113 Amazing Crafts That Prove People Can Go Above And Beyond

Starting a new hobby is equal parts exciting and terrifying, at least for us. On the one hand, you envision all of this amazing potential and the cool things you’ll soon be able to craft. On the other hand, the harsh reality is that learning any new skill requires constantly learning from your mistakes.

So, even before you begin, you have to accept the fact that your initial motivation will eventually fade and that you’ll need to view failure as an opportunity to improve rather than an excuse to give up. In other words, ideally, you want to embrace a growth mindset, not a fixed one. That’s easier said than done, however.

No matter what, you’ll need both patience and discipline—and lots of them.

If you have a fixed mindset, you tend to believe that people’s abilities and traits are, well, fixed. You think they can’t be changed. You also likely believe that success is tied to talent and intelligence, and that effort doesn’t really matter.

On the other end of the scale is a growth mindset. If you have this mindset, you understand that effort over time leads to results. The idea is that, realistically, persistence allows anyone to improve their abilities and talents.

So, for instance, if you have a growth mindset, you know that you can become smarter or more skilled at a specific creative task if you focus on improving these things.

With a growth mindset, you understand that you only ever ‘fail’ if you stop trying. What’s more, you embrace the fact that real growth happens through overcoming challenges, which can often be uncomfortable.

That being said, you are not delusional enough to think that you’ll become a world-renowned creative genius overnight. Sure, miracles happen, and honest-to-god geniuses do exist, but they are extremely rare. For the rest of us ordinary mortals, hard (and smart) work is the way to go.

A fixed mindset, on the other hand, revolves around looking for excuses. You’re less willing to try new things, step outside your comfort zone, or put yourself out there because you don’t want to fail. You don’t want to do anything new or risky because you have to struggle.

How quickly you develop a new habit—for example, introducing learning and practicing a new hobby or skill into your daily routine—depends on the behavior's complexity.

We learn simpler behaviors quicker. More complex behaviors take longer to become automatic. But broadly speaking, it takes the average person around 2 months to form a new habit.

In brief, you want to practice your new skill as regularly as you can, in a stable environment, while being aware of your personal strengths and weaknesses.

You might struggle learning some skills and naturally excel at others, and this is perfectly normal. What helps is that you’re honest with yourself about where you might need more adaptability and effort than your friends or colleagues.

As cheesy as it sounds, discipline and perseverance trump fair-weather motivation. But you have to be willing to be flexible and adapt your strategy instead of hitting your head against a metaphorical wall again and again.

Reach out to craftspeople live or online. Check out new sources for advice and inspiration. Don’t be too proud to ask for help or to try new approaches.

Or, you know, just take a break and recharge: eat some snacks, take a nap, watch some silly cartoons, stop pressuring yourself so much. (Spoiler warning: hobbies are meant to be fun.)

Authenticity, creativity, and effort are the name of the game.

One of the wonderful online communities that we're featuring here today, 'Crafts,' has been around since June 2009, and it is currently home to 224k incredibly creative internet users. Every week, the members of the group share 3.4k contributions, whether that’s photos, posts, or comments.

“You are welcome to share anything you have made, from simple beginner works to complex works that are only made possible from years of experience,” the moderators encourage everyone, no matter their skill level, to be active in the group.