This Saturday (12th June 2021) I'm taking part in my first ever online fair, Handmade Hour's "The Gorgeously Talented Handmade Fair" over on Instagram (@handmade_hour). The fair actually begins at 9am tomorrow (11th) and then continues through to Sunday (13th), with different sellers being showcased each day. The posts will remain on their Instagram page, so even if you miss the fair, you can still find the small businesses who are taking part.

Why don't I introduce you to my fellow Saturday makers? 

It’s Folksy Friday time, and today there are dragons! So, if you’re looking for some dragon-related handmade products, particularly if you’re also looking for items that have been made in Britain, then here are some possible choices.
Folksy run Folksy Friday each week on their social media pages, and everyone is free to join in too by choosing a topic (or using the same choice as Folksy) and then heading over to the Folksy website to find items that they like that are currently available to buy (and yes, you can include your own items as well if you want to). Generally, you choose eight items and then promote them using #folksyfriday on whichever social media channel you use, making sure to include the product title, link and maker’s name or social media handle (or you could just do it by word of mouth, or buy one of those things yourself).
I’ve been meaning to join in for a while, but if I’m honest, I tend to reach the end of Friday each week having forgotten (thankfully, this week I was reminded Thursday night so had time to join in).

Anyway, here’s my Folksy Friday contribution for this week.

Top left hand corner moving around clockwise:​

As a creative who also happens to have combined-type ADHD, OCD, perfectionism and rejection sensitivity, amongst other things, life can be pretty tough at times, and the creative process is no exception. 
     Truth be told, I've been experiencing a bit of a work block, at least in terms of my HollyPCrafts work, I have thankfully been able to get some work done on my book (which isn't craft related). Part of the reason has been due to some aspects of having ADHD (time blindness; organisation and motivation difficulties; needing to try to get not just back into a routine, but into a new routine at that, when so much has been changing etc.), and so trying to actually find time to get work done has been challenging, along with the fact that mentally and physically I've also felt worse at times. The other reasons, however, have been due to the perfectionist side of me, who also has diagnosed rejection sensitivity linked to my ADHD, meaning that I'm highly sensitive to actual or perceived criticism, and am basically phobic of getting anything wrong, failing etc., which is never very helpful, particularly as a creative person.

Supporting local, independent and small businesses is always important, however there are various reasons as to why now is especially important for this. Apart from the obvious reason of the current world situation, Christmas is one of the most crucial times of year for businesses as it is the time of year when sales sky rocket and so competition is often higher, with big chain shops and businesses often being the winners. Whilst obviously there are still people who are being supported by the work that bigger businesses bring, which is incredibly important, they're also generally the ones who can afford the advertising and the people to work for them, whereas smaller businesses tend to have to do everything for themselves (planning and designing; sourcing materials; making products; photographing them; listing them; social media and general promotion; website building; blog writing; accounting etc), all of which has to be fitted in around general life responsibilities and often other jobs.
​     The simplest way to support a small business is by liking their posts and social media pages, sharing these, and recommending them to others, all of which take very little time to do and don't cost you anything, thus meaning that if you're unable to financially support them you can still show them your support.