I remember sitting in my old corporate office in San Francisco, staring at a screen until my vision blurred, feeling a sharp, pulsing ache radiate from my fingertips up to my elbows. I had tried every “ergonomic” gadget on the market—expensive gel pads, wrist rests that felt like bricks, and even those fancy mechanical keyboards—but …
Read more “Hand and Wrist Stretches for People Who Make Things”
I still remember sitting on my studio floor in Portland, surrounded by half-finished canvases and a mountain of unpaid invoices, feeling like my brain was nothing but static. The air felt heavy, and even the smell of linseed oil, which used to excite me, suddenly felt suffocating. I had fallen into the trap of believing …
Read more “How to Keep a Creative Business From Killing the Craft”
I still remember sitting on my floor in a tiny, overpriced San Francisco apartment, staring at a glowing laptop screen at 11:00 PM, my brain feeling like a browser with fifty tabs open and none of them responding. I was exhausted, yet I couldn’t stop the mental loop of emails and deadlines. I tried the …
Read more “How to Use Making to Wind Down at the End of a Day”
I remember sitting on my floor in my old apartment, surrounded by half-finished knitting projects and scraps of watercolor paper, feeling a heavy, hollow kind of exhaustion. My eyes were stinging, my brain felt like it was wrapped in cotton wool, and yet, there was this nagging guilt telling me that if I wasn’t creating, …
Read more “What to Make When You Are Too Tired to Make Anything”
I still remember sitting in a glass-walled conference room in San Francisco, my palms sweating against the cool mahogany table, as my manager dismantled a project I had poured three months of my soul into. The air felt thin, and for a second, I was sure my entire career was unraveling right there in front …
Read more “How to Handle Criticism of Something You Made by Hand”
I still remember the exact moment I felt like a total fraud. I was sitting on my living room floor, surrounded by tangled yarn and half-finished projects, staring at a pattern that felt like it was written in an ancient, undecipherable language. My hands were shaking, my heart was racing, and all I could think …
Read more “How to Build Confidence When Everything You Make Is Wonky”
I still remember those late nights in my old corporate office, staring at spreadsheets until the tiny black numbers began to dance and blur against the glowing white screen. My head would throb, a dull ache creeping in behind my temples, and I’d find myself rubbing my eyes just to feel something other than that …
I remember sitting on my floor in a tiny, cramped apartment in San Francisco, surrounded by half-finished sketches and the blue light of my laptop, feeling that heavy, hollow ache in my chest. I had just spent two hours scrolling through a peer’s polished portfolio, and suddenly, my own work felt utterly insignificant. It’s that …
Read more “How to Stop Comparing Your Work to Everyone Else’s”
I remember sitting in a cramped, overpriced “networking mixer” in downtown San Francisco, clutching a lukewarm kombucha and feeling absolutely nothing but profound loneliness. Everyone was trading business cards like they were playing a high-stakes game of poker, all while wearing those polished, professional masks that make you feel like you have to perform just …
I remember sitting at my kitchen table last winter, staring at a beautiful pile of merino wool and a pair of knitting needles that suddenly felt like heavy iron rods. My hands were throbbing, stiff, and uncooperative, and for a moment, I felt a wave of genuine grief. It’s that heartbreaking moment when the thing …