Craftfulness: Mend Yourself by Making Things

by Rosemary Davidson, Arzu Tahsin Narrated by Joan Walker

Overview

Integrating mindfulness, neuroscience, positive psychology, and creativity research, Craftfulness offers a thought-provoking and surprising reconsideration of craft, and how making things with your hands can connect us to our deepest selves and improve our well-being and overall happiness.

We should get this out of the way:*Craftfulness is not a “crafting book.” Rather, it is an investigation of the wisdom generations of men and women know to be true: that making things is a vital means of self-expression, self-realization, and self-help that sparks the mind, touches the soul, and rejuvenates the spirit.

Integrating mindfulness, neuroscience, positive psychology, and creativity research, Rosemary Davidson and Arzu Tahsin explore how the simple act of making something from scratch impacts mental well-being, and offer a brilliantly reasoned argument in favor of craft.

Process, not product, is the soul of a craft practice. Whether you knit, crochet, sculpt, weave, quilt, tat, draw, or bind books-working toward small, attainable goals gives us a sense of purpose, accomplishment, and control that is proven to positively impact our mental health and happiness.

Davidson and Tahsin illuminate how craft practice re-introduces balance into our lives and our habits by cultivating creativity, carving space for ourselves, promoting focus, creating a safe space for failure, and ultimately, how to make peace with imperfection.

Like Matthew B. Crawford's Shop Class as Soul Craft, Ken Robinson's Out of Our Minds, or Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow, Craftfulness helps us to see our world in a new way, offering opportunities to disconnect from the world, and pay attention to ourselves.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Editorial Reviews

JANUARY 2019 - AudioFile

Engaging in crafts creates more than a quilt, a painting, or a ceramic bowl—it creates peace of mind, say authors Davidson and Tahsin. Narrator Joan Walker delivers this message about the therapeutic qualities of crafting with enthusiasm that mirrors this celebration of traditional crafts. Walker’s lilting narration occasionally blurs narrative transitions such as moving to quotations and research studies, but her animated voice clearly delivers the instructions for each project and brings home the benefits of engaging the hands in a craft. These include reducing stress and developing discipline and a sense of control that allows us to be more self-reliant and confident. This ardent appeal to discover authenticity and fulfillment by practicing a craft will encourage creatives and noncreatives alike. M.F. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Merging spirituality and craft, this book will guide your creative spirit and show you how using your own two hands can manifest a magical mindset. With simple DIY projects and anecdotes, this book is equal parts companion and resource for all creatives who want to dig deeper in understanding themselves and why they feel so good when they’re making. A must have. A must read. A must re-read.” — Tiffany Pratt, HGTV host and author of This Can Be Beautiful

Tiffany Pratt

Merging spirituality and craft, this book will guide your creative spirit and show you how using your own two hands can manifest a magical mindset. With simple DIY projects and anecdotes, this book is equal parts companion and resource for all creatives who want to dig deeper in understanding themselves and why they feel so good when they’re making. A must have. A must read. A must re-read.

JANUARY 2019 - AudioFile

Engaging in crafts creates more than a quilt, a painting, or a ceramic bowl—it creates peace of mind, say authors Davidson and Tahsin. Narrator Joan Walker delivers this message about the therapeutic qualities of crafting with enthusiasm that mirrors this celebration of traditional crafts. Walker’s lilting narration occasionally blurs narrative transitions such as moving to quotations and research studies, but her animated voice clearly delivers the instructions for each project and brings home the benefits of engaging the hands in a craft. These include reducing stress and developing discipline and a sense of control that allows us to be more self-reliant and confident. This ardent appeal to discover authenticity and fulfillment by practicing a craft will encourage creatives and noncreatives alike. M.F. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173630223
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/29/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,128,598

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