A month ago, Studio MME posted a blog about why you embroider, see here for her answer. I thought that was an interesting question. It took me a while to think of a response, but when I did, I sent this to her.
I think embroidering (and really knitting too) are alchemy. You start with some string, and with a little patience you create something out of nothing. I think the other part of the alchemy is that with every stitch I work out a problem, or a let go of a worry. Every stitch that makes something, I let go of something. Maybe thoughts of the day. Or maybe I let go of the critical voices in my head. It’s meditative. At some point my brain shuts up, everything else melts away, and I’m left with the gold of my work.Today I made some strawberry jam, and I thought about alchemy again. Alchemy doesn't have to be turning something into gold but rather as good ole Merriam-Webster says: "a power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way."
I don't think any of my hobbies/crafts/interests are necessarily mysterious, but they can certainly be impressive. There's something about starting with one thing and it turning into some something else that I really enjoy, and am fascinated with. Little stitches with thread become a word or image in cross stitch or embroidery. Yarn becomes a cozy scarf or shawl. Paint and a brush transform a surface into a landscape. Fabric and thread are shaped into clothes. Food is morphed into something even more delicious that what it started as.
I struggle with terms like crafter and artist. They never seem to really fit me, or I'm reluctant to take on what either of those terms mean. Sometimes even admitting I'm creative is hard. It doesn't seem difficult to call myself an alchemist though. And maybe my make stuff room should really be my laboratory.
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