Learning a new craft can be incredibly frustrating in the beginning. New jargon, a million different tools and guides can be a lot. It’s very easy to feel frustrated and overwhelmed in the beginning. Early frustration leads to burn out and quitting faster than anything else. And most of that can be avoided.
But starting a new craft doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It’s no secret that I have a lot of experience with beginner crafters. Not only have I recently started venturing into miniatures, I’ve been teaching knitting and crochet for a few years now. Needles to say, I have witnessed the ups and downs of learning a new craft with a wide variety of people.
I’ve noticed some common mistakes people make when embarking on learning a new craft. These mistakes aren’t limited to any one craft. When you know them, you’re able to avoid these pitfalls and set yourself up for success. Set yourself up for success. Before you start a new craft journey, here are the 5 biggest mistakes when learning a new craft (and what to do to avoid them).
Mistake 1: Underestimating Time and Effort Required
Without fail, there is always one student in my class who is shocked by the time it takes to complete an item. They get to the end of their first row, see how many more rows are needed, and feel entirely overwhelmed. They always had the assumption that knitting or crocheting an item would be fast or easy, and underestimated how long it would take them to learn the stitches.
If you start trying to learn a new craft thinking it’s going to be quick and easy, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and frustration (and are more likely to quite). Every new skill is going to take time to learn, and many handmade crafts take a long time to finish. Trying to rush through learning a skill and rush through making something by hand is going to overwhelm you and make it harder to stay motivated.
Before you start learning a new craft, try to make sure you have an understanding of how long that craft takes. If you can, do some research before diving in. Watch others doing the craft in real time, ask creators how long certain objects take them (but expect for it to take longer for you), or try other ways to get a general idea of the time commitment that your new craft will take. That way, you’re able to have a realistic idea of how much time you need to invest in your new craft and are able to schedule it in.
Mistake 2: Negative Self-Talk
It’s no secret that learning a new skill takes time and practice. I have yet to meet anyone that can go from zero knowledge of a skill to complete mastery in a day. And yet in every class I teach, there is always at least one student that is constantly frustrated that their first attempt at a new stitch isn’t perfect. Similarly, I will have students that are doing the stitches well, but still saying they can’t or that it isn’t good enough.
Nothing will kill your drive for learning a new craft faster than negative self-talk will. If you are constantly tearing yourself down while learning a new skill, it’s going to make each time you do that craft stressful and make you more likely to give it up. Stressing yourself out while learning something is guaranteed to make you hate what you’re learning.
Instead, try working on giving yourself grace while learning. No one is perfect at a new skill right away, so make sure you’re being kind and encouraging to yourself while you learn. Try to appreciate each mistake as an opportunity to learn instead of insisting you just can’t do it. Perfectionism kills creativity, so try not to get caught in that cycle.
Mistake 3: Not Investing in Proper Tools and Materials
While I’m personally a huge proponent of keeping crafting financially accessible, every craft is going to require tools and materials. While there may be some places you can take a cheaper route for (like me buying a $20 wood doll house puzzle instead of spending hundreds on a kit), you don’t always want to go the cheapest route.
Getting too poor quality of tools will quickly kill your drive to learn or cost you more in the long run. If you get tools and materials that are incredibly low quality, you’re going to get frustrated using them. Especially if they’re prone to breaking or generally feel terrible using.
Don’t shop immediately when you decide to learn a new craft. Take some time to research what the best tools for a beginner would be from people who have been in the craft for a while first. See where you can cut some expenses, but also where you should invest your money in. If you can find a value kit, see if it’s actually worth it from reviews before just buying it. Poor quality tools make it harder to learn a new craft, so invest in decent materials.
Mistake 4: Overbuying Tools and Material
On the flip side of that coin, I often see people overinvest in tools for a craft they never tried (I am also guilty of this). That rush of learning a new craft can lead to a rush to buy the best of the best. Every wishlist item from seasoned crafters gets added to your cart, every recommended item a knitter should have gets two day shipping. You stock up your craft room before you even start the craft because it looks so fun and you’re sure you’re going to love it.
When you overbuy tools for a new craft, you run the risk of wasting a lot of money. Maybe you bought a $100+ interchangeable needle set and $30 a skein merino wool to get you started, then find out you hate knitting. Or you’re someone who loses interest quickly, but you spent $200 on supplies. Then, it either collects dust in some random closet or you end up giving it all away, still being out a lot of money.
This is why I heavily caution new crafters from buying everything right away. Yes, you should invest in decent materials and tools, but start with just the basics at a reasonable price. That way, if find out after trying for a while that it’s not the craft for you, there isn’t a huge loss on your investment. You can always buy more specialty tools and high quality materials after you know you love it. Try buying your stuff in the sweet spot of good quality and affordable when you can.
Mistake 5: Not Seeking Advice or Taking Lessons
Most of the people who take classes with me have tried learning on their own, then either stagnated in their learning or found it incredibly difficult to even begin. They tried YouTube videos (even mine), books, blog posts, but still can’t figure it out or move beyond the basic stitches. That’s because they aren’t learning using their own learning style.
While this may not necessarily be a big mistake for everyone, it can be a HUGE mistake depending on your learning style and skill level. It’s important to remember that everyone has their own learning style, not everyone can learn from diagrams in books. If you’re someone who needs to learn from someone directly with feedback, learning on your own can set you back immensely, lead to frustration, and make you believe you can’t learn how to craft. If you don’t know your learning style, you can figure it out with a small quiz.
The biggest benefit you can have when learning a new craft is someone to teach you. Whether it’s an in person group class, 1 on 1 virtual learning, a local crafting circle, or even a family member who crafts, learning from someone with experience in the craft can help accelerate you’re learning, give you valuable feedback to make sure you’re doing it correctly, and gives you a great chance to connect with a community. That live feedback is invaluable for learning a new craft. Whenever it’s possible, try to connect with experienced crafters.
Ready to Start Learning a New Craft?
Now that you’ve learned about the 5 biggest mistakes new crafters make and how to avoid them, you’re setting yourself up for success on your new crafting journey. If you know you want to learn a new craft but don’t really know what you want to learn yet, check out this article from porch.com to see different creative handcrafts you can enjoy at home for a whole bunch of ideas.
No matter what craft you choose to learn, avoiding these mistakes sets you up for success. It takes some of the stress of learning off and can help keep you motivated. And that’s the biggest hurdle to overcome, not loosing the spark. Keep your desire to learn high, and you’ll be able to push through the lows.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you see in new crafters? Do you have any tips for new crafters or need help getting past your own hurdle? Let me know in the comments.
I hope you have a wonderful crafting journey. Happy crafting!
