A knitting project I’ve been working on has caused me to lose my enthusiasm for crafting, so it feels like the perfect time to write about what to try when you lose your crafting mojo. As always I write as much for me as I do for you.
What is Crafting Mojo?
Crafty mojo just means the spirit of enthusiasm you have for making. When you have it, you’re excited to work on the projects you’re working on. You may have a list of projects you want to make or things you want to try and you’re motivated to actually follow through with your plans.
This is the way that we hope crafting will feel for us most of the time. We choose hobbies because they are supposed to be fun for us, and hopefully we continue to do them as long as they continue to be fun.
But it doesn’t always feel that way. Sometimes you lose your crafting mojo.
How Do You Lose Crafty Mojo?
There can be a lot of reasons you lose your crafty mojo. Maybe life has been super stressful to the point that working on your hobbies just feels like one more thing you don’t have the mental strength for.
If you’ve been sick maybe you were physically unable to craft for a while, and you’re feeling like it’s hard to get back to it.
Perhaps you’re burned out on making, or a particular hobby in particular. This can happen after you finish a big project (see my current knitting project that has just about done me in) or, if your craft is monetized it might be after a craft show or the holiday season. Even if you’re not selling your makes, a busy making season can wear down your crafty spirit.
Sometimes your craft space being a mess can cause you to become uninspired. But also sometimes getting into a cleaning project can cause you to not want to make things until it’s done, or because you feel overwhelmed when you get to the messy middle.
It could be you’re not feeling challenge by or interested in a particular craft any more. Maybe your interest has waned because you feel like you’ve learned all you can or all you want to in that particular crafty genre.
Whatever the reason (and it can be a combination of these things, among others) you should know it’s totally common to lose your crafty mojo. Creativity, like everything else, has it’s seasons, and some times are going to be more productive/inspired than others.
But if you’re worried about the fact that you aren’t feeling like crafting lately, read on for some strategies that can help.
What to Do When You Lose Your Craft Mojo
The first thing is related to the idea that creativity is a cycle, and that is to try not to panic. Especially if you make a living from your creativity, it can be scary when you don’t feel like making, but it can be worrying for anyone if you normally spend a lot of time crafting.
There will be less creative seasons, and while we can be gentle with ourselves to try to get our crafting mojo back, there’s not a 100 percent guaranteed process for getting it back. (Unless you know one, and if you do, please let me know!)
Beyond that, here are some more concrete ideas:
- Start small. Give yourself five minutes. Make a collage with things on your desk. Work on a project that only uses one color. Limitations and small projects are a great way to kick start creativity. See also 100 Ways to Be More Creative, No Matter How Much Time You Have.
- Do a little cleaning. Clear a space so you can get to some supplies and have a space to work. This is a good one to combine with a quick project if your space is overwhelming and that’s why you don’t want to craft. See also A 5 Step Plan to Get Crafting When Your Space is a Mess.
- Make something you’ve always wanted to make. Is there something that’s been lingering in your craft queue that still sounds like it would be fun to make? Start on that thing. Or try a finishing spree to clear the decks and make space for something new.
- You could try a new hobby. I don’t want you to go out and buy supplies for a craft you’ve never done before. But if there’s a craft kit or supplies in your house you’ve never tried or haven’t looked at in a long time, trying one of those projects might help you feel more like making. You can even plan to clear out some of those kits by doing one a month and seeing what new or different hobbies might emerge.
- Write about it. I know not everyone is a writer but even if you don’t normally keep a journal, take some time to think and write about why you’re not feeling up to crafting if you aren’t sure what the problem is. See if just writing about it for a while will cause you to come up with solutions.
- Document it. Here I don’t mean social media, because I know feeling like you have to post (and post perfect things, at that) can stress people out and make you want to create even less. But I think it’s great to have a place for you to write about what you’re making, or to hold ideas, sketches, doodles, swatches, tiny projects, lists and more. This is on my list to do and I’ll be sure to share it when I’ve got it going.
If You Need More Help
If your craft space is what’s overwhelming you, check out my ebook How to Declutter Your Craft Supplies. It goes through your space one supply category at a time so you can think about what you really want to keep and get rid of things while feeling good about it.
Go somewhere inspiring. If you have a local museum, now’s the time to pay a visit. Or if you don’t, you can find a lot of great art collections online. If all else fails, set a timer and spend a little time on Pinterest or Instagram looking for inspiration, whether it be literally in the craft genre you practice or looking at art, nature, colors in other people’s projects, etc.
Learn something new. What have you always wanted to know more about? Maybe it’s a particular craft or technique, or maybe it’s not obviously related to crafting, but everything connects eventually. Reading about architecture or watching documentaries about cults might someday inspire an art project.
Make yourself a curriculum. This is related to learning something new, but a deeper dive that, again, could be related to a craft genre or not. Pick something you want to learn more about and “assign” yourself reading, viewing and learning experiences. Don’t make it feel like homework if that’s not enjoyable to you, but do try to stick to your plan. At the end of the month (or however long your give yourself to learn about that thing) make a craft project related to it.
Take it slow, try different things and remember when you lose your crafty mojo it’s a sign that something needs to change, whether that’s reducing stress, learning a new technique or going on a field trip.
If you have tips for getting out of a crafting slump I would love to hear them!
