I create because…
… it helps improve my mental health.
Hello, I’m Hannah 👋 And I love to get creative!
From a very young age I loved to write, making up my own little worlds to escape into. I would write stories and create adventures for all the people in my imagination to enjoy. This creative side of me has never gone away, although has changed in form throughout the years. When I was about 10, my mum set up a craft club for pre-teens once a month, sharing her passion and knowledge for craft and creativity with local children, and through that I got to try a range of different crafts. As I got older I discovered the joys of baking, particularly baking with friends and housemates at university, and then a few years ago friends introduced me to the world of crochet, and my creative horizons expanded even further.
All this was before I got ill, so even then creating brought me a lot of joy - whether that was creating a new short story and entering it into the local town competition (my mini claim to fame is that through this I met some amazing childrens writers - Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Morpurgo and Malorie Blackman!). Or creating a birtday cake with the thickest fondant icing flowers on it with friends after sixth form had finished (the cake itself was super sickly but these friends introduced me to the delight that is leftover raw cake batter that I had never been allowed at home due to the risk of Salmonella). Or creating a blanket for the growing baby in my tummy, who I couldn’t wait to meet and wanted to create something for them as they were being created in my tummy. Each thing I created gave me a sense of accomplishment, and also gave me a chance to share something with others. Even when my creation was just kept for me, I loved the process of starting with a few materials and ending with an actual thing that I had poured my love in to.
When I got ill following the birth of my daughter, crochet, and being creative really helped me start to get out of some of my darker moments. I found being able to have an activity that focused my brain enough to stop my mind wondering, but didn’t overwhelm and tire my brain too quickly was amazing. It was a great occupier for my brain, and having a project to focus on gave me a sense of purpose. My friends helped me pick which colours to use, and retaught me a basic crochet stitch so that my brain didn’t have to make decisions. With the target of my daughters first birthday in mind I started crocheting a blanket for her. This blanket was such an amazing lifeline, both to me and to others, as the blanket I made was actually the first ever Cariad Blanket, and what inspired this whole project.
In making this first Cariad blanket I found crochet to be such a loyal companion - something I could sit and do whilst my daughter played, or when chatting to friends on the phone, or in front of the TV in the evening, or that I could even take out and about when feeling brave enough to venture out. Crochet massively helps relax me, so particularly works well for me at times when I feel nervous about being out somewhere, or when my brain is getting the better of me at home. The repetitive motion of crocheting stitches is said to release serotonin, the feel good chemical in your brain that can help boost your mood. And the mindful quality of focusing on your work can help calm your nervous system. Plus you get cute items at the end of it which helps with presents for friends and family!
Since this first Cariad blanket I have made countless other crochet items, and have found a real connection with my creative side once again. I’ve been enjoying exploring new crafts and creative time, which have allowed my brain a chance just to switch off from what’s going on in my life and unwind. I’ve even tried some drawing and painting again recently, and despite being far from the world’s best drawer (trust me, if we ever played pictionary together you’d be left very confused and frustrated) I’ve found such a release in having time to be creative. At a Christmas Craft evening I attended with friends a few years ago (and ended up getting in a bit of pickle with a glue gun!) I said, “I try hard, I may not be excellent, but I have fun” And that for me sums up why I like to craft and create.
Whether you have a mental health problem or not, getting creative can provide such a benefit to your mental health, and I would highly recommend getting creative or trying a new craft if you need a little boost to your wellbeing.
Hannah is a baker, crocheter, creative experimenter who lives in South Wales with her family and LOTS of balls of yarn.