Developmental archive

Mistaking Facts for Information We are drowning in information in this age of instant access.   I am not going to under rate Ai as it is a wonderful time saver when you need instant information. However this ease of access of information is not about acquiring knowledge.Information is facts.  It is headlines (if you believe…

As I watch the bravery of those people who have demonstrated against the injustice that is the massacre in Gaza and are prepared to be arrested in order to showcase this, I am bound to think of what levels of empathy these people have.   I have a good friend, a crafter,  who spent weeks in the…

Do you get Creativity Blocks? Do you get creativity blocks?  Maybe this will help.  Let me first explain how we process information.Our conscious minds distort, delete and generalise information.   Our conscious minds take in between 7 plus or minus 9 pieces of information at any one time.    We delete information because our conscious minds cannot…

You can change your beliefs Some time ago I promised I would give you a method whereby you can change some of the beliefs that you have that are not very helpful to you.  You know there are many – the common one being ‘I am not very good at this’ when you forget that…

We all need advice, but….. When the previous pope was dying he was asked to name his successor and he refused because he said the cardinals should rely on themselves. We all require guidance, in particular when we are learning a new craft.  In the early days (so long ago) of my having discovered polymer…

The Mind is its own Place…. “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”— John Milton, Paradise Lost We are living in difficult times: politically, environmentally and socially.  The news spins fast and we’re all being pulled in many directions depending on what we…

Creat a Positive State of Mind I have talked about this technique before, but it is worth repeating as it is a valuable tool when you are feeling dispirited.First, if you have a number of rooms in your home, particularly if you are a crafter, have you noticed that when you go into your craft…

May 2025 We All Need to Strive “We humans have to have things to strive for.” This truism is of a fundamental human trait: the need for purpose and potential achievement.  It is most visible in professional ambition or personal development: this drive is also among serial crafters. We knit, crochet, stitch, sew, carve, sculpt,…

Small talk about the weather…. It seems to be the norm for us in the UK to spend much of our casual conversations talking about current ailments and/or the weather!  As crafters and artists we spend time explaining how we can’t do our crafts as well as we want to because of the pain in our…

Thank you for choosing our Starter Kit—we’re delighted to be part of your creative journey! Inside the kit you’ll find everything you need to get started. Created by expert Helen Cruickshank, a well-known teacher and polymer clay tutorial writer her guide is designed to help you make the most of your kit.  Click the button…