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MindCrafting - Fostress wants your help with a new project...

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hello The Site peeps :wave:

Most of you know me – I used to work at YouthNet and now I do chat modding, mainly on a Sunday evening.

But I’m also working on a new project called MindCrafting (Make and Mend). This is part of a college project but I want to keep it going beyond there if it goes well.

MindCrafting will combine my work in mental health with my interest in craft and creativity. It will be a craft website but it will focus on the benefits of creativity and learning for mental health and wellbeing. It will focus on the process of making things rather than perfect finished projects.

There’s going to be three main sections to the site:

:thumb:Have a go

There’ll be tutorials – and these will be organised so people can search for things to do based on how they feel ‘I need something easy’, ‘I need something repetitive’, ‘I need something to lose myself in’, ‘I’m up for a challenge’.

:thumb:Why craft works

There’ll also be interviews with expert bods who will tell us more about the psychology and science behind creativity as a good way to improve mood/calm us down/distract us.

:thumb:How craft works

This section will be interviews, posts and case studies from people who find that being creative helps their wellbeing. Some of them will be people who are artists or crafters for a living, but most of them will be people who just enjoy it and find it helps them with their wellbeing or with a particular issue they struggle with.

:yes:Please help me!:yes:

If you do any kind of making/crafting/baking/doodling/photographing/colouring etc that helps with your mood/makes you feel better/acts as a distraction/relaxes you then I’d love to hear from you. There are a couple of things you could do:

Easy and quick (2 mins!!)

Send a piccy of your finished product/your work in progress/your messy desk space to mindcraftingmakeandmend@gmail.com. Include a few words about how making that thing made you feel. I’ll be adding the words to the picture and including it on an introductory slideshow to the site.
OR – you can add the words yourself using the OVER app (it's fun!).

There’s an example of a couple I’ve already got attached. You can include a name or username but you don’t have to!

You can also just add them to this post if you prefer.

A little tiny bit more effort…

Send me an email at mindcraftingmakeandmend@gmail.com or post below if you have a suggestion for a tutorial or idea that works for you that you’d like to share.

OR

If you are interested in being interviewed for a case study (either a video, audio or written piece) do let me know. This can be anonymous of course. It's up to you.

OR

Just send me your thoughts/feedback/suggestions/wisdom/TheSite love. It all helps :)

And keep an eye out for MindCrafting.org….

Thank you very much indeed.

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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sounds awesome Fostress! Totally up for getting involved!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hooray, thanks Miss_Riot. Drop me an email or post in the thread with your ideas/pictures/suggestions. Do you do lots of 'mindcrafting' yourself - fancy being a case study if so? :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ihappy to get involved to but it won't let me post pictures on here by my phone :(
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Heather, if you can't post pics here, maybe you could email them to mindcraftingmakeandmend@gmail.com ?

    Great to hear you're interested in getting involved :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ok thanks
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Email Sent :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Fantastic, thanks so much Flow :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Will send email once I'm not so doped up with painkillers in the morning
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    That's great Miss Riot, no rush :) Look after yourself :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've sent a email :/
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've sent you one too!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yay, lot's of emails for me. Thanks everyone! :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi Fostress,

    I'll try to email you later; I've started a blog about craft and mental health so this is totally awesome :thumb: x
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ooh have you piccolo? We'll have to link it up :) No rush with email, just when you can fit it in!
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    Totally up for this - what a fantastic idea. I haven't got time to comment / email properly at the moment and won't have time til next week. Is that too late?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Not at all littlemissy, will be great to hear from you whenever you have time. Just pleased people are into it :) Thanks!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'll try and do something over the weekend :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Nice one Franki, thanks. We've not much on knitting yet :)
  • AuroraAurora Posts: 11,722 An Original Mixlorian
    As much as I would love to get involved, I'm far to consumed in the lack of time I have to do college art work, but might just fit a quick doodle in, anything specific?

    Ooh, and who are Expert Bods? :O Robot Mods? :O #HadTo
    There?ll also be interviews with expert bods who will tell us more about the psychology and science behind creativity as a good way to improve mood/calm us down/distract us.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi Whispers, thanks for replying. Not to worry if you haven't got time. But, if you're using doodles or craft and creativity anyway to help you relax/distract you etc then would be great to get a piccy and some words about how it helped.

    Expert bods so far are Bestan from Stitchlinks who does lots of research into knitting therapy, Mitrayabhandu from Bethnal Green Buddhist Centre to talk about reverse motivation and doing things that give you pleasure mindfully, the leader of a Mind art therapy group and hopefully Dr Emma Neuburg who works for Slow Textiles and someone from Sane. But I'm sure there's lots of experts with interesting things to say so this is not the end of the list. I'd like to talk to a GP and a counsellor too for example.

    :)
  • plugitinplugitin Posts: 2,197 Boards Champion
    Just sent you sth :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi guys,

    Just thought I'd share MindCrafting - it's early days but here's the site so far. If you don't see your story up there, it's coming!! http://mindcrafting.org/

    Would love your thoughts - as always! and if you fancy adding any comments, i'm sure that might help me get some extra marks ;)

    :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I love this, I do an art journal when I am feeling low. Had a quick look at the website, looks great! :)

    Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Website looks awesome. :D
    I like the title banner - is that all stuff you've made Fostress?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thank you :)

    Yep L1ttle one - that's all craft bits collected from round my house and photographed on the kitchen shelf :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ellie :) wrote: »
    I love this, I do an art journal when I am feeling low. Had a quick look at the website, looks great! :)

    Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

    I do art journals too!

    Fostress this is a really good idea. Love being creative but only draw etc. Would be happy to help :)

    Sent from my HTC Desire C using Tapatalk
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