making - the importance of body care
crafting, especially textile crafting, might not seem like the most intensive activity, but we can do some pretty serious damage to our body over the years of our practice. we’re doing the same repetitive tasks over and over, and even if you don’t feel it the same way as you do with your dumbbell reps, you’re putting a lot of wear and tear on specific areas of the body that can be debilitating if not cared for properly. my thumbs are stronger (and tighter!) than those of most of the gym rats and dancers i know! this is why i always teach my students to budget in body care ahead of fancy new tools - you want to continue doing your craft with as little pain as possible for as long as possible.
depending on what craft(s) you do, you might need different tools and supports to best care for your body, but ultimately they fall into one of the same three categories:
tools (maybe that looks like better needles, changing up your dye station set-up, building or buying a sewing table that raises and lowers so you can adjust the height, or using a rotary cutter instead of shears to cut your fabric)
self-care/home care (i’ve built an entire line of herbal remedies specifically for joint care from salves to bath salts to body butters and massage oils, but you might also find that you just need to do regular maintenance like soaking in a tub, heating/cooling injured areas, taking breaks, stretching, or doing regular exercise to offset the wear and tear on your body while supporting those actions [i do trx and yoga to keep me strong enough for my dye pots while stretching out the tightness from long knitting hours])
professional bodycare (find a qualified professional for modalities like reflexology, physiotherapy, osteopathy, and chiropractic, as well as seeing your doctor/specialists for more extreme or chronic issues and following their orders for medication, surgery, or other care)
obviously you’ll figure out for yourself over time and trial and error what works best for you. you’ll likely also find that you have to change things up over time too. and don’t be duped into thinking that more money = a better solution. just pausing to stretch your hands and wrists every half hour may do infinitely more for your wrist pain than fancy braces, salves, supplements, or the latest bodycare treatment! but if those other things help too, add them in. personally, i want to be like my nan - knitting and kneading bread daily well into my nineties.
there are many considerations when it comes to building a supportive making practice as well as a supportive small biz. check out our self-assessment quiz to see whether the creative coven is the right fit for helping you get your design biz off the ground, and join us in the creative coven community where you’ll find oodles of resources plus a supportive community of like-minded fibre witches at every monthly zoom knit/craft night.
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