Creating
Craft
I have enjoyed crafting since young childhood. When I was in Brownies my grandmother taught me to knit (and crochet) so I could achieve my knitter badge, I also attained my craft badge doing various other crafts. I can turn my hand to most crafty things such as needlework, papercraft, polymer clay, mixed media art, and jewellery making. I enjoy the processes of creating and find it really rewarding, it can be very relaxing too. I often work sustainably, using up my scraps as much as possible, especially in my jewellery making by repurposing reclaimed items, and with repurposing old and damaged books into junk journals, notebooks, and more.
Photography
When it comes to photography, I’m just an over enthusiastic amateur with tremors and double vision, but it is a real passion of mine. I am mostly self-taught but have taken a brief photography course, which has really helped me improve. I have also belonged to my local Camera Club learned even more there. My love of photography began when I was about 8 years old, I correctly answered a question on a radio quiz (about Fraggle Rock of all things) and I won a camera. It was a very basic Halina pocket camera with a flip case, which took 110 film and a 10-bulb clip-in flash. I took it everywhere with me, photographing family and friends, landscapes, and anything that took my fancy. I still have a very varied taste in who and what I photograph, rather than focusing (pun intended) on any particular subject, the only difference now is my camera gear is a mobile phone and a of DSLR camera with various lenses and accessories.
Writing
I began writing, as most of us do, in school. Scribbles of stories and poetry, mostly lost over the years, sadly. However, it remains something I very much enjoy doing, with quite the collection building over my adult years. I have taken part in a short course led by a published author and continue to attend two creative writing groups.
Kitchen witchery
Another favourite hobby of mine is cooking, and even though I don’t do enough of it these days I still love it. Cooking with intent is also a large part of my life, from baking to making a stew, or a soup, or just a nice cup of tea.
Combinations
I have combined my hobbies in some ways, creating some poetography, I also use both my photography and writing in my ATCs. Sometimes, I will illustrate a piece of writing with a little doodle, too.