Do I Have to Be an Artist to Be a Crafter? Finding My Place at the Crafting Table

That probably sounds a little strange, especially because I've been a creative person for most of my life. I've always loved making things, writing, creating, and finding ways to express myself. But when I entered the world of cardmaking, I suddenly found myself surrounded by incredibly talented people who seemed to know things I didn't.

Some cardmakers could watercolor beautifully. Others knew exactly how to use Copic or Olo markers. Some understood color theory, composition, shading, blending, and all of those artistic concepts that seemed to come naturally to them. I didn't know any of that.

And I'll admit it: I was intimidated to high Heavens!

I Didn't Go to School for Art

I don't have an art degree. I never went to art school. In fact, my education was focused much more on computers and technology. Even when my career eventually moved toward graphic design, I had to learn as I went. In fact, I don't have any degree, I'm completely self-taught.

I was around 30 when I was working in the Administrative Services department and began doing desktop publishing assignments such as designing flyers and newsletters. I enjoyed the creative side of it, but I didn't really understand the mechanics of graphic design.

So I took evening classes and learned from the graphic designers I worked with. Eventually, my career shifted again into web design, and that's where I really found my digital creative voice.

I loved creating for the web. I understood the technology, and I could combine that technical knowledge with my creativity. But hand crafting was a different story.

Then Came Cardmaking

When I began making cards, I tried learning some of the techniques I saw other cardmakers using. I tried watercolor painting. I tried coloring with markers. I tried different techniques and watched plenty of tutorials.

And some of those things just never came together for me. My cards were cute. I enjoyed making them. But when I compared my cards to the beautiful creations I saw other cardmakers making, I sometimes felt like I had failed.

How could I call myself a crafter when I couldn't do what they could do? I didn't feel like I had earned the title. And that thinking stayed with me for a while.

Then Something Changed

As I watched more cardmaking videos on YouTube, I started noticing something that really caught my attention. Some very talented cardmakers would openly say that they weren't artists.

Some didn't consider themselves good at coloring. Some didn't watercolor. Some didn't use complicated techniques. And yet there they were, making beautiful cards and sharing them with the crafting community. That was the moment the bell went off in my head.

Wait a minute... "Maybe I had been looking at this all wrong." Maybe being a crafter didn't mean I had to be an artist. Maybe I didn't have to master every technique I saw someone else doing. Maybe I just needed to find own my way of creating.

I Didn't Have to Make Cards Like Someone Else

I've heard so many cardmakers encourage others to find their own creative style. "Use the techniques you enjoy." "Make the kinds of cards you like." "Try something new when you want to." "And don't worry about whether your card looks exactly like somebody else's." That changed everything for me.

I finally realized that I didn't have to compare my creations to someone else's creations. I could simply love making cards the way I like to make them. And you know what? That's enough.

Comparison Can Steal the Joy Right Out of Crafting

I think comparing ourselves to other crafters can create such a negative experience. There's always going to be someone who colors better. Someone who understands composition better. Someone who can create the most beautiful watercolor backgrounds you've ever seen. Someone who can look at a handful of supplies and immediately know exactly how to put them together. And that's great!

They're them. And, I'm me.

If I spend all my crafting time comparing what I can do with what somebody else can do, I'm going to spend a lot of time feeling like I'm not good enough.

And who wants to craft that way? I certainly don't. I'd much rather sit at my craft table, pull out my supplies, make something I enjoy, and have fun doing it.

What the Recipient Sees

There's something else I've come to understand. When I give someone a handmade card, they're not examining it the way I might. They're not looking to see if a little glue squeezed outside a die cut, checking whether my card base was folded and creased perfectly or comparing my coloring to somebody else's. And if they did that, then they're not the person I should be making for!