A FEW THINGS ABOUT BEING A CRAFTER WITH CRAFT JUDGE PIP LINCOLNE

IF THERE’S one thing we should not be mad at Instagram for, it’s the excellent platform it gives crafters and crafting. You can follow your favourite makers to get inspired, share your own work to document your crafty journey and find new crafty pals. Another great way to extend your craft circle is by heading to craft and design markets and chatting to other creatives. I’ve more than once sidled up to another person in a craft supply aisle for a chat, so you could do that, too!

THE handmade aesthetic is being embraced more wholeheartedly these days, and the growing market of crafters has meant there’s a wider range of craft supplies available. There are also lots more places to buy and sell handmade, which is helpful. However, crafters are trying to compete in a crowded market, and some are setting prices that don’t reflect the value of the work. Plus, some big companies are copying the work of small, independent makers. It makes me extremely angry and I hope those companies will commission or license crafters’ work rather than ripping them off.

THE DIY knack craft calls for can be applied to lots of different industries. Events, fashion, food, design and horticulture are some that spring to mind. Basically, crafters are artists. Have a clear business plan, price your work correctly, be small-business compliant and have a proactive plan for marketing your work, too.

IT REALLY depends what you’re working on, but being a crafter can mean shopping for supplies, planning and sketching out projects, marketing, writing project instructions, photographing step-by-step processes or doing research (aka lots of reading! Yay!). There are also some achy necks, sore wrists and copious cups of tea. You need to love spending lots of quiet time on your own, and the process of making as much as the end result.

TRY not to overthink things, lest you forget to start making! The act of making something is deliciously satisfying (even if you bugger things up a bit when you’re just starting out). Invite craft into your life and you’ll instantly feel cosier and smarter and more handy, I promise. Creating something from a bunch of raw materials is a kind of magic.