Since school ended, I've been feeling a bit adrift. Graduation was busy, busy, busy—and then suddenly, a slight shift of things, and then everything’s over. I definitely botched most of my goodbyes, and even still, I don't think I’ve internalized the reality that it’s summer? June 18th, as a matter a fact? I've graduated from college?
I’ve been feeling a bit stuck because I have so much free time right now. I’m in a transition period! But without the structure of activities to help me appreciate free time now that I do have it, I’ve realized that it’s time for me to develop some summer projects. A semblance of a summer schedule. And another part of that includes adjusting to a slower pace of life—which includes time for play, rest! What a concept.
In the past week I met some friends, and we ended up crafting. Working with your hands, maintaining the attunement to pull your string flat and knot an alternating string over it—repeating that, parsing through a pile of felt tip markers to find the right shade of periwinkle. Crafting feels stupidly luxurious. Illicit even, because you’re just messing around! Not making anything to show off or even keep. Cultivating patience, staying present, and embracing slowness—these are some lessons that crafting lends me.
I’m also over perpetually going out to a restaurant to socialize! Let this be a summer of cultivating craft, a means of experiencing ‘slow’ time.
Beading with Carolina
Beads tickle my brain in the best way. Especially the brightly colored plastic beads that evoke kid-core, a rainbow je ne sais quois versus the austerity of metal jewelry. It’s nice to lean into excess—and Carolina brought a panoply of vibrant embroidery floss and different beads! I started off with a woven bracelet, and then made a stretchy beaded bracelet. I’m certain beading is best supplemented with whimsical fruit shaped candy too.
Baking something new
Being patient (if you can already tell) is not one of my strengths—which is probably why I must confess that I never baked any sourdough during the pandemic. I thought I’d start small yesterday by baking some focaccia though. I dug up an old packet of yeast I found in my pantry, and felt like I was ready to go! However, when I tried the activate the yeast, it was very dead 😭 Nevertheless (and I should have thrown it away), I kept going—and pivoted to flatbreads dotted with a herby olive tapenade instead.
These came out surprisingly great? I’m not sure if flatbread making is a craft activity per se, but I took my time making a hefty sandwich slathered with fig jam and mustard, stuffed with garlic scapes, leftover chicken, sliced white peaches, and avocado. So the intention was there, even though the bread didn’t turn out as expected.
Drawing Games with Hannah
Markers. Markers are wonderful! I don’t think we’re appreciating markers enough. Especially the felt tipped ones that make the most satisfying sound against the grain of a sketchbook pad. Hannah and I played a very simple drawing game—not blind contour, or exquisite corpse—but one where each person takes turns sharing a drawing prompt with time to draw until their page is filled. At the end, the players share their drawings with each other. That’s it. It’s an infinite game.
Some generative prompts: Draw something you’ve lost and still think about. Draw an animal you’re scared of. Draw an aura around all of your objects. Fun, fun, fun!
Embroidering your clothes
A little stitched in ‘KK’ or embroidered ‘CAKE’ on your back pocket? Absolutely. I’ve been collecting vintage pins to decorate my overalls, and I thought adding in subtle colored bars by the pocket seams would be cute. I like the idea of putting time into your clothes to make them personal, and caring for your pieces. I find that jackets, jeans, tote bags—anything with a thicker material really, is fantastic for this kind of rough embroidery.
More crafting ideas
Next Tuesday, I’ll be traveling, so I’ll be sharing a short dispatch from abroad :) Some other crafting ideas I’d like to try are:
Naturally dying fabric/tie-dying!
Making fruit and vegetable stamp artwork
Dried flower arranging
Wood carving/whittling
Pinch pots! Specifically making incense holders, candlestick holders
Please let me know if you try any of these things, and what you’re up to this summer. I’d love to hear your thoughts on feeling and enjoying ‘slow’ time. Be well!