Did you know creativity improves life? Fashion DIY and the bigger picture

Sep 16

Written By Dori

Giving birth to Spice It Up With Dori opened up a whole new environment where I can fully immerse in the process of creating. It started off as a passion project of sewing clothes and making fashion DIYs, seeking ways to recycle unused fashion and ended up building a website, learning customised coding, blogging, taking pics, editing pics and more that offered a diversified, very rich creative outlet.

Although, I am far being know it all, but the beauty is in the process. Without owning a creative approach this would not led me here, I loved getting to know new skills and accepting not everything will turn out the way I wanted for the first time, sometimes not even for the second.. these are the diys that never get published on this site :) After all I love devoting my time to my crafts and truly makes me happy that I can share it all with like-minded people and inspire others.

This is only me, but what about you? What is your calling ?

Do you have a pass-time activity that can grow into something more? A hobby you love diving in deep ?

Having a DIY fashion hobby and learn how to upcycle old clothing can add value to your life. Learning tailoring has many potentials and would recommend to anyone who is still thinking about grabbing a sewing machine. Upcycling clothes and sewing, even changing a zip without the help of others would create plenty of feel-good moments! Therefore, I wanted to write about some of the benefits of how being in the creative flow nourish your life.

SO WHAT IS CREATIVITY AND BEING IN THE CREATIVE FLOW?

Creativity is a way how we can switch on our innate thinking to connect seemingly un-connectable ideas and try to turn blocks into opportunities. Open our minds to new ideas and think outside of the box. You get completely absorbed in the process at hand and those moments feel energised. It is easier to get to the state if you are in the Flow.

The creative Flow is when you grow, learn and switch your mind off completely. The moment when you feel alive and completely focused, whilst bringing something new into life. It can be a physical item or an idea. You can even be creative with your words, if you are an eager word smith and love playing with the choice of your expressions. One of the founders of positive psychology said about Flow:

“the creative moment when the person is completely involved in an activity for its own sake”

— Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

FIND YOUR CREATIVE OUTLET

Understandably - and sadly of course haha - not everybody is into sewing heart shapes and making glitter butterfly brooches, but luckily there are a bunch of other awesome things you can do. For example, fixing car engines, gardening, playing piccolo, pick up a new lingo, photography, body building, renovating old chairs, making pretzels… even practising hand writing or finding rhymes to your words are also spicing up your brain.

Creativity is all around us, we are born creators by nature. Life itself is creative.

If you do things you truly love, amazing things could happen as a by-product.

Just think about big thinkers, intellectuals, they looked at things from their own perspective, without their unique approach we would be missing some of the biggest inventions of civilisation, like air planes, electricity, telephone … surely our life would also be less colourful without seeing how can one fix thousands of realistic looking butterflies to a dress (Alexander McQueen - monarch butterflies) being a game changer in fashion history?!

**DIY LOVE COMES IN WAVES shirt - recycle your tulle fabric or net curtain**

TURN OBSTACLES INTO POSITIVES

Whatever you get called to there is one universal truth in all of them. Creativity improves our health, regulates us and as a result of all, it makes us happier - as studies shown.

Staying in the moment is something we struggle in today’s digitalised world.

However if you are into clothes making and finding ideas for DIY fashion hacks, then a form of mindfulness can be practised. Breaking away from distracting thoughts whilst sketching up fashion designs and colouring them, or perhaps learn tailoring and find ways of revamp your old clothes. You will be amazed many of the small changes you can achieve with a thread and needle.

CREATIVE VENTURES PROMOTES HAPPINESS THROUGH FEEL-GOOD HORMONES

Looking at the bigger picture there are plenty of benefits of crafting. It calms you and works as a meditation. Got to admit when the blood is dripping from my finger or when the third sewing needle breaks in over a thick fabric somehow I can’t not sense the sign of any calmness. But eventually seeing how my sewing project turns out excites me, there is a feeling of joy and little wins. When we keep up the momentum of accomplishing things it can help us in other areas of life, too.

There are countless studies proves the positive affect, for example according to Dr A Bresky, who uses art therapy to treat Alzheimer’s there is a 70% improvement in patient’s memory since engaging with art.

NEW CONSUMPTION - MASS CUSTOMISATION

Fashion businesses are changing focus from mass production to mass customisation as customers look for personal relevance and self expression. Picking your one-of-one fashion project will just do exactly this.

The form of your creative manifestation is unique, original and expressed in a way only you can express it. And I feel it is particularly important when we clothing ourselves, as it is a great opportunity for self expression. Oftentimes think that being surrounded by many fast produced, uniformed mass product sold to millions, our true sense of self can be lost and forgotten, and instead of celebrating style and personality it get washed away.

Lockdown accelerated the rising popularity for sewing, reconstructing, DIY tricks. Making customised garments are getting more trendy than ever.

It gives personal expansion when you dedicate yourself to create a designer piece you have seen in a shop window, it enlivens you and sparks you to find ways to make your own ‘version’. Learning about fashion hacks and clothes DIY ideas lit the creative freak in you.

Pick the sewing projects you always loved but never knew how to go about it, or search inspirational ideas amongst runway collections and try to find ways to make it and more, add your own imagination. Can’t wait to hear about your projects!