Why Being Creative Is Good for You: The Simple Path to Mindful Making
"I'm not creative."
We hear this all the time at the café, and honestly? It makes us want to hand you a paintbrush and prove you wrong. Because here's the thing: creativity isn't about being the next Picasso or having some magical artistic gene. It's about giving your hands something to do, your mind something to focus on, and your soul a little breathing room.
If you've ever coloured in with your kids, rearranged your bookshelf just so, or picked out the perfect mug for your morning tea, congratulations. You're already creative. You just might not have given yourself credit for it yet.
✨ What Happens in Your Brain When You Create
The science behind creativity is genuinely fascinating (and reassuring if you've ever wondered whether making pompoms actually "counts" as self-care, spoiler: it absolutely does).
When you sit down to craft, draw, or create something with your hands, your brain enters what researchers call a flow state. It's that lovely zone where you become so absorbed in what you're doing that everything else, the endless to-do list, the worry about tomorrow, that awkward text you haven't replied to, just melts away. Your brainwaves actually slow down during this time, making space for original thoughts to bubble up naturally.
Even better? Your brain releases a cocktail of feel-good chemicals: endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine. These are the same pleasure-inducing chemicals that make you feel brilliant after exercise or a good laugh with friends. Except you're getting them whilst sitting at a table with a cup of tea and some wool. Not bad, really.
Research shows that nearly 63% of people who engage in creative activities report improved confidence in their abilities, and 61% say creative pursuits reduce stress and anxiety. That's not just "nice to have" stuff, that's proper mental health support, wrapped up in something enjoyable.
🌿 The Mindfulness You Didn't Know You Were Doing
Here's where it gets interesting: creativity and mindfulness are essentially cousins. When you're focused on threading beads, painting a wooden sign, or carefully placing succulents in a teacup, you're practising mindfulness, even if you'd never describe it that way.
You're present. You're focused. You're using your hands and eyes and brain in a way that's completely different from scrolling through your phone or worrying about what to cook for dinner. It's meditative without having to sit cross-legged or download an app.
The best bit? The mental health benefits don't depend on producing something Instagram-worthy. What matters is the process itself, the act of creating, not what you end up with. That wonky clay pot or slightly lopsided painting? It's done its job just by existing, because making it gave you a break, a focus, and a sense of accomplishment.
💛 "But I'm Really Not Good at This Stuff..."
Let's tackle this head-on, because it's the number one thing that stops people from giving creativity a go.
You don't need to be "good" at anything. Honestly. You just need to be willing to have a play and see what happens.
Think about children for a moment, they don't sit down to paint and think, "Right, this needs to be gallery-ready." They just paint. They experiment. They mix weird colours, they use too much glue, they stick googly eyes on things that definitely don't need googly eyes. And they have a brilliant time doing it.
Somewhere along the way, we adults convince ourselves that creativity requires talent or training or some kind of official permission. It doesn't. It requires curiosity and a willingness to give it ten minutes of your time.
At BenaBerry's, we see firsthand how quickly that "I can't do this" transforms into "Oh, I actually quite enjoyed that." It happens in every single workshop, without fail. Someone walks in looking nervous, convinced they'll be rubbish, and walks out carrying something they made with their own hands, looking quietly chuffed with themselves.
🎨 How We Make It Ridiculously Easy
Here's what makes craft workshops near me, especially ours at the café, so different from trying to craft at home:
Everything's already there. No hunting through drawers for scissors, no ordering supplies online and waiting three days, no "I don't have the right glue" excuses. We've got it all sorted. You just show up.
Someone shows you how. There's no guessing or watching a grainy YouTube video seventeen times. We guide you through it, step by step, at a pace that works for you. No pressure, no judgment, just gentle support.
You're surrounded by other people doing the same thing. There's something lovely about crafting in company, it takes the pressure off. Everyone's in the same boat, having a go, chatting, laughing at their mistakes. It's social without being intense.
You can have a cuppa whilst you create. Because we're a craft café, not just a workshop space. Grab a drink, settle in, and make yourself comfortable. Creativity doesn't have to be serious business.
Our workshops range from Pompom & Wool Art sessions (brilliant for half term with the kids or just for yourself) to our Thursday Mindful Sessions, where the whole point is gentle creativity with no expectations. Some people come for the mindfulness element; others just fancy making something pretty. Both are equally valid.
We also run Make it Mondays, free crafting sessions where you can pop in with your own project or have a go at ours. It's open-ended, relaxed, and honestly one of the loveliest ways to start the week.
🌈 Your Crafting Sanctuary (Right Here in Castle Donington)
If you're looking for things to do in Castle Donington that actually leave you feeling better than when you arrived, a craft café session might be exactly what you didn't know you needed.
BenaBerry's is intentionally designed to feel like a sanctuary, a space where you can experiment, learn, create, and breathe without any pressure to perform or produce perfection. Whether you come on your own for some quiet creative time, bring a friend for a catch-up over crafts, or book in for a family session, the vibe is the same: welcoming, gentle, and genuinely inclusive.
You don't need artistic experience. You don't need confidence. You don't even need to stay for the whole session if life gets in the way, though most people find they don't want to leave once they've settled in.
What you do need is a willingness to give yourself permission to make something, just for the sake of making it. To use your hands in a different way. To focus on something small and manageable and entirely within your control. To take an hour or two away from everything else and just... create.
Starting Your Creative Journey
So where do you begin if you've convinced yourself for years that creativity "isn't your thing"?
Start small. Genuinely small. You don't need to commit to a three-hour pottery masterclass straight away. Pop into one of our free sessions and see how it feels. Book onto a workshop that sounds interesting, even (especially) if it sounds a bit intimidating. Bring a friend if that makes it easier.
The point isn't to produce something perfect. The point is to show up, have a go, and give your brain a break from whatever it usually worries about. The point is to remember that making things with your hands is allowed to be enjoyable, not stressful.
And if you do end up creating something you're proud of? That's a brilliant bonus. If you create something a bit wonky that makes you laugh? Also brilliant. If you just spend an hour focused on something other than your usual thoughts? That's the whole point, and you've already succeeded.
Come Give It a Go
Creativity isn't reserved for artists or "creative types." It's for anyone who wants to feel a bit calmer, a bit more present, a bit more capable. It's for anyone who fancies trying something new or rediscovering something they used to love.
We're here in Castle Donington, ready with all the supplies, guidance, and encouraging words you might need. The tea's hot, the welcome's warm, and there's absolutely no such thing as getting it wrong.
If you'd like to see what workshops we've got coming up, have a look at our workshop calendar. And if you've got questions or just want to know more about what we do, please get in touch: we'd love to hear from you.
Your creative journey doesn't need to be complicated. Sometimes it just needs to start with showing up and seeing what happens. We think you might surprise yourself. x
