You may have heard it said that crafting can be calming. It’s busy-work, it’s entertaining, it’s a age-old hobby fit for anyone who wants to try it.
In the age of the pandemic, when depression and grief can be exasperated by its isolating effects, it also may just be your saving grace.
As was the case with Keionna Baker. She’s meticulous, takes her time to get things just right and she’s filling her life with joy all the while. Crafting has become a part of her, as she’s now a crafting therapist, but it wasn’t always that way.
An emptiness brought her to it.
“I was teaching people how to manage their anxiety and depression and I was helping them process through, but I got into such a dark place I couldn’t do those things for myself. Doing something for my own self care was the time that I felt the most at peace,” said Baker.
Keionna lost her mom unexpectedly in 2012 when her heart stopped during her sleep. The loss was unbearable for her. In the years following, Keionna suffered from depression, struggling to continue on the way she always had.
That’s when she found crafting.
It became a newfound love to distract her from the pain of her loss and she’s carried it with her into her day-to-day job.
“Not only did it bring me out of a dark place, but it also helped me start looking forward to the future again,” said Baker.
Keionna saw a video online that inspired her to make her own greeting cards using a machine called the “Cricut.” She fell in love with the process and it quickly turned into a passion.
“My desire to support people is so strong. Mental health isn’t a job for me – it’s a way of life,” said Baker.
Now, she shares it with everyone. She’s brought crafting into therapy sessions, created a Facebook group and she even makes YouTube videos to show others how to do it.
“Making this, even if makes one person happy that walks into my office, it served its purpose,” said Baker.
Losing her mother was Keionna’s lowest point, but crafting lifted her back up. Going through a personal crisis has helped her become a better therapist, she says.
Not only is it a way for Keionna to lift her clients up, but it’s also provided a new way for her to relate to them and a circle of community to bring new connections and inspiration into her life and the lives others.
