June3, 2024
We’re doing 30 Days of Dopamine, which means it’s time to work with our hands to help our brains make more of the happy chemicals. It’s science, guys, science wants us to quilt more. As part of the challenge, we’ll be sharing little tidbits and interviews and reminders to nudge you in the direction of your sewing machine . Or sidewalk chalk. Or ukulele, really whatever creative muse strikes you for the day we say go for it. But everyone absorbs information differently, and maybe interviews and videos aren’t your thing? So I made sure to find a book or a resource that you could read and refer back to. Let’s look at Creative First Aid.
I admit I didn’t find this on my own; a lovely person named Iris in Australia that I received a mini quilt from when those swaps were all the rage talked about it. It was an instant add-to-cart moment. Well, more of a call-my-local-bookshop-and-reserve-a-copy moment. But I’m so glad I did.
A little background on the book; authors Caitlin Marshall and Lizzie Rose are the founders of MakeShift, a space dedicated to using creativity as a supplement for mental health. They’ve worked with first responders, trauma patients, all manner of people. And everyone has benefitted from inviting more creativity into their lives, and there is no one ‘right way’ to be creative.
I know my regular peeps may be reading this and thinking ‘this is not quilting, why are you telling us about this’ (or maybe you’re not and my imposter syndrome is peeking out to be a party pooper), and to you I say because I know you. I know that you struggle with perfect points. I know you want curated color combinations. I know you want to make beautiful things. This book deals with none of that, and it’s all the better for it.