Your craft hobby can make you more confident at work. October 20, 2019 13:26 242 Comments

I was delighted to see Stylist Loves, the regular email from Stylist Mag, highlighting how craft can build confidence at work. (Not least because they flagged London Craft Club as the place to go get a good hobby.)

It wouldn't be the first time that science has started to confirm what those of us who craft already know. The idea that a skill you develop as part of your leisure can actually increase your confidence, and that you can benefit from that increase in all areas of your life, is not a surprise to us.

We already know that simply being able to make stuff impresses other people, which leads to compliments which leads to increased confidence. That's not just anecdotal either, there's a study to support that. Even if it's obvious, it's good to remember. It also proves that your compliments to other crafters are worth their weight in gold. Keep on dishing them out!

Some years back, I worked on an amazing project that focused on improving teenagers confidence. It worked by getting them involved in sport through events that they organised themselves. They achieved things they wouldn't have expected of themselves, and they tangibly benefitted from the experience. I've often felt the similarities between sport and craft on that front are similar - that we take something on with quite low expectations, and surprise ourselves with what we can achieve. The right teachers and mentors can help speed that along and magnify the effect. It's a great feeling to achieve something you didn't think you could and it stays with you. Incidentally, it's a great feeling to facilitate that for someone else, so we're luck at LCC that this our work

We also know that leisure time can be spent doing a hobby in order to recharge and replenish our resources for our work. So the less craft-like your day job, the more you will benefit from craft in terms of work confidence. Again, this confirms what we hear all the time at craft club - achieving in an area unrelated to where you think your expertise lies is a great boost!

So there you have it - if you don't do anything makey for a living, you're most likely to benefit from taking it up as a hobby. Let's get you started! Click for workshops

Read Stylist here and the actual study here