KeriLynn Engel
Are you a creative person with a passion for making things?
Whether you’re a seamstress, glassblower, quilter, jewelry maker, woodworker, or general DIYer, you’ve probably noticed that being a creative, crafty person sets you apart. You don’t see the world the same way as other people. When you go shopping, you think “I could make that!” Instead of seeing trash, you see components for new projects. Your mind is always bursting with new ideas, and you have no problem keeping yourself busy.
Creative people who are into crafts and DIY tend to have traits that are perfect for creating and maintaining a successful blog:
1. They come up with original ideas
Creative people tend to use divergent thinking, generating multiple ideas for a given topic or multiple solutions to a problem (as opposed to convergent thinking, which is a much more analytical, linear way of thinking).
As divergent thinkers, creative people are bursting with ideas for their blogs: post topics, creative angles, and new strategies to stand out even in the most saturated niches.
ILikeToMakeStuff.com didn’t jump into advertising like many bloggers, but took time to build his audience first.
Examples
- Amy at Homey Oh My! started her very successful blog in 2013, when the crafts and DIY home decor was already a huge, popular niche. She was able to stand out and gain a following anyway by sharing a mix of original project tutorials, beautiful photography, and blog posts touching on more personal topics, displayed with a minimal, professional website design.
- Robin Wood is a woodworker who creates beautiful bowls and plates – but, unlike hundreds of other woodworking blogs, he doesn’t share tutorials or project plans. Instead, he stands out by writing about the thoughts, philosophy, and business issues behind woodworking, with posts about pricing creative work, the portrayal of crafts on TV, and new developments in the art world.
- Bob of I Like to Make Stuff started off his blog with no advertising or monetization of any kind. Today, he supports himself and his family thanks to his Patreon supporters and selling branded merchandise on his website.
2. They know how to steal ideas
Modification Mondays at Knitted Bliss are a great example of how to steal ideas the right way.
Creative people not only repurpose, recycle and upcycle old items, but ideas as well. They know “there is nothing new under the sun:” there are no new ideas, just new combinations and expressions of them.
Creative people are great observers, and get inspiration from a huge variety of sources, combining ideas and adding their own twist, and giving credit where credit’s due. This is a perfect trait for blogging, where content repurposing and curation are great strategies for promoting your blog.
Examples
- Barbara of Art Bar takes inspiration from her own childhood crafts, as well as from kids’ art books, adds her own twist and includes beautiful original photography with each project.
- Julie of Knitted Bliss has created a whole series of “stolen” ideas with her Modification Mondays, where she shares her own creative take on different knitting patterns.
3. They’re passionate
What Katie Sews is a very personal blog, but her passion allows her to connect with her readers and keep them interested.
Creative people tend to be more emotional and passionate, which can make their blogging more interesting and enable them to connect with their audience. Blogging with passion makes a difference: your readers can tell when you really care about the topic at hand.
Being passionate means you’ll never run out of topics to blog about, since you’re always trying new things. Craft blogs by passionate people also tend to have a great balance of practical tutorials and how-tos alongside more personal blog posts, creating a deeper connection with their readers.
- The eponymous blogger at What Katie Sews has an obvious deep passion for the craft of sewing. She always has a new project to post – sometimes several variations of the same project. Though her blog is very self-focused, her passion, candor, and prolificness are incredibly inspiring to her loyal readers.
- Geneva of DIY blog a pair & a spare blogs about a variety of topics, from fashion, to travel tips, to sewing and DIY tutorials, to blogging tips. Her blog centers around her creative personality and passion, keeping the wide range of topics cohesive.
4. They love learning new things
Crafty people love learning new skills and always struggle to perfect their craft. This personality quirk is a perfect fit for blogging, which requires keeping up with the latest developments in technology and blogging trends.
- Though Maddie of Madalynne is a professional pattern maker and seamstress, she never ceases learning new techniques and sharing them with her audience. No matter how technical or obscure the topic, she doesn’t dumb down her posts.
- Harri of Vanilla Craft Blog isn’t afraid to experiment with new mediums, no matter how messy. At 15 years old, she’s taught herself not only painting and crafts, but blogging and graphic design as well.
5. They’ve conquered their perfectionism
Crafters may struggle with perfectionism, but in the end they know they can’t keep working on the same project forever… you have to know when to call it “done,” even if it’s not perfect.
As Barbra Streisand once commented on own struggle with perfectionism:
“We have to accept imperfections in ourselves, in others, in life. And it’s part of the beauty of the experience in life. Nothing can be perfect. Also, perfection is cold. Imperfection has humanity in it. Why I love making movies is I’m thrown into nature, into life, into the spontaneity of the moment.”
CraftFail makes fun of the unobtainable perfectionism rampant on Pinterest.
Bloggers can’t keep working on the same blog post until it’s perfect: at a certain point, you just have to hit “publish” and keep going. A creative person’s power over the temptation of perfectionism is the perfect trait for keeping up with consistent blogging habits.
Examples
- Mandi of Vintage Revivals struggles with perfectionism, but has managed to conquer it and build a successful blog by posting regularly for 5+ years. She says, “You guys, perfection is overrated. Not only is it not attainable, but it’s not maintainable. I mean, you should absolutely try your best, but if your paint job is not absolute perfection, dude, it’s fine. Chances are your kid/cat/husband/self is going to leave their mark on it anyway.”
- Jamie of So Much Better With Age notes that “having a blog is very difficult for the perfectionist. My blog is like a reflection of me and I find I’m always wanting to tweak it in so many ways and find that it’s never quite perfect. I have to accept that it’s not going to be perfect, I’m not perfect, no one’s perfect, and I don’t want to portray myself as perfect!”
- CraftFail goes to the other extreme, celebrating imperfect crafts and lampooning the perfectionism of Pinterest projects.
6. They have patience and perseverance
Creating things takes time and patience – you don’t get results right away, just like in blogging. It takes time to grow your audience and build your brand. You won’t make a full-time living blogging in just a month or two, but you can if you stick with it.
- Sherri of Overthrow Martha started her blog in 2012, and was able to quit her job as a nurse a year later to blog full time.
- Gina of The Shabby Creek Cottage started blogging in 2009, and was also able to quit her job after a year.
- Shanty 2 Chic was started by two sisters in 2009, and now they’re getting ready to start their own TV show on HGTV.
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