The Healing Craft Series: King

Name: King
Age: 19 years old
Country: Phillipines
Instagram: @citycottageking
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CityCottageKing
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYEzb70g4i0mnUu_hs_wa9w
Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/people/CityCottageKing

About the series

The Healing Craft Series features creators sharing their thoughts and feelings on crafting and healing through crafting.

“I can see my life as a ball of yarn being unraveled – along with it, my jumbled thoughts are unraveled. At the end of creation, there is always a whole piece.”

King, @citycottageking

What kind of craft do you do and how long have you been doing it for?

I focus in the realm of textile art, mainly crochet and knit. It began when I was 9 years old; I learnt how to crochet from my aunt. It all came about as my mom noticed that I liked working with my hands. As a painter, my mother exposed me to paints and oils – a peek into her world. However, I was more interested in working with textures that I could feel and it captivated me to see my creations physically transform in my hands.

Through a chance encounter with crochet, it was a gateway into my own world. A world filled with experimentation and intrigue that I piqued my interest and pulled at my mental strings.

A year after I learnt crochet, I taught myself how to knit. For about 10 years, I have been self-teaching myself both crafts along with a little of everything in between – sewing, cross stitch, felting, macrame, among many others. Anything that had to do with creating with my hands, I wanted to try it. From that fateful age of nine, I did not stop crafting.

What is your favourite place/time of day to craft and why?

In many ways, knitting and crochet is my own way of jumping into my own world. I would say that anytime is a good time for me to go to my dreamland. Although as a student, daughter, and a small business owner, I have responsibilities that I need to attend to before I can jump into my craft in full force each day. While I am on holiday break, I can dedicate most of my time to my craft as it is also my part time job (a blessing to me). However, life is not a constant holiday (we shouldn’t keep looking for holidays, instead we should enjoy each moment!).

When I have my duties to do, I like to craft at the end of the day – in the quiet of the night. I cuddle up with my blankets at 11pm, turn on some jazz music, and craft away. It reminds me of the symbolic time of rejuvenation after a long day. I think that it is the perfect time to shed away the stressful external factors that life brings in preparation for the dawn of a new day.
It is my moment of reformation.

What inspires you (in life & in crafting)?

First and foremost, my family inspires me. We are a Benetton family – diverse and similar (an ultimate connection that cannot be broken). I see each of them in the glory of their beauty; I am enamoured and I would want to see them in something that I have created. It fills me with so much pride and joy.

Secondly, I am inspired by my travels. I am inspirited by each place that I visit – people, scenery, architecture. I absorb myself in the moment I find myself in. Most recently, I visited Norway and was enraptured by the knitting culture there. So these days, I knit more.

Thirdly, I dedicate a large amount of time to myself. I am an introvert and I need my time away from social media. I constantly go through a digital minimalism cleansing in order to be in tune with myself. If I am not crafting, I am living life vicariously – may it be through cooking a new dish or plunging into the fictional world of a novel. In addition, I like to explore my own country and culture. I immerse myself in the bounty of nature in the tropics.

How has/is crafting helping you and your mental health?

I use my craft as a grounding technique. It is my time for myself when I can be alone and meditate. The repetition adds to the experience as it is very calming. I can see my life as a ball of yarn being unraveled – along with it, my jumbled thoughts are unraveled. At the end of creation, there is always a whole piece. My patchwork thoughts come to a loving conclusion towards myself. That is why I find it important to yield to the process.

When I am creating something for another person, I focus my love on the person I am creating the piece for. A silent prayer is always said in commemoration of a completion. I am thankful to my hands for bearing with the journey, I am thankful to the person for being a part of my life, and I am thankful for the opportunity to create.

I truly appreciate that my small business is connected with my craft as it is an empowering experience.

What is your advice to other creators (or newly started creators)?

It is easy to get caught up with the numbers of followers, likes, and comments. I say don’t let those rule your life. So when you think those numbers are clouding your thoughts more than it’s supposed to, take actionable steps to curb that pressure and deactivate for a while. It is important for you to find your own rhythm. Listen to your own song. Dance to your own beat.

Keep crafting, experimenting and posting about it. Do it for yourself.

Those followers that are there for you are the icing on the cake. You are your own foundation! When you take care of the little things you have, it signals that you are ready for the bigger things that are in store for you!

Be flexible.
Rome was not built in a day. Give yourself time to learn your craft and yourself. When you hit a wall, step back and have an introspective moment to regroup your thoughts. However, be open to the option that this may be a moment to take you to a new direction (away from that wall). You have to go through with it. Make it into an opportunity to learn a new way of doing things.

Take breaks.
It is so easy to get sucked in the world of just textiles, but be kind to yourself. Set timers so that your hands have periodic breaks. At times, I make the mistake of forgetting to do this and my body forces myself to stop as the pain gets unbearable. Do not make that mistake – be intentional with every action.

Be bold.
Do not be afraid to try out something new. There is a big community out there that is willing to help you if you cannot figure something out. There is so much power in that: a community. There is so much that we can learn from each other.

In time, you will find your style. So go forth! Be yourself. Be bold. We love it.