this, and it has made me happy. That is all that matters.