Have you ever heard of a term “Crojo”? Most likely you did. This word is made up by crafters from two words – crochet and mojo (enthusiasm/ energy/ magic power).
Losing one’s crojo means a person has no desire to craft or design projects. If crochet is the main source of income, this becomes a big issue.
In order to deal with it, first of all, we need to realize where it comes from and what triggered this condition of ours. There could be several reasons for that.
1) You are simply tired.
2) You might be overwhelmed with unfinished projects or with too many orders.
3) You work on the same large project for a long time.
4) You work on something you do not want to work on.
5) You do not get the desired feedback.
What can you do to get your crojo back on track:
1) Prioritize your time.
Work, children, daily errands, bills, health issues and other problems can be too much sometimes. We try to cope with everything, finish everything on time, help everybody and we end up being exhausted. Sounds familiar?
Being in these shoes, a person may not just lose crojo but lose any kind of motivation at all.
Put your crochet projects away for now, prioritize your personal time and rest. Do your best to get more sleep, treat yourself and meditate.
2) Let new clean energy in.
This step is good for your overall wellbeing. Change your daily routine, try a new hobby (that’s how I started macrame and candle making), do a deep house cleaning, get rid of unwanted/useless things in your home (love doing this), sort out things which may look messy, move furniture, change the color of your walls/make tiny renovations (most likely, you will want to crochet matching home decor items very soon).
3) Prioritize projects and orders.
Having too many WIPs (work in progress) might have a negative impact which leads you to exhaustion. You may realize you have too many things to do and not enough time, thus you are burning yourself out.
If you have too many WIPs, prioritize the more immediate projects and finish those one by one. Let yourself take your time while working on them. The situation with orders usually happens before the holidays. Start taking orders much earlier than you usually do.
4) Add in additional project.
We all love handmade blankets, don’t we? However, we all also realize how time consuming they are.
If you stuck on one large project for a long time, try to work on another small project switching back and forth, while working on something big.
5) Say no to projects you do not feel like making.
Several times I was asked to make something I didn’t want to make. After saying “Yes” several times, I realized, next time I will have to say “No”. We live once, we need to enjoy what we do. It is fine to take such orders but only occasionally.
My husband constantly suggests things which, in his opinion, will bring me more money. He might be right but I’d rather go with something I enjoy rather than chasing money. I do not want to make dragons from “Game of Thrones”. I just don’t. I understand, some people are ready to pay a lot for such things. If I was a fan of that TV show, I might give it a try but it doesn’t ring my bell…
I want to enjoy every second of my life, I want to do what I like, not what I hate. We can’t earn all the money in the world and it is OK, too.
6) Find company with likeminded people.
You worked so hard on a project and when you showed it to friends, all that you got were “Nice” or just “Mhm”.
You may be new to crochet, your project may not look the same as someone else’s who has been making things for years. But you are still super proud of yourself for completing it (we all have been there).
Do not expect everybody to give you a mind-blowing reaction. Not everybody is passionate about crochet and it is totally fine.
Instead, find a crochet community which will support you along the way. There are many groups on Facebook based on crochet preferences with awesome people who are ready to provide their support and advice.
7) Take a break from social media.
This point is quite similar to point 1. While it is good to be inspired or absorb some ideas, too much of both may lead you to exhaustion.
Personally, the more ideas I have, the more time it takes me to achieve my goals. Plus, the more time I spend browsing newsfeeds, the less time I have to work on my own ideas.
8) Hop on social media.
If the previous statement is not about you and it takes days or weeks to make up your mind about the next project. If you feel a lack of drive and inspiration. You may want to hop on social media platforms. Just make sure not to hang out there for too long. Get off once you found what you were looking for. Otherwise you will end up on point 7.
9) Explore nature.
If you lost motivation, I suggest to change the atmosphere around you. The best way to do so is to connect with nature. Going camping, hiking or just strolling through a park will provide a lot of benefits. It helps to reduce stress and anxiety, physical exercise uplifts mood and rises levels of oxytocin. If you can take your time to sit and enjoy your surroundings, it reduces heart rate and muscle tension, gives you piece of mind.
I always get inspired by nature. If I do not have a chance to go outside, I watch people’s vlogs where they explore different paces on our beautiful planet. I picture myself there, thus replenishing my resources.
Keep in mind that life is all about finding a balance.
Find ways to make yourself feel happy as often as you can. Find positivity even in negative situations, be grateful for what you have right now and allow yourself to rest. Take care of yourself, no one is able to do it for you. When you are in resource, your crojo is back and life is all around much better.
Peace, love, creativity and happiness to you, my friends!
