THE CRAFT SESSIONS STORY

Welcome! I’m Felicia, the creator of The Craft Sessions and Soul Craft Festival.

The aim of what I do is to bring people together to connect around how making things with our hands elevates our lives. How it supports us in our everyday, connects us to ourselves, our community and the earth, and ultimately changes us.

Way back in 2013 I created The Craft Sessions to provide a space for crafters to come together, whether that togetherness is online or at our retreat; to share ideas, to learn from, and be inspired by one another.

Over time that has morphed into other events including Soul Craft Festival in Melbourne 2018 and Soul Craft Online in 2020.

I have also written many a blog post about different aspects of the head stuff around craft in the hope that it nourishes and deepens your craft practice - and changes how we all see the value of craft.

I have a deep commitment to learning about living well, and has a passionate interest in the connection between making things with our hands and well-being science. This passion has lead me to study Psychology at the University of Melbourne, and to create events to encourage others to explore these ideas like Soul Craft Online.

I wrote The Craft Sessions Manifesto when I was getting started in 2013 and it’s as true now as it was then. x

You can email me at admin@thecraftsessions.com.

Anna, Martine, Me, Jenn and Claire at the end of a retreat.

April 19, 2022

Making Fast Fashion: Some More Of The Grey

So I wrote last week a post asking “Is my making fast fashion?”. And then I did a video on Instagram discussing similar topics in a slightly different way. And as always, you lovely humans have helped me clarify some of my thinking with your thoughtful, clever commentary.

And while I think there is so much more to discuss, here are four key possibly-more-meta ideas that have come up for me out of those conversations.

In using the quote last week that suggested that there was no single answer, and suggesting that this was freeing, I really did mean that we should sit in the grey. Not that the lack of “an” answer to this question should mean we get to ignore the question but rather that the lack of “an” answer means that we need to keep asking bigger more beautiful questions. And keep asking them.

Is my making fast fashion?
Am I living my values or merely thinking them?
And how can I make those two things a little more aligned in this moment?

These are my big beautiful questions.

Yours might be different.

And importantly this leads to point 2.

April 12, 2022

Is My Making Fast Fashion?

We all have the capacity - and often the desire - to deny truths that show us engaged in things we know aren’t ideal. To minimise, avoid, distract and rationalise our way to feeling OK with our choices and our behaviour.

And it makes sense. It’s human to avoid the hard stuff, especially when that hard stuff involves us changing behaviours we enjoy. I do it. Regularly. And I’ve been doing it regularly in my making, for many years, in many ways.

“The term fast fashion refers to ….speedy production of ….clothing, ….. in order to meet the latest and newest trends.”

I do this. I produce things in a speedy way in order to meet the latest and newest trends.