Finding Meaning in Making

Why do we create?

Not simply why we choose one outlet (crafting, jewelry, etc) over another, but why humans seem to have such a deep need to make things with our hands. Think cave paintings and the creation of tools.

For some, creativity begins with inspiration. For others, it begins with necessity, curiosity, boredom, grief, or the need to feel grounded.

When COVID kept so many of us at home, time began to feel different. Routines disappeared, worlds became smaller, and many of the things people relied upon for comfort and connection were not easily unavailable. Along with the fear and uncertainty came long stretches of unclaimed time.

So folks began making things.

They baked bread; sourdough was everywhere. Some planted gardens, painted furniture, learned to crochet, poured candles, made jewelry, and experimented with crafts they had never imagined trying before. Perhaps some were simply keeping themselves occupied—but I think something deeper was happening.

Creating gave them somewhere to place their energy.

My own experience was somewhat different. That season of life wasn’t quiet for me—it was extraordinarily busy. My slower chapter came later, when the pace of my work and daily life began to change. Suddenly, I had space that hadn’t been there before. Work had slowed down, I had travelled as much as my budget allowed and I needed something else to feel complete.

And that was when I really began making.

I started following one idea into another, exploring new materials and discovering what I could create simply because something sparked my curiosity. What began as a way to fill newly available time slowly became something much more meaningful.

I suspect that is true for many of us. Creativity doesn’t always arrive at the same moment or for the same reason. Sometimes it finds us when life becomes too still. Sometimes it appears after years of being too busy to listen for it. And sometimes we don’t realize how much we need it until we begin.

There is something healing about creating.

It gives restless hands a purpose and busy minds somewhere to rest. It can turn sadness into beauty, uncertainty into curiosity, and an ordinary afternoon into an act of discovery. The finished piece may be useful, beautiful, whimsical, or wonderfully imperfect—but sometimes the greatest value is found in the making itself.

My creativity never travels in a straight line. One week my kitchen looks like a laboratory because I am blending herbal balms or aromatherapy products. The next, I may be working with beads, gemstones, candle snuffers, ink, art, or an entirely new idea that appeared when I was supposed to be doing something else. Remember Pinterest? That is my brain most days.

I wondered whether I needed to settle on one particular media / craft or whatever you call it. I now realize that perhaps the exploration of whatever it is I decide on, is the point. Each new creation gives me something to imagine, something to learn, and another way to bring a little beauty into the world. Every 'rabbit hole' is an adventure.

This website is the home I’ve created for all of those wandering ideas.

This journal will be a place to explore not only what I make, but why we make things at all—the stories behind the creations, the ingredients and materials that inspire them, the traditions that connect us, and the ways creativity can support us through different seasons of life.

Sometimes, without realizing it, we are also creating a way back to ourselves.

— messy me