Did you realize your love of crafting has surprising health benefits? Your creative projects have probably been sustaining you during these crazy times. You get an extra boost of positive impacts when participating in group art and craft classes.

Share fun and laughter with like-minded people.

In The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again, Catherine Price discovered fun is critical to our adaptability, contentment, and health – both mental and physical. Her research shows that fun is the result of playfulness, connection, and flow. She defines playfulness as “a quality of lightheartedness that allows you to do things in everyday life just for the pleasure of it.” Connection is a bond through shared experiences with other people. Flow is when we are so engrossed in what we are doing that we forget about time. Our mood increases when we experience one of these. But when experiencing all three at once, we feel “focused and present, free from anxiety and self-criticism. [We] laugh and feel connected, both to other people and to [our] authentic selves. Fun feels good, and it’s good for us.” (source)

Get more creative.

You know increasing creativity in one area can spark creativity in another (wink, wink, ahem!). And that doesn’t only apply to arts and crafts. Increased creativity can lead to more flexible ways of thinking in all areas of family and work life. Creative thinking keeps the mind flexible and helps us deal with uncertainty as we adapt to finding new ways to do things.

Boost your self-esteem and confidence through accomplishment.

These are things we often overlook as they can seem self-ish. However, they are the foundation of loving ourselves. Self-esteem can be bolstered by recognizing what you do well and building skills from there. Healthy self-esteem leads to confidence and resilience in weathering stress and setbacks in all areas of life. From that foundation, we can turn to helping others in a variety of ways.

Keep your mind stimulated.

Learning something new requires flexible thinking and a willingness to make mistakes. (Or as artists and crafters call them, “design elements”!) We are often scared to make a mistake in case someone laughs at us or ridicules us. Well, a classroom is a safe place to learn and help each other understand the best way to do something. And to see the silliness when things get too serious. Learning something new is also a way to exercise the brain and reduce the chance of developing dementia, according to a healthnavigator.org.nz article.

Save time and frustration by having your questions answered in real time by a real person.

Instead of getting lost down internet rabbit holes for hours trying to figure things out, head over here to Life in the Craft Room to ask a question and get sorted out before a project gets completely derailed. This helps keep the momentum of your project rolling along. Everyone has questions! Even your teacher or coach has questions. Don’t be afraid to ask.

Try new things without a huge investment.

Have you ever seen something demonstrated on TV or at a booth somewhere and thought you’d like to do it? So you invested in all the tools and pieces and stuff to get started. Only you found out a few weeks later that it wasn’t as fun as it seemed? Maybe because you didn’t have anyone to answer your questions? Maybe because you didn’t have anyone to create with? We’ve got classes where beginners can try new arts and crafts, ask questions, laugh with other crafters, and not invest hundreds or thousands of dollars into their new obsession before finding out whether or not they will love it.

Reduce stress at a time when stress levels have never been higher.

Over time, stress can lead to heart and lung diseases, obesity, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, other illnesses, relationship problems, increased reliance on addictive substances, and many other results of tension. Crafting naturally brings down stress levels. Whether it’s through meditation-like knitting or laughter while painting, our classes help crafters relax and de-stress.

Check the class schedule and come by soon! We’re conveniently located at Heartland Marketplace, 33304 W 12 Mile Road in Farmington Hills.