The Cutting Edge of Mindfulness: Papercutting clarity

        Mindfulness is trending right now as a helpful practice to quiet mental noise in an overstimulating world of 24/7 notifications.  It’s about quelling the continuous wave of thoughts crashing against your brain and feeling a sense of peace and presence that comes from being fully immersed in the here and now.  Negativity, self-doubt, anxiety, and fear melt away for a moment and you’re left with mental clarity that lets you focus on any task at hand.
 
        Meditation is one method to achieve mindfulness.  I try listening to signing bowls.  I end up bypassing alertness and going straight to sleepy land.  Meditation is not my cup of tea or maybe I should say it’s a cup of sleep-inducing chamomile tea for me.
 
        Luckily, there are other methods attaining mindfulness.  Creating and crafting are as effective as they are productive! 
 
I recently tried papercutting for the first time after purchasing issue 63 of Mollie Makes, which includes a free Papercut Book.  I bought a self-healing mat and an X-Acto knife and plunged right into learning this art form.
 
When I’m doing papercutting, I must be fully present.  If my mind wanders, I either nick my finger or slice off a chunk of my project.  There are no preoccupations about the past or the future—it’s just me and my art.  I’ve found my kind of mindfulness.  I’m looking forward to learning more about papercutting and incorporating it into my upcycling.