There were many things I learnt from our 2016 survey (thanks to your openness and honesty), but one of the stand out points was that most of you want to be more creative. Which is great! That’s what I’m here for right! But whatever your situation you told me it can be difficult to find the time, money and supplies needed to build your skills and to eventually feel confident, not only with your own creative ideas but with your ability to carry them out.
You might be surprised to hear this but I can sympathise. It’s one of the reasons I started We Make Collective, to push my own boundaries and step out of my creative comfort zone. Even as someone with a job in the creative industry I struggle to find time to make for makings sake. My big plan for this year was to get back into embroidery and surface design. I specialised in embroidery during my textile design degree and in recent months I’ve had so many ideas I want to develop and experiment with.
Even though this is a craft I know well and can pick up in the evenings or whilst watching a film, three months into the year and I haven’t sewn a stitch. I get how life and work (and procrastination) can mean our best laid plans just don’t seem to happen. And when those aspirations are for a more creative life then it’s even less of a priority in a busy world where the bills need to get paid.
So for a few months now I’ve been trying to come up with a way to help us all get on track and actually develop a creative confidence without a strict or demanding schedule. In just 10 minutes a day with materials you most likely already have (and if not can easily access) we’re going to complete small tasks and create a sketchbook full of ideas, pattern, colour, techniques and designs to take to the next level. And speaking of sketchbooks our first lesson will be how to create your own. So if you want to join in just sign up here and collect together different papers, fabrics and card.
We’ll be starting the course on Friday 1st April but you are free to complete the tasks in your own time, even saving them up to binge complete at the weekends. I’ll be sending through a new lesson everyday with an extra dose of motivation to give you an extra push when you need it! And of course what challenge would be complete without a hashtag!? I’m going to be sharing my updates with you over at #30DayCreativeYou and I really hope you will share yours too!
Can’t wait to try this! :)
You are the BEST, Francesca! I can’t wait for this creative challenge to start, I’ve signed up upon reading the title!
You are absolutely right: in this day and age, who has time for creative endeavours just for the sake of it? That guilty feeling that we should be working towards some other goal is always lingering, while we should really embrace the fact that art, crafts, that eagerness to create with our own hands are inherent to human nature.
10 minutes a day sounds like a perfectly doable task, and I bet once I start, it will be hard to stop there.
Thanks for being an amazing advocate of creativeness and an inspiration to your readers. Here’s to 30 Days to a More Creative “Us” !!
Xo Ines
Hey Ines! Thank you so much! Your comment absolutely made my day. I’m too hoping that those 10 minutes turn into longer. In fact I know they will! X
Hi Fran
I love this idea, but I’m struggling to work out how i get the daily emails? I’m already signed up on you mailing list so when I click the link in this blog post it doesn’t let me sign up again for the 30 days project, am I missing something? Don’t think I’ve received the emails yet either?
Thanks!
I’m having the same problem!
same. yesterday and today. there isn’t a clear ‘challenge’ button or tab that i can find……
Hey Julia! Are you getting the tutorials yet? I didn’t get a notification about your message! Hopefully you should now be getting the challenge. If not email me at fran@fallfordiy.com and we’ll get you started!
Hey Lucy, I just replied to Chloe. I didn’t get a notification about your message! Hopefully you should now be getting the challenge. If not email me at fran@fallfordiy.com and we’ll get you started!
Hey Chloe! I’m sorry, I didn’t get a notification about your message! Hopefully you should now be getting the challenge. If not email me at fran@fallfordiy.com and we’ll get you started!
Is it to late to receive the course? So glad I found your site.
Hi Fran,
thank you very much for the challenge. It is realy insiping.
I love it so much that I would like to finish it. But I did not receive the day 19 to 30.
Could you send it to me please ?
Thank you very much :-)