Mindfulness and jewellery-making…a magical mixture?
Mindfulness? What is that?
The Oxford dictionary describes mindfulness as “a mental state achieved by concentrating on the present moment, while calmly accepting the feelings and thoughts that come to you”. That is essentially an elegant way of saying “mindfulness makes you feel good” and that it helps to alleviate stress by centering you in one activity, time or place, without worries clamouring for your attention.
If you, like many others, immediately thought: “But I don’t have time for that!” then keep reading, and we’ll see if we can show you how taking time for yourself, without strings or caveats, is one of the best things you can do for living a happier life.
It seems obvious, right? Of course taking some me-time is wonderful! Everyone knows that! But, did you know that deliberate and consistent mindfulness can:
1. Reduce habits like over-thinking and rumination
2. Lessen emotional reactivity and improve relationship satisfaction
3. Diminish the risk of stress and anxiety attacks
4. Improve working memory and mental clarity
5. Help develop better focus, concentration and overall productivity
Experts say that mindfulness can be one of the most effective ways to improve an individual’s quality of life, since it contributes to all aspects of health: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
Once you start to engage in the practice of mindful living there is a greater chance that life satisfaction and happiness will improve. It’s worth a try, right?
Do you use mindfulness techniques?
[Sarah:]
Yes!
If you are anything like me, you probably spend way too much valuable time trying to stay positive and focused. I have found myself reading self-help books and cycling through other tools I have learned over the years to get through this difficult year. But still, I have lost hours ruminating on the future (things that may never happen!) and the negative thoughts we have all experienced while riding the roller coaster ride that is this pandemic.
I admit that deep into lockdown with all the noise of the news, family, working from home and real anxiety taking hold I had to add more tools to help bring me back to a zen-like position! So, I decided to give mindfulness a go.
I tried starting the day with a morning meditation, a practice that is now part of my self-care. It is definitely a different morning if I haven’t used my handy app for just a 20 min mind-clearing and it really adds boost to my day.
I know my daughter prefers to do mindfulness relaxation techniques in the evening before bed, as it helps her sleep. There’s really no wrong way to go about it.
So how does jewellery-making fit into this?
[Sarah:]
Making something mindfully can serve as a much deeper and more healing meditation than sitting in silence with a full head and lots of inner voices chattering.
When I started making jewellery it was just a hobby. I needed some timeout from raising a young family. I already had an obsession with all things jewellery, but as I spent many happy evenings creating and honing my skills I realised the true power of it. The hours skipped past and I felt fulfilled, driven and positive on my return from a class.
Jewellery-making has continued to offer the opportunity to lose myself for hours at a time ever since. Time spent designing and making jewellery or exploring new ideas is time spent in a type of meditation all on its own! I am in action, taking my mind to a free and creative place and feel an overwhelming sense of freedom as a result.
Choosing to do an evening course and return to my passion of working with metal was one of the best decisions I ever made.
And now after years of making jewellery I am more than happy to share the passion of my craft – and the peace of mind it gives me – with others!
[Violeta:]
Sarah’s right! You cannot imagine how thrilling it is each time a student finishes a piece of jewellery. You are with them through their journey. They walk into the room sometimes feeling a little nervous not knowing what to expect. We breakdown the session into manageable pieces and slowly their vision comes to life.
My favourite part is when the jewellery comes out of the polisher at the end of the day. The polisher gives it a beautiful shine. It is at that stage where the student really sees their jewellery and how their work during the day has helped them produce a piece of jewellery to a high standard.
So many times, we hear “I didn’t think I would be able to make anything as good as this”. That is the best feeling in the world.
Wow! How can I get involved?
Come and have a go at one of our workshops this year!
Creativity and getting stuck into a new skill or craft can be such a positively rewarding experience; being both beneficial to our well-being and allowing us to make some beautiful too.
We have created our workshops with you in mind. We teach each stage step by step and you receive our very personal attention throughout the day. We demonstrate aa range of techniques that you will then be able to do have a go at and let’s face it, releasing your inner tensions on a piece of hard metal…that’s the fun bit and a great stress reliever!
In our new teaching space at Acorn Farm, we now have a beautiful and spacious place with bespoke jeweller’s benches for everybody, with your own set of tools! We have a fully COVID-19 secure procedure in place for our student’s safety.
The best feeling in the world is to make jewellery, Violeta and I are still enjoying the craft all these years later and seeing the first spark of jewellery-making addiction in our students is wonderful. Sharing this experience with a friend or loved one will give you an opportunity to do something super fun and relaxing, and dare we say…mindful.
Who can come along?
Anyone and everyone!
We have taught and hosted people from all walks of life, experience and ages; from children to Women’s Institute groups to family units, couples, siblings and friends! We even have the capability of teaching for team-building events for employees, as we have a portable ‘kit’ that we can bring to you.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries about group sizes or types of events – drop us an email or a phone call, and we’ll see what we can do!
Here is a quick final breakdown of what a Corzo and Wood workshop offers:
- Making your own unique piece of jewellery
- Experience the mindfulness of jewellery-making, taking it at your own pace
- Step by step tuition in fully equipped studio
- Creating a wonderful day of memories and shared experienced with friends of loved ones
- Lots of tea, coffee and biscuits!
- The payoff of having a tangible, shiny achievement to take home with you at the end
Sounds good doesn’t it? Almost too good… but our reviews and customer feedback tell us that it really works!
“Very enjoyable. Great activity to do with friends and family. Love the bespoke piece of jewellery to keep. Thank you for a lovely day.”
“Lovely people, very informative. I would recommend this workshop because it was fun, different and I came home with a beautiful piece of jewellery (actually more than one piece). Thank you ladies, I will come again for another workshop.”
“I enjoyed the whole day, very enjoyable, challenging (all new to me) but a lovely day. Violeta and Sarah both very helpful, full of ideas, clear guidance given and very supportive.”
“It was good to have one to one tuition and helped me along every step from cutting to soldering to finishing with expert guidance. Planning was well done, techniques explained well. Only two in the workshop so individual attention. Violeta and Sarah made sure we left with beautiful bangles. We have ideas to come again!”
