If you are anything like me, you were audacious in your youth. You had confidence, took risks, walked with style, and you made stuff.
YOU MADE STUFF.
And then life happened, and adulthood, and then what? What happened to making stuff? Paying bills? What's that about?
So you started again, and this time, you thought, "I'll turn that into a business." Maybe you did, and maybe you didn't, (I did! Check it out here.) But your craftiness changed, somehow. You didn't have as much time for it. You focused on your career, or your family.
Listen to me.
You can get that feeling back. You can be a crafty rebel if you want to. You know why? It's simple.
You never stopped being one.
I had an epiphany when I turned 40 years old, and it was this: We never stop being every age we have ever been.
(Click the birdie to tweet that thought.)
Think about that for a minute. You know how to be 20 because you have been 20. You know 10 because you have been 10. And your body and your mind NEVER STOP knowing that, so you NEVER STOP being 10 years old. Or 15. Or 18. Or 42.
This works the same way for who you are inside. If you are creative, arty, crafty, whatever you want to call it--you DON'T STOP being that way! You are still that 15-year-old who hand made her Halloween costume and won the contest in high school. You are still the 30-year-old who faces every Team Snack Day at work as a personal, competitive challenge to out-snack all the others.
You are still a crafty rebel. You never stopped.
The big question is: How do you get that spark back? How do you find the time? How do you become that person again? I'll tell you.
How to Be a Crafty Rebel
1. Dig out all your craft supplies, including tools. Set them out somewhere in your home. Trip over them, daily. Have fights with your spouse/roommate about it. Ignore all criticism. Lie and say you are making a hat for her/him.
2. Hand write thank-you notes, as a rule. No more emails or texts. Put a stamp on it and send it.
3. Color the tips of your hair. Just the ends.
4. Start a YouTube channel. Or a blog. Or a new Pinterest board entitled "Crafty AF."
5. Make something. Then make another thing. And another. To start, it can be as simple as dinner, or as complex as a self-portrait completely out of melted crayons. Crochet a sweater for your coffee cup. Or a hat for your dog (not your spouse/roommate, you lied, remember?). Draw a mandala. Take photos of everything for a week, and post them on Instagram. Use ridiculous hashtags that will get you no followers whatsoever.
6. Think about starting your own crafty business, while making tea one day. Write down all of your crafty business ideas. Buy a ridiculous, fabric-covered notebook for this express purpose. Ignore the fact that you already have 20 blank notebooks on the shelf. They are so pretty.
7. Join the Crafty Rebels group on Facebook and learn from others who have done it and continue to do it. Read and write and share there, and become part of a community of crafty rebels. Use the hashtag #craftyrebel.
8. Sip your tea and smile.
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