 Hi Makers! It’s Al here, back with a fresh Tip Tuesday to kick off 2017. I know it’s been a while, well forever, since I’ve spoken up on the blog-- which is why this week’s post is so fitting. I am so grateful to everyone who contributed to Tip Tuesday in my slightly intense introverted phase this fall and kept this column going these past few months. When I first came up with the idea of ‘tip tuesdays’, the entire OML team was so supportive of my vision to have shareable, insider tips from maker to maker about a huge range of topics from knitting, needle crafts, social media, selling and so on. This week's topic may seem a little out there, but strikes a chord with me, especially in the context of reflecting, re-evaluating and setting new goals for a fresh new year. This week I’m sharing my tips for getting yourself out of a creative rut, or more positively: tips for kickstarting your way into a new phase of making. If you’re thinking “what on earth is Al talking about?” then the rest of this post was written for you! Click on!  Over the past couple of months I’ve been working living that typical maker life-- excited and humbled every time an order has found its way into my inbox or in person at a craft fair. I began the selling season in such high spirits, overjoyed at seeing all of the stimulating and innovative hard work I had put in over the summer finally come to life. I thought “Yah. I’ve found my stride. I could do this for the rest of my life.” Except, then there was this one night in mid november when I was working on my third charcoal blanket (of the same pattern) in a row at 3 am and things kind of shifted. Let’s be honest, it just wasn’t a good time. In fact, it was a terrible time and all the creative stamina I had earlier in the season was nowhere to be found. Not even a piece of chocolate or the gilmore girls revival could pull me out of the funk-- it was the darkest of days. I knew that if I didn’t want this phase to last forever I had to pull myself up by my bootstraps and get back to those cheerful feelings I had earlier in the selling season in order to keep my knitwear business healthy and stimulating. Obviously these tips aren’t things that will work for everyone, but here’s what did it for me:
 It’s rare in life that we get chances to wipe the slate clean, refocus and start again. New years gives us a unique opportunity to try and make this happen-- and for me that means throwing myself back into the creative side of knitting and seeing where that will lead. It also means reconnecting with the whole OML community & regularly checking in with you guys with Tip Tuesdays. So curious to hear of any other tips you guys might want to share about your creative processes!
Xoxox, Al @la.reserve.design @ourmakerlife Alison is the knitter behind @la.reserve.design. She has always loved making things with her own two hands and the idea of turning strands of yarn into warm, wearable garments gets her itching to pick up her needles. With a background in textile design, she currently works as a design assistant for a menswear company in Montreal, Canada. Her favorite thing to knit is warm chunky blankets made of cozy, thick wool |
