The Indigo Bookbinding Challenge
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29/08/2020One thing that Covid-19 taught us is that we can make more of our days when we are not stuck in our typical daily routines. How many online courses and webinars have been launched since then? And how many of them have you joined? I’m pretty sure you signed up for some kind of online course. I did it.
Parents stuck in their homes with their children, not knowing how to entertain them 24/7… out of creative ideas to keep their kids active in a healthy way and not just in front of the TV. I’m telling you… they probably joined some online creative course, too.
But now that things seem to slowly get back to “normal” in some places, we all are asking ourselves whether we really want to get back to that “normal”. Who do we want to be once this is over? Would we have learned something from these challenging times to improve how we live and experience life? I hope so.
If you have been following my journey as a creative entrepreneur, you might already have heard my story. Why I decided to build my own handmade business and why I am doing what I do. Long story short: I had a 9 to 5 job that didn’t really make me happy. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good job and I’m even still in contact with some of my former colleagues. But I was missing something else. In that fast-paced world, I was missing getting my hands dirty in the process and having something other than just that job and a full agenda. I wanted to create, experiment and express myself by the act of making crafts, live my life on my own terms and decide what I was about to do next.
I am not yet where I would like to be. But this is a journey and I know deep inside that I am taking small steps towards that ideal me. The same ideal I have summarized in the goal of this challenge and that is my whole business goal as an entrepreneur: living a more slow, happy and creative life.
And that’s basically the goal of the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge: in 21 days to a more happy, slow and creative lifestyle! Are you in?
- What’s the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge?
I have been playing with the idea of creating a community to share not just my knowledge in bookbinding and traditional crafts, but to inspire you, to share what I have learned through this journey as a creative entrepreneur with you. And believe me, I have learned a bunch of new stuff and grew as a person a lot!
The concept of the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge is to bring you inspiration for a slow, happy and creative lifestyle by making small bookbinding projects.
What a slow, happy and creative lifestyle has to do with bookbinding, you might ask… This is not the typical challenge that you can follow on a random Instagram account. We won’t hurry every day to make something astonishing beautiful just so you can post something on Instagram. This is not a professional bookbinding course after which you will become a master of bookbinding and book restoration.
This is about taking time for ourselves, #creativemetime. Reconnecting with our inner crafter (yes, we all have a little maker in us), and enjoying the accomplishment of making a beautiful imperfect handmade piece of art.
By the way, I recorded the Instagram Live Stream where I presented the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge and shared all the details of this amazing project coming up this autumn. If you prefer listening to me instead of reading me, here it is:
- When does the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge take place?
We all are now on “vacation/summer mode”, right? And being honest, I am not always in the mood for creating when it’s like 35°C outside. So, once the temperatures come down a little bit and the long sunny days turn more into cosy evenings, I will open the doors of the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge.
The exact date will be announced soon, but you can already mark the end of September/beginning of October in your calendar!
- Where does the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge take place?
Hello, Internet?! The Indigo Bookbinding Challenge will be 100% online. We will keep in touch for 21 days through different channels. The idea is that you can join the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge from any corner of the world.
Next to introductory e-mails sent directly to your inbox, there will be video tutorials and also weekly live streams!
- Do I need previous bookbinding knowledge to join the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge?
Not at all! This is not just a bookbinding challenge, but a whole new concept of bringing you fresh inspiration into topics like slow living, happiness and creativity by making small bookbinding projects.
For the same reason, if you already have experience in bookbinding, you are also welcome to join us! Some of the concepts and techniques will already sound familiar to you, but you can still learn from the community and share your own tips and tricks.
- Do I need special materials and tools to join the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge?
It will be helpful if you have a few basic crafts supplies at home, like white paper for the inside of the books and some decorative paper for the covers. You will also need a needle, thread and something to punch holes through the paper.
But… no worries! These materials and tools are easy to find, you probably have some at home or you can improvise. I will give you some tips & tricks to reuse things you have at home and of course, you can order high-quality bookbinding tools directly from the Indigo Shop, should you need them!
The Bookbinding Challenge Kit – Autumn Edition now available for pre-order in the Indigo Shop
Furthermore, I have prepared a special limited edition Challenge Kit, which includes the basic bookbinding tools you will need for all the projects and exclusively designed hand-marbled paper for the covers.
You can pre-order the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge Kit until August 31st. Click here for more information, prices and shipping rates.
- Is the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge for free? Why?
Yes! And I want to be honest with you: I’m putting a lot of effort into creating the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge. But this is something I want to do and test and it’s an extra motivation to continue developing new products and concepts that bring more happiness and creativity to your day-to-day life.
I hope to learn from this experience and who knows, maybe this could be the beginning of a whole new concept, as an online course or academy.
This first edition of the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge will be for free and you can be part of it!
- Can I expect any other surprises?
Sure you can and you should! Because I invited three awesome women to join the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge as special guests. They will tell us about their daily routines in a fast-paced world, how they interact with creativity and bookbinding, and their special tips for building a slow, happy and creative lifestyle.
We will chat with Rensina from Yourdailyteacup, a tea sommelier and entrepreneur based in Groningen, The Netherlands. Also, I invited my friend and fellow creative Jessica Araus, illustrator and writer and Simone Michiels, coach and watercolour artist.
I’ve got to know them and work with them while I was living in The Netherlands and I am very happy that they are joining us during the 21 days of the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge!
- So, are you in? Here are the next steps!
I am thrilled that you want to join the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge: the more we are the better! If you want to join the first edition of the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge please sign up to the waiting list here.
Once I have the final schedule, you will be notified via e-mail about the start date, the structure of the challenge and what materials and tools you will need at home to follow the book projects.
You have got more questions? Just send me an e-mail!
I hope to welcome you to the Indigo Bookbinding Challenge this autumn. Till then, have a happy and creative summer!
Your crafty fellow,
Karen
