Keeping Art Alive: Catharsis Through Cross Stitch

For me, the creation of art is important always, but particularly now. Art is one of the best ways we can remove ourselves from the intensity and stress of reality and the news. My creative outlet has always been music. I have been playing the clarinet for more than 10 years, and playing music has always been my go-to favorite creative hobby. However, when the stay-at-home order was called, I was without my instrument and without an easy way to get to where it was left. I had to find new ways to create art. In the past, I had loved doing crafts of all kinds but never had much time for it with school, work, and all my other obligations. One of my favorite things to do was cross stitch. So, I decided to devote some time to cross stitching every day during this pandemic.

While it is not the most popular form of art out there, it is fun to do, and the end results are cute pieces to display. I started a piece at the beginning of Spring Break and finished it just this weekend. It was such a gratifying feeling to work so hard on something, a little bit every day, and finally have a finished product that I can show off and be proud of. Doing a little bit every day allowed me to step away from my laptop or my phone and just hold a needle and fabric in my hands. It numbed my mind a bit, but only in the best way in that I wasn’t thinking about the news or Coronavirus. Instead, I was just focused on making my stitches look good and enjoying myself in the moment of creation.

For me, creating this piece of art has given me a goal to work towards, as well as some time every day to take my mind off of things. Having a finished product, whether it be a finished pattern, a painting, or a perfected musical piece, creates a cathartic experience and allows us to be proud of something in this time when accomplishments seem diminished and hard work is even harder. It allows us to take a step back from the virtual world and step into the physical world where you can see and touch things and make them by hand which, to me, is invaluable.