craftraven

I know why I've been experiencing big emotions over the last few weeks. I understand why they crop up at moments that seem too small for them to be an appropriate response. I know why they catch me off guard when I am unprepared. What I have been trying to tease out is why I haven’t processed or managed them more effectively yet.

Life is full of people who talk at us, expecting us to be an open vessel for their monologues. They might ask how we are, but it seems as though they aren't listening to our response. It often feels like they're just waiting for us to finish so they can express what they wanted to share before they asked, rather than genuinely caring about our answer.

Today, while cleaning up my office and craft space, I took a new approach to UFPs (Unfinished Projects). Nearly all artists and crafters have these art or craft ideas that sit unattended for months or years. Our nuggets of shame that we’ve left incomplete for…reasons. Perhaps we lost interest, maybe it wasn’t going the way we wanted it to, or life got busy, and we never went back to what we were working on. Often, in my case, I forgot I was even working on it.

June was a little bit different from the previous five months of this year. Having spent six months building craftraven, designing the website, working on blog posts, Pinterest pins, craft projects, shop items, and numerous small details, I realized I had accomplished my 2025 goal. I decided that my goal for June would be to determine how this business would operate on a day-to-day basis. 

or as long as I can remember, I have tried to draw things the way I see them. I do this nearly always while looking at photographs, which are unchanging images. Photographs allow me to compare my work directly with them, a benchmark for accuracy. I have never looked at art and asked, "What am I trying to say? What does this mean?" For myself, it has solely been a technical ability to draw realistically.

My long-term goal for May was to polish some final pieces of the website, prepare it for the shop launch, and launch it. Goal accomplished! Thank you to all who visited and checked out the blog, especially those lovely individuals who made a purchase! You all warmed my heart <3

Sometimes, when I sit down at my computer in the morning, I feel like there is too much information and too many ideas, and I begin to feel frozen as to what to do next. Here is how I process, organize, and move past that sensation.

Perfection can be boring and sterile; sometimes, it can feel like the artistic equivalent of everything is a shade of beige. Imperfect art, on the other hand? That’s where the magic lives.

Arthur Brooks' writing style is much more digestible than I anticipated from the cover of his book.

Even when it feels like you didn’t accomplish much each day, over the long term, it adds up! It’s the end of the day and the last day of April. I have been considering how to justify my time over the previous 30 days. I’ve been feeling as though I haven’t done enough.

Anxiety has become a common struggle for many people. Adult coloring books are an unexpected yet effective tool in this quest for calm.

I didn’t have much interest in Leena's previous book, “Bargin Bin Rom-Com,” but “Half Arse Human” sounded right up my alley.

If you're feeling off track, follow these steps to reflect on what led you astray, realign to your goals, and resume on your path.

Sometimes, the littlest, silliest things can bring exponential joy. 

This month taught me that working 100% of the days in a month isn't the healthiest of goals. It's much better to find a balance.

I have a big “unachievable” goal. I don’t have the means to throw at it and make it happen right now, so let’s call it an aspiration. 

Sometimes, when we tackle a large project that will take many days or weeks, we can begin to feel burnout.

“Build your life around your dreams and watch them come true.”

Free yourself from becoming bogged down in negativity, and allow yourself more time and energy for what matters most to you.

January taught me to set more specific goals. I thought I took that lesson to heart for February.