The fingers on my left hand have taken the brunt of my creativity this year. My thumb and forefinger get pricked regularly in the name of embroidery, and I’m redeveloping callouses on my fingertips since I picked up my guitar after two years. The tips don’t hurt as much as they did a few weeks ago, but don’t tell my ears. My chord progressions are still pretty painful to listen to.
I know that learning anything takes practice to get better, but you also need a goal or desired outcome in mind to keep going. Doesn’t need to be anything grand. I mean, I’m not practicing my guitar again because I want to join a rock band, but by December, I should be good enough to play a few holiday songs with my grandkids, and the Christmas trees I’m embroidering will be ready to gift.
Last November, depression was coming more readily, and I felt I had no purpose. My memoir was out in the world, and I was working on a novel, but it wasn’t enough to keep the winter blues away. It’d been a long time since I’d done anything creative (since I failed miserably to learn how to knit), so I bought a few cross stich patterns. Working on them, my evenings were filled with less doom and gloom, and I had something to look forward to, which with depression is half my the battle.
Once I dusted off those skills, I wanted to do something more challenging, so I bought a few simple embroidery kits and learned some basic stitches, and by learn, I mean I watched YouTube videos since I learn better by watching than reading directions. (It’s why no one calls me to help put furniture together.)
What creative endeavor do you lose yourself in? And if you don’t mind me asking, why and when did you pick it up?
A reminder that if you’re thinking about starting a writing project (a memoir, personal essay, a work of fiction) and aren’t sure how to start, or if you’ve started one and you’re just plain stuck, or even if you’re just needing some confidence and a little editing, I offer a Two-Hour Writing Mentorship that can help you get on the right path. Click here for more information.
P.S. No matter where you’re at in your creative endeavors, check out this story for inspiration. This teenager crocheted her prom dress! It’s stunning (and looks nothing like the crocheted vests your grandmother made you when you were a kid).
P.S.S. I love how the front and back represent both our messy, complicated side and the side we try to maintain in public.
Lynn Haraldson, Author and Writing Mentor 
Love the nod of the head to Neil in your title 🙂 Congrats on finishing your latest project – what a great way to help combat depression, especially with a finished product waiting at the other end. I write and I read and I bake when the gloomies get bad, so there’s yummy stuff, filled pages and another entry on the book tally when I’m done. Whatever works!
e
I knew a few folks would get the reference 😉 I’ve found that playing my guitar for 30 minutes gives me the same endorphin high that exercise does, but that embroidery helps calm my mind and keeps me focused. It’s also a fun thing to do while watching Jeopardy or other shows. As I age, I realize just how ADD I really am.
I find embroidery, crocheting, and knitting to be relaxing. I have a rather large quilt that I’ve been working on hand quilting for a long time. Reading your blog makes me realize I should work on it some more.