Creatives get crafting during lockdown
How the restrictions placed on our lives during the pandemic have sparked an upsurge in crafting.
In March 2020, as the pandemic swept the nation, we were all told to stay at home.
We couldn’t go to work, shop or socialise, and one of the only things we had to look forward to each day was getting our hour of outdoor exercise. Baking banana bread, learning TikTok dances and drinking in our gardens at 4pm in the sunshine became our new ‘normal’.
Many people struggled with the lockdown, understandably so, whilst others tried to make light of a tough situation and thrive whichever way they could, with many turning to more creative outlets to keep them occupied.
Paint by numbers kits and puzzles sold out across the country as we all looked for something to distract from our boredom, and increasing numbers of people found an antidote to their lockdown blues by crafting things.
Etsy, the e-commerce website which focuses on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies, saw its web traffic rocket as many crafters began their side hustle by making much-needed face coverings as suppliers struggled to provide them for the public.
With so many businesses being forced to close, the ‘shop small’ message was promoted across all forms of media as people were urged to support independent operators on local high streets or through online orders. Small businesses needed support (and still do now) to carry on operating throughout the Covid crisis.
Etsy, which was launched in 2005, became a hub for those looking to sell their crafts and creations to the general public.
Whether you want a personalised mug for your hot drinks, a portrait of your family pet, or even unique pieces of jewellery, shoppers on Etsy can purchase pretty much any handmade item for affordable prices.
Although Amazon has the inducement of offering customers same-day delivery before 10pm (how is that even possible?!), a sizeable chunk of the money it makes ends up lining multi-billionaire owner Jeff Bezos’ pockets.
In an episode of the Marketer’s Brief podcast, Etsy’s chief marketing officer Ryan Scott said: “Buyers are now shopping with their hearts. It just doesn’t feel right anymore shopping on Amazon. In a world that’s increasingly commoditised, where everything is disposable, fast and cheap, Etsy fills that gap by providing items worth holding onto.”
“Lockdown definitely made me more crafty because it gave me more time to indulge myself in the activities I enjoy” – Elie Essadgui
Etsy’s network of independent designers, artists and crafters are not the only people feeling the benefit of this trend. Crafting superstore Hobbycraft has also reported a 200% rise in sales since the start of the pandemic.
Hobbycraft stores, which sells sewing kits, soap-making tools, painting supplies and so much more, said in an article in The Guardian that there had been “exceptional levels of customer demand” since the first lockdown left us all looking for ways to fill our time – and make some extra money.
Creative crafters
Known on social media as Craftarella After, Tarri Griffiths, 24, started up her own venture at the end of 2020 when she received a Cricut machine for Christmas.
“I’ve always loved crafting and during the previous lockdowns we have experienced, I tried so many different activities to see if they would help me get through it, but nothing seems to improve my mental health as much as crafting does.
“When I use my Cricut machine, there’s so much to concentrate on that I don’t really think about what is happening in the world around me.
“I have a lot of social anxiety, and being able to do something which I enjoy without any pressure or negativity from anyone else is such a big help for me.”
Tarri has worked throughout the whole of the pandemic as a nursery assistant and said that because her hours have been uncertain, she thought that some extra money would help towards paying her bills.
“Working in a nursery is a full-on job and I work all week until 6.30pm. It’s a bit of a handful trying to keep promoting my business and crafting, but because it helps me I don’t mind putting all my effort into it.
“In the future, I would love for the business to pick up and for it to be quite stable and secure, where I could maybe work part-time alongside running it. It would be lovely to carry it on when I have children and I could do it from home to provide for my family.”
Fellow creative enthusiast, Elie Essadgui, 24, has used the lockdowns to improve her crafting from home. Currently studying an MSc in Mental Health Studies at Kings College London, Elie enjoys spending her free time knitting and crafting.
“I have been crafting since a little child. I remember quite vividly my great grandparents being really crafty. My grandpa would draw and my grandma likewise, but she also loved to embroider and knit. I love making a variety of things including punch needling wall hangings and macramé coasters, but the main thing I make to sell are cards.
“I find crafting really therapeutic, it is time I take for myself where I can shut off from my studies. I love learning new skills and refining old ones and I feel that crafting allows me to do that.”
Elie runs a craft business on Instagram called craftsbyelie and has had her handmade cards distributed and sold in her local craft café, Oh My, in Chingford, but would love to open up an Etsy shop in the future.
“I would love to have a stock load of my products ready and waiting to send to the wonderful people who choose to purchase from me. I also would like to create some ‘how to’ boxes, so that people can learn to make things at home, too.
“This is a project I would like to tie into my psychological interests on mental health, but the main issue for me currently is time. I am a full-time student, so this is something I can look into more when I graduate.”
In regard to her lockdown creativity, Elie said: “Lockdown definitely made me more crafty because it gave me more time to indulge myself in the activities I enjoy. I also got to try new things including using cardboard (from all those excess deliveries), to create some beautiful textured portraits.”
Things to watch
If you’re unsure of the importance of supporting smaller businesses and companies, then watch this video:
Still bored in lockdown and looking for some fun and creative activities to do from home? Then this video is perfect for you:
Main feature image licensed by Adobe Stock.