Sarah’s post about art being a sanctuary really hit home for me, because I’ve been on a creative tear all month. I’ve posted a lot on this blog…and that is only the tip of the iceburg of projects I’ve got going now. What I realized after reading Sarah’s post is the extent to which I’ve been using stamping as a stress reliever.

My full-time job has been very hectic and stressful. I work in the solar industry – business is booming and we are doing at least 2-3x the amount of business as previous years. Fantastic right? Well, yeah, but we are doing it with the same number of people, and I’m feeling a bit worse for wear.

What has saved me is going home, pulling out some stamps and paper and playing around. Or getting some wood, fabric, and a staple gun and creating a cool side table for the living room. Or putting together a new storage unit for my burgeoning stamp collection. All of these have kept me from getting stuck in my own head and stewing about the stresses of work.

One of the things Sarah talks about is appreciating yourself. Here are my self-appreciations for this month:

1. I appreciate that I was able to keep a calm head at work by focusing on crafting at home.
2. I appreciate that crafting on a daily basis has made me more creative in all aspects of my life
3. I appreciate that I found the time to finish and submit a fab project for one of the monthly SU! Demo art contests.
4. I appreciate how being an SU! Demo has allowed me to stay close to two of my good friends from college who live far away (my uplines Jess and Amy).
5. I appreciate how crafting connected me to an online community that is vibrant and supportive.

Wishing you lots of creative mojo!