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I am just so frustrated with my crafting skills lately. I dont seem to have any mojo this year to sit down and actually make cards ... but even when I do try, nothing seems to work out ... nothing! Ugh. It gets so frustrating. I have lots of supplies and can make anything that I want to, but I cant seem to do anything right lately. Some days I just want to give it all up. I know that people say that "it will get better", but I've been this way for most of the year now. I have made cards that I HAVE to make (as people expect handmade cards from me for their birthdays etc.), but that's about it. I'm not even making my own Christmas cards this year. Usually by now I have at least 30 made ... not this year ... dont feel like it. Do others get like this for a long period of time and then get their mojo back eventually? I tried to make a Christmas ornament tonight ... messed it all up yet again and am going away empty handed at the end of the night, with just a big mess to clean up. I dont like this at all!!!!!
Everyone hits this point at one time or another. I've been there and I remember complaining about it with some friends I met here on SCS.
My suggestion is if you don't do some of the daily challenges here, do some. I found that having some guidelines to follow helps spark my creativity. I personally like Featured Stamper, Color Combination, and Card Sketch because each took some of the decisions out of my hands.
I'd also look through the galleries of stamp sets you own - see what other stampers are doing.
Ah, babe, hang in there. And ditto to Sara. When the inspiration just isn't coming, sketch challenges in particular really help me a lot. CASE (copy and share everything) challenges help, too. And when all else fails, there's always Chocolate!
Just don't do it for a while. Seriously. Put down those scissors and walk away. Don't look back. Go to the library and check out two or three books you've always been wanting to read and just never had the time; get your favorite beverage and sit down somewhere comfy cozy and relax. It's not going anywhere. It'll still be there when you finish your books.
All stress does is give you belly fat, gray hair and wrinkles. You don't need that.
And who knows - if you don't do a single craft for 6 weeks, you just might feel like making those Christmas cards afterall.
(It won't kill anyone on your Sept/Oct birthday list to get a store bought card this year. They will just appreciate your handmade one more next year).
Sending good thoughts your way to help you find peace and enjoyment in the rest of 2011. (It is really flying by, isn't it)?
I second not2shabbydesigns. Walk away for a month or two. Don't do anything in your crafty space. Then, try coming back to it with fresh eyes and refreshed heart. Do some challenges, reorganize your supplies, buy something new, scour magazines and galleries for inspiration...whatever works for you.
Like my husband told me once, "This is a hobby. It's supposed to be fun." Every now and then, I have to smack my forehead and repeat that outloud!
I'm right there with you! I am pretty convinced that my mojo has moved to another state and has no intention of leaving me a forwarding address! While I have made some projects, they didn't come easy and I can't really think of one of late that I really liked. I think part of the problem may lie in the over booked schedule the family is adjusting too with the start of school, increased work hours and the everyday chores that I'm getting further and further behind on. There is just NO ROOM for creativity.
So, I'm learning that it is ok to WALK AWAY. I may lose blog readers with lack of posting. I may discover my kitchen counters instead. Or, I may find that my creativity will be sparked by sitting down and enjoying a book, a new outlook from the latest fitness craze I try, or maybe, even a new creativie adventure that has nothing to do with paper crafting.
A hobby is to give you pleasure, not stress. Walk away. It may be you just need a detour
I understand what you are saying. Sometimes we have so many neat things to play with we don't know where to start. Sometimes we sit at our tables and wonder what we are doing. I have found if I focus on one thing not everything. I can work better. Example / I have a craft show for November and I am donating items for a craft auction; mdse due in October. When I was thinking of all I wanted to do I could not focus. So I made a list of what I wanted to make and I am taking one line at at time. Also checking out other blogs and sites you will get some of your mojo back when you see all the neat things that everyone else is doing. You still have time for Christmas Cards. You can even make them simple this year. Sometimes less is more.
Oh my goodness! It's like I'm reading my own thoughts. I've been feeling that way since last summer...wondering if the mojo will ever return! My crafting friends have said much of what's been posted...relax, allow yourself a break and don't let pressure or guilt about all the supplies (translation=money,Haha!) just sitting there, overwhelm you. Every couple of weeks, I walk into my craft room, rearrange things, let out a big sigh...then walk out again. However, that doesn't stop me from spending lots of time here on SCS. As you can see, I've been here for a while but this is my first post (yay!). That's how much your comment spoke to me.
Like Star said...life's time and emotional demands can be so draining, even the thought of creating is too much.
Hang in there!!!!
PS.....I sent out boxed cards for Christmas 2010. Not one single person asked about my hand made cards. Man, do we put too much pressure on ourselves or what!?!
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One thing that has helped me is to realize that I don't have to make something perfect to make it worthy of sending out. It's okay if it is a little crooked, if my bow isn't just right or whatever. There are many amazing crafters on this site. I am not one of them. My creations are not that spectacular and never will measure up to many others but they are created with love and for the person I am sending or giving them to.
If I try to measure up to others than my mojo just flies out the window. I make cards for fun, because it is relaxing, because it makes me smile. I use the sketches here, the try a new technique, etc when I stumble.
May you find your mojo soon. It is there you just have to let is come out and play.
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One more thing--when I really couldn't find any mojo and a friend's baby died suddenly soon after birth and nothing felt right--I did a very clean and simple card that I cased from here at SCS. It was just right. Everything else just felt wrong. When I am stuck I tend to look at the Clean and Simple for inspiration and know that I can handle that. It's worth a try.
One thing that has helped me is to realize that I don't have to make something perfect to make it worthy of sending out. It's okay if it is a little crooked, if my bow isn't just right or whatever. There are many amazing crafters on this site. I am not one of them. My creations are not that spectacular and never will measure up to many others but they are created with love and for the person I am sending or giving them to.
If I try to measure up to others than my mojo just flies out the window. I make cards for fun, because it is relaxing, because it makes me smile. I use the sketches here, the try a new technique, etc when I stumble.
May you find your mojo soon. It is there you just have to let is come out and play.
My words exactly! My husband and daughter are both A type personalities and everything has to be perfect for them. Me - if it turns out OK and I LIKE It then I'm happy. Pressure is no good, fun is!
When I feel overwhelmed, I get back to the basics. I make a very simple card or scrapbook page. I will sometimes use a simple techniqe or one I haven't used in awhile. That really helps. And, you know what else? If you have to go out and buy a few cards, then do it. You can always add a punched flower, or some glitter, or some buttons to it to give it a hand-made look. I call it "faux hand-made."
You may be being too hard on yourself .
You see beautiful creations on blogs and in the gallery and expect to sit down and create something like that in one go..
What you don't know is how many times did that designer changed the card or project you are admiring until it looks perfect?
Or has the designer made hundreds of cards and knows from past experience that a particular Bo Bunny print looks perfect with a specific color of Su or PTI Cardstock?
I am sure the best designers have ideas they thought would look great but do not. They just keep working at changing things until they are satisfied .
Next time you make a card that doesn't turn out as you expected don't throw it out . Leave it on the table and look at it often until you figure out what is not right and then change it.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
I go through periods of that, but then I am my own worst critic. Sometimes I have a break, other times I persevere and I think my skills improve because of it.
If it feels like a chore then I go back to techniques I enjoy doing and have fun. I am trying to experiment more and not worry about the outcome.
Just don't do it for a while. Seriously. Put down those scissors and walk away. Don't look back. Go to the library and check out two or three books you've always been wanting to read and just never had the time; get your favorite beverage and sit down somewhere comfy cozy and relax. It's not going anywhere. It'll still be there when you finish your books.
All stress does is give you belly fat, gray hair and wrinkles. You don't need that.
And who knows - if you don't do a single craft for 6 weeks, you just might feel like making those Christmas cards afterall.
(It won't kill anyone on your Sept/Oct birthday list to get a store bought card this year. They will just appreciate your handmade one more next year).
Sending good thoughts your way to help you find peace and enjoyment in the rest of 2011. (It is really flying by, isn't it)?
I agree with not2shabbydesigns. Earlier this year, I walked away for SIX months! I did nothing,did not look at card magazines,did not look at nor post to my blog. One day, it hit and I am back creating again! Don't sweat it, you'll get your Mojo back one day!
Thanks for all your kind words ladies! I am hoping that my mojo returns one day, but for now I am definitely just enjoying the time off ... and doing other things, like reading. I do feel kind of guilty for enjoying my time away from crafting, but you ladies are right, this is a hobby and is supposed to be FUN. When it feels like I "have" to do it, it's not fun anymore. I'll let you know when I get my funk back!
Thanks for all your kind words ladies! I am hoping that my mojo returns one day, but for now I am definitely just enjoying the time off ... and doing other things, like reading. I do feel kind of guilty for enjoying my time away from crafting, but you ladies are right, this is a hobby and is supposed to be FUN. When it feels like I "have" to do it, it's not fun anymore. I'll let you know when I get my funk back!
Happy reading! Have you checked out Good Reads yet? I don't have much time to devote to it, but I wish I did. LOVE the idea of that site!
I think everyone has been there. I usually TOTALLY copy a card I like when my muse is on vacation. I go through my favorites, find something I like and copy it or copy the color combination or layout. It's ok to walk away for a while BUT, if your in a funk for a long time, you might be depressed. I was like that about 7 years ago. Sit back and see what else is going on in your life. If there are a bunch of things, you might want to talk to a dr. It was surprising what a pill did and I only had to take them for a few months. My family noticed a difference in a week and I was back stamping like crazy.
Hugs to you. Do something else. I don't have much Mojo this week. Lots of great ideas but no MoJo. I think it's the holidays threw me off. I am playing my Nintendo DS & reading Game of Thrones. I think this is bliss. I working on a few small things. When I get the MoJo loss I like to make small things like embellishments, ATC's, inchies. Sometimes I just scribble around on a pice of paper. It turns out to be a pretty design. Big MoJo losses I look for new blogs to read. Sometimes I find something old that inspires me. A lot of time I find something new to learn. Even if I don't make it I learned something creative. Sometimes it's more fun to learn than create. When you are setting down ready to create that bit of knowledge you learned last year comes to you with a new creative idea to go with it. Stay away from the designer blogs. Look for blogs that are quirky and fun. You know the blogs that are about crafting and not the product. Product blogs make you feel pressured. Even more so when you own that product.
I'm right there with you deb_loves_stamping...my mojo has been lost for about a year now. I don't even feel like buying anything - now that's lost mojo! It overwhelms me to go into my craft room which has been collecting supplies for years. I'm beginning to think I'm more a collector of "stuff" than an actual crafter, LOL. I'm a little bit of a perfectionist when it comes to card making and most of the time my cards do not meet my own standards which just got to the point of frustrating me and I felt like I was just wasting my precious supplies - again LOL! So now I just browse and enjoy what everyone else is doing and hope that one day I'll get the urge again. Hang in there - some day we'll make it back into the groove!
I lost my mojo for sewing. For me it was frustration. I made a beautiful dress and really worked hard on it only to find it fit horribly and unalterably because it was a complex pattern. To be honest, I never got it back because by then I had turned to papercrafting instead. So my advice is to NOT pick up another hobby unless it is very cheap like paper quilling!
In addition, I find I get my mojo back when I make something for me! You've been forcing yourself to make cards for others. Why not decorate a container or journal just for you? Put anything and everything on it that makes you happy.
Lost mojo for a year is pretty serious so look at your life. Could you be depressed? Is there someone in your life that affects you negatively on a regular basis? Is something else generally making you unhappy or stressed? Sometimes lack of creativity is merely a symptom of a larger problem and your mind can't focus enough to enjoy something or you can't relax enough to enjoy it.
If a larger issue isn't at work, try music while you work. Or maybe art journalling to get your feelings down. You might be surprised at what comes out. Or 'wreck this journal'. Similar to art journalling but more freeing and distructive. You can Google either of those. I really don't think that walking away is the answer unless you hate what you've produced when you've made those cards you felt you 'had' to make. After all, your mojo has been gone for almost a year. Walking away might make it worse!
Another solution might be to organize your stuff or atleast go through it. Open every box and container and look through every sheet of paper, every sticker, every bellie and every stamp even if you think you already know what's in there. I'm always finding things I forgot I have or finding things I thought were used up or lost. And it's fun to look at stamp sets again. I was determined that in all my THOUSANDS of stamps, I had to have a 'you're invited' stamp somewhere. Took me ages but I finally found it in a baby set. During my search, I found lots of stamps I've bought but never used and now I'm dying to find time and energy (I'm pregnant) to play with them. I lost my paper crafting mojo while pregnant with my second and I'm so glad I didn't lose it this time!
Hope this helps!
__________________ RebeccaEdnie Mixed Media Artist, Paper Crafter, Jewelry Designer SCSDirtyDozenAlumni Www.Boxofchocolatescrafts.Com YouNeverKnowWhatI’mGoingtoMake
Lots of great advice here! I find I loose my mojo mostly when I feel overwhelmed with choices and under time constraints. I've gone to choosing one kind of stamp (i.e. roses) or even one particular stamp and creating all my cards around that using a new technique, layout or color combo. Then if I do make a card I particularly like I make a couple extra for those times when a card is needed and I don't have time, or my muse is AWOL, I can grab it out for the occasion. Sometimes just looking at the card will inspire me to get back into it. Rebecca, loved your suggestions. Good for all of us to think about.
Occassionally this will happen also to me but find a few good friends that share your passion for card making and start having some get to gethers this helps a mighty lot. Just go with the flow and you will find your Mojo will surprise you and appear again.
Big hugs Carolyn Ann
When I got into this I had never made a card in my life. I had no idea where to start.
The first 2 cards I made were totally copied from cards I saw in the gallery.
Even though I was copying them I messed up those cards and had to redo them several times because I didn't know how to do any of the techniques or use the equipment.
I cut things crooked; I didn't lift the stamp straight up and blurred the image; burnt the embossing, messed up the sponging; learned that scor tape grabs the minute it is "near" the paper and you can't get it up to reposition it. I made a mess of most techniques I tried. But eventually I had two lovely cards and I learned so-o-o-o- much from making those cards
After that I took the knowledge I learned and started laying out my own ideas.
It takes me forever to get a card I like, but at least they are my designs.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
I understand what you are saying. Sometimes we have so many neat things to play with we don't know where to start. Sometimes we sit at our tables and wonder what we are doing. I have found if I focus on one thing not everything. I can work better. Example / I have a craft show for November and I am donating items for a craft auction; mdse due in October. When I was thinking of all I wanted to do I could not focus. So I made a list of what I wanted to make and I am taking one line at at time. Also checking out other blogs and sites you will get some of your mojo back when you see all the neat things that everyone else is doing. You still have time for Christmas Cards. You can even make them simple this year. Sometimes less is more.
ditto here! If I just think of all things I want to make then I never get started on them but if I write down exactly what I want then it's fun to start making them and ticking them off.
Sharing my creations through my blog as well a smy gallery here also motivates me. When I read people's comments or see they favorited it or just that it had 100s of views boosts my morale
Is there a local stamping club/group you can join? I've found by holding my monthly stamp camps I'm able to help my friends and customers keep being creative and it also keeps me creative. Stamping with friends is more fun!
Deb-
Everyone posted great suggestions. One other thing I like to do is have a "mini" crop - just me and one friend at my house or hers and the whole social exchange and looking at what she is working on helps me. Also, I realize this costs money, but taking a class to learn a new technique sometimes causes a creative "spark". Hang in there, I'm certain you will find your mojo when it's ready to be found.
Tracy
I think you got some great advice here! Recently, I've been feeling tired and not motivated to do anything; went to the dr., my thyroid and Vitamin D are both low, so hoping to get some energy back. Has your life been busy in other ways? Maybe you just need a break from it. Are you under stress? I have more than one hobby, so I will take a break from each one at different times. I had to walk away from it for a while, cause my life just got too busy. Although, I saw some of the cards in your gallery, and they are awesome. Mine aren't half as good even when I have my mojo. LOL. Do you still feel like doing other things or spending time with friends? I wouldn't beat myself up about it; your stuff will still be there when you get ready to go back to it. I get a little bummed if I compare my cards with some of the ones in the gallery, but I remind myself that it's not a contest, and all are good in their own way. And I think your cards are wonderful; I'm not just saying that! I hope you're feeling better about it soon. I have days where I'm all thumbs and days when I'm uninspired. And if I do too much of it and it starts to feel like a chore/job, I have to get away from it for a while. But your cards are beautiful; I enjoyed looking at them!
I am like one of the previous posters also, I quit sewing for a bit, as I was getting aggrevated with doing patterns. Since doing more simple things, like making little doggy/kitty blankets for charity and friends and making pet toys etc..., I enjoy it much more.
Don't be too hard on yourself and don't put too much pressure on yourself. To everything there is a season.
Last edited by hoptownracer1; 09-13-2011 at 09:41 PM..
For me I recently went to using 1 company (gasp) and it has truly opened my creativity up and I didn't run out and get every paper and ink they have. I am picking up one or 2 every month or so and just working with what I have when it comes to challenges and stuff. But don't beat yourself up if it is just a time in your life when other things are more stimulating. Maybe box everything up store for 6 months, if you still have no interest maybe it is time to move on. Life is all about the evolution of ourselves, enjoy the transition you never know what you will fall in love with.
__________________ Samantha Crafty Chick's Corner Store Blog
I get my mojo back in a different way. I notice if my stamping area is cluttered, I tend to stay away. I take a couple of hours to sort and organize and when it's all nice and pretty, I want to stamp. Of course having classes/clubs/friends stamp with you is always so much better.
I totally case cards I love. I don't feel my original thoughts can even compare to some stampers on SCS. Sometimes, I am amazed at the creativity I see. That's why this is one of my favorite sites~
I agree with everyone else, it happens to us all sometimes. Mine was missing a while back, mainly due to a change in work hours- by the time I got home, had a shower & coffee, cooked dinner for three of us( my sons a night shift worker, and I wouldn't send him out without food), made our lunches for that night/next day- I had hardly any evening left, especially as I refuse to give up 'us time' with my Beloved Husband. Its getting a bit better now, I am a little more organised, but my main help was sorting & tidying! I found all sorts of stuff I had forgotten I had, which in turn triggered off new ideas. I also started jotting ideas down, or scribbling a quick sketch idea, and that helped too.
Thank you so much for the words of inspiration. Who knew that by replying to the OP, my no-mojo spell would be broken. I took the suggestion of looking at others work here and on a few blogs for most of my free time this weekend. I actually went into my craft room and did some creating Sunday night. It felt really good!!
Thanks again! Best wishes to Deb_Loves_stamping....hope your mojo finds you very soon!
So frustrated!
