A New Channel

 Hello everyone I hope you are all well and enjoying the last bit of the er...summer. It has been a funny one hasn't it?  I keep seeing people now sharing posts about the start of Autumn and so on and I think is that it!  Is that all we are getting this year, and then I have to remind myself to embrace the seasons whatever they may be because after all it is nice that we get them.  It does give a bit of variety to the year so I am going to focus on that. 

Now about a month ago I started a new youtube channel as I don't how or to what purpose but my other channel has some sort of block on it, probably due to hacks or something that I know nothing about?? Anyway I decided to start over with a new one, I have left the other videos up for now so people can still use them but if you haven't already can you hop over and follow my new channel here...  Beyond the sewing Room

So this post here is my latest one, I show how to make a fabric storage box without an actual box, it is all just made from fabric scraps.  The pattern I show just uses A4 paper and it is really easy, another cheaky ask is this, if you watch any videos can you let run to the end please.  I have noticed that the watch time is either half or less of the videos which means that people just skip and watch bits of them and this a bit disheartening when you have put the time in making them.   

What I tend to do is watch youtube videos  of the people I follow while I am ironing, it is my treat and makes ironing less of a chore, I always do it on a Sunday and take my laptop and catch up on the vlogs I follow whaile I get all the washing sorted for the week.  It works for me, although I do know a lot of young people don't iron any more, this I can't get my head around as I like to see everything looking well pressed and cared for and I dont think you get this with things that are not ironed. So as I was saying doing it this way passes the time in a fun way and I do tend to watch videos right through as I am not sat over the laptop skipping.    Also if there is anything you would like to see on my channel please let me know here, or in the comments on youtube and I will try to include it in future videos.

This past week I have read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, now I have mixed feelings about this one.  I did enjoy it in a way but I also had moments of thinking it was very repetitive and a bit out there.  The thing that jumped out at me from it mainly was the idea that if we are meant to be makers and creators then we should just do it rather than thinking about the results, productivity and also how things are reccieved.  We should just do it, because it is what we are meant to do and it makes us happy.  Now I have always been a maker and I know that lots of you are too, a lifelong maker of all sorts of things and I have lots of interests.  However somewhere along the way we get sucked into this idea that we should be making more of it, making it profitable, having more sucess with it.  That can be a killer for everything that we want to do when we start measuring it all based on other peoples ideas on how valuable it is.  Is it worth our time, and also can we make a living from it?  

So this really  hit home for me as I am currently making a living from my making, and I am constantly aware of what other people are thinking about it, is it good enough, are people bored with it, how can I improve, what next etc.  Well this book did spell out the realization that regardless of whether or not I make money from making, or how many other people appreciate it, watch or like, I am still going to always want to make things so I may as well just do.  A funny thing is quite often when I have been making and it may have been with scraps, or painting or whatever it may be Ihave had the question from famliy members 'what are you going to do with that now?' as in are you going to list it etc.  So we are conditioned to think that everything we do has to have a monetary goal, a bit sad I know becasue much as I want to continue making as a living I still want to just do it for me too and not lose that joy.

A few years ago someone did say to me aren't you afraid that if you sew for your job you won't love it any more and it will spoil your hobby?  Well it has not done that but I do need to lose this preoccupation with how it can support me.  Gilbert does say in the book not to expect your creativity to support you, it's great if it can do that but just don't expect it.  She is talking of writing in her case but I suppose it can be applied to whatever it is that you love to do.

So that is my little ramble for today, I would love to know your thoughts on this if you have felt something similar and now I am off to create.  Take care.