Trading Blue Light for Sunlight

  As I left the metro, I noticed another passenger with my bag. It shouldn't have been a surprise, it makes sense that the bag was mass produced. But it was an uncomfortable feeling nonetheless. All the way home I started thinking about how can I customise my bag and have fun with it.  It just so happens, that recently I saw a video about couching which is a type of embroidery where you secure thick thread or material with small stitches from a second, finer yarn. I saw the video before I decided to focus my attention away from that kind of content, but learning is one of the reasons I still keep those apps anyway.  Here's my honest check-in: this craft this week was hard and that lead me to turn to my phone for hours again and again. I can't get that time back, so I'm just going to try to be different moving forward.  I have leftover yarn that is beautiful and thick and yellow and I decided to make a star shape in the bottom corner of the bag. I also have leftover b...

A week ago, I started a craft called couching and began drafting the blog post to match. But I kept telling myself I couldn't finish the post until I finished the project, and the trickier the project got the more everything dragged.  And what's the cure for slow-going? I know where to find instant dopamine. My reliable crutch. The joy that doesn't last. I know this and yet I keep going back.  I have a list of crafts about as long as my arm, so it should be easy to get off my phone and pick anything else to do. I'm by no means short on ideas.  I think trying to quit cold turkey isn't helping me. So I've gone back to the drawing board to make a plan that actually fits the way I work. I'm looking for something better that lasts then I won't feel stuck to the grip of my phone because I hate how trapped I feel, unable to look away. I'm trying to remind myself that it's not failure if one solution isn't the end-all, be-all. It means it worked for ...

Starting this project has been on my mind for some time now and I am glad to be finally taking the leap.  Whenever I have a spare moment or a dull minute, my first instinct is to check my phone. And I hate it. I've been fighting it recently. It's harder than I am proud of. I enjoy the immediacy that technology brings, but the joy doesn't last. I expect that taking time away from my mindless use of technology will bring the lasting joy that it doesn't offer. I anticipate a challenge, but I trust that the long term payout will well be worth it.  Our idea is to spend time reconnecting with the world naturally, through poetry and crafts and writing and exercise. Revolutionary, really. I'm excited to start. We want to spend time every day this way. Back to basics. Rewind time. Before phone. Before doomscrolling. I want to lose hours stuck in clay and paint and glue and an idea to create something fun that inspires me, something exciting that's not my phon...

                        Hi, it's a pleasure to have you here. I'm Elena, a girl who's finding a way to un-plug . Recently I've come to the conclusion that the attraction to satisfaction must come at a cost. In order for one to chase, one must be challenged. I present to you "75 Hard". A challenge created by the one and only, Andy Frisella, an entrepreneur, podcaster, motivational speaker and life coach. Andy started the project in year 2020, at that time Covid-19 had just sprung and he was developing the, 1st Phorm International. A company that  planned on helping athletes with nutritional supplements and sport performance.      So with all that said we, (my amazing partner Lucy and I) welcome you to our challenge to unplug, 75 Creative. As she calls it., our tiny corner of the internet, where we will begin to post regularly in the span of the next three months. Documenting our creative explorati...

Hello and Welcome!  We're so excited you're here for our very first blog post. We've been eager to launch this space and we’re so glad to share it now.  This blog is our little corner on the internet, it's our place to be creative, connect with other makers and crafters and celebrate the joy of natural living. We’re starting this blog because technology has slowly and recently become too consuming. We want to reconnect with the world and ourselves. We will use crafting and writing as a way to unwind, be expressive and turn our attention away from screens for hours and make something meaningful.  This blog will let us be consistent while we enjoy teaching each other, sharing project ideas and inspiring ourselves. When you read along we want you to feel welcome to do the same.  You can look forward to a variety of posts documenting our trials and tribulations with our activities. We’re excited to try new things, including: poetry; collage; sculpture; writing short stor...