Unique Arts And Crafts Projects Anyone Can Do From Home
Sarah Urist Green is an artist and writer who’s on a mission to change the world through creative mediums that challenge the ways we think about what it means to be unique. In her most recent book “You Are An Artist” Green has curated a bunch of DIY projects that are inspired by her specific philosophy on making art. The book itself has risen in popularity on social media within the past few weeks, as all of the projects can be done in isolation and shared online.
It doesn’t matter whether you consider yourself an artist or not, during uncertain and scary times, it’s important to keep ourselves distracted while engaging in activities that stimulate both our bodies and minds. Tapping into our creative side to make some casual art while we pass the time is the perfect way to unwind and separate yourself from the world of scary virus’ and unknown tomorrows. So here are a few examples of fun projects that Green offers in her book.
Make A Shadow Portrait: This is one of the most creative and interactive projects in the book. All you’ll need is a wire hanger; beads, cloth, feathers, and other “accessory” crafting items are encouraged but not mandatory. Once you have your supplies, all you need to do is bend your hanger into the shape of a profiled-face. Adding things like beads and feathers will give the illusion of hair/jewelry. Once finished, find a blank wall and hold your hanger sculpture a few inches away from it until you see the face’s shadow. From there, you can take a photo and print it out for your enjoyment, hang the sculpture itself, or make another!
Create A Fake Flyer: More often than not, when we see flyer’s it’s to advertise for a lost pet, job opportunity, garage sale, etc. Instead of doing something mundane and predictable like that, make a flyer that gives advice, or shares a certain story from your life. Want to get even more creative? Since all concerts and major events are cancelled for the foreseeable future, make up your own imagined event, whether it be a music festival with all of your favorite artists or a flea market with pop-up shops from all your favorite stores, don’t be afraid to make it personal! Green then suggests when you’re done, put whatever flyer you made out into the world; during times of quarantine this would mean simply posting online, don’t actually go out and hang any flyers.
Constructed Landscape: Since we aren’t able to go sight-seeing at the moment, think about where you’d want to go if you had the chance to walk out your door and leave right now. Think about landscapes specifically, like a beach, forest, pond, etc. Then, walk around your yard and house and look for materials to construct your own mini-landscape! Green suggests using both natural and man-made materials. Arrange your items any way you want, and consider turning your average mini-beach into a fantasy world using objects you find around the house, like glitter, or figurines.
The Lost Object Project: This final project is a personal favorite of mine because of how unique it is. First, you’ll need to interview someone about an object that they owned, and then lost, as a kid. Ask specific questions and jot down as many details as possible. Get the object’s dimensions, what materials it was made from, its texture, shape, and any other unique qualities that the person you’re interviewing remembers about it. Then, you must recreate this object using only supplies you have on hand/around the house. Obviously, your recreation will likely look nothing like the original, but try to be as accurate as possible using what you have! Once completed, Green then invites you to give the object to the person.
It doesn’t matter how creative you consider yourself to be, Green wrote this book to motivate those of us who have lost the ability to just sit down and create something silly for fun. These projects are simple and easy to make using what you have, and while the book itself is a great source for project ideas, you can also find a lot of options online for when you run out of inspiration. Now more than ever, we all could use a little positivity and light-hearted crafting to pass our time, so gather some tape, paper, colored pencils, and any other materials you can find, and get creative!
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.