Whether it be enjoying one’s alone time or trying to spend time with the children, arts and crafts are definitely one that makes for an enjoyable pastime. You can keep your hands busy, enjoy a cup of tea and some music all the while creating something new entirely.
You might find that it’s very fulfilling and others may find it addicting. The routine of doing arts and crafts lulls the mind of negative thoughts and impulsive behavior. While the technicality of it keeps the brain alert and your problem-solving skills sharp.
Arts and crafts are defined as simply making a thing with one’s own hands and most of the time, it is a personal hobby.
From prehistoric times to modern times, it has always been enjoyed by people. However, the term arts and crafts have been coined during the times of English architect and art critic William Morris and John Ruskin. Nowadays, it is part of the curriculum around the world and also easily learned through the internet.
There are a lot of different arts and crafts hobbies that one can enjoy and each is categorized by the materials to be used.
For example, those who enjoy working with yarns or threads get into cross-stitching, crocheting, lace making, embroidery, and Patchwork.
While those who have sewing machines at home would enjoy sewing, quilting, and millinery or hat making. Rug making in the form of tufting can also be easily done at home. Or if you are looking for something smaller, felting, tie-dying, and screen-printing on t-shirts might be for you.
Several studies have shown that doing arts and crafts has immense benefits for a person’s well-being.
In fact, according to the American Journal of Public Health, people who are into arts and create a form of art have shown a reduction in stress and anxiety. Apart from that, they also have found that arts increase positive emotions in people. That said, arts and crafts, even if notably enjoyed by women, are also enjoyed by men.
It seems that because arts and crafts usually have the connotation that it is enjoyed by children and women, some people forget that a lot of it also involves the use of fire and use of strength. Metalworking, jewelry making, pottery making, woodworking, cabinet making, lacquerware, and woodturning are also arts and crafts. Creating boosts self-esteem because you see directly what you are capable of doing and finishing a project adds to your self-fulfillment.
A boost of confidence is something anyone would need every day. Self-fulfillment and seeing what you are capable of opens the minds to what more could be possible. Arts and crafts are a great way to stimulate the release of dopamine which is our body’s happy hormone. It reduces the feelings of sadness and depression and replaces them with the feeling of confidence. That sense of achievement you get from finishing a large canvas of cross stitch? You may be unaware of it but it has instilled in your happiness. School children also benefit a lot from arts and crafts, maybe much more than adults do.
It makes use of their analytical ability, boosts their motor skills, teaches them an appreciation for arts and its beauty, and most of all teach them a skill that they could use later on in their life. They might find their calling or just something they could make money from later on.
Most of the arts and crafts taught in schools are paper-based. This is mostly for safety purposes and also to help them garner strength and motor skills for more challenging tasks at higher levels.
Usually, it starts with making the likenesses of animals with origami, creating a huge doll of paper mache for a parade, having a tell-all daily diary with scrapbooking, or easing them into fine arts and making portraits with sketching. Decoupage is also an easy and beautiful way to make conversation starter pieces that can be created by school-age kids and adults alike.
Empathy is also a value that must be learned from a young age apart from analytical and critical thinking skills.
According to a neurobiologist from the University College London, art not only provides enjoyment for the art aficionado, but it also hones a person’s critical thinking skills.
Finding meaning represented in art, the emotions and flow of thought that an artist would have while creating instill a sort of connection with them. This is because we can find our own humanness in it too. Professor Semir Zeki has found throughout his research that people who enjoy viewing art and the process of creating it are more empathetic of people and tolerant of people’s differences.
The benefits of arts also extend to those coping with illness.
Art therapy is used for people who have gone through or are going through sickness. A physician named Dr. Arnold Bresky found an improvement of 70% in the improvement of memory with patients of Alzheimer’s disease with this method. There are also studies that show a significant improvement in psychiatric symptoms and social behavior.
One more advantage of arts and crafts is that you don’t really need to purchase a lot of expensive machines or lease a space just for it. You can enjoy it at home or wherever you may be. You can crochet while traveling and you can create a scrapbook to record your family’s growth at home.
At Flexispot, you will find products that you can use to create a space in your own home for creating crafts. The Esben Standing Desk UD4 has two large drawers spacious enough for your materials. It is very easy to install. It is wide enough for you to comfortably create at 48” x 24”. It also has a USB port so that you can charge your phone or devices that you might use to follow along with a tutorial on YouTube. It’s also height-adjustable so that while it is enjoyable to do your arts and crafts, your posture need not be adversely affected. Your desk will conform to your height and requirements.
