With winter break offering time to rest up and recharge, many Grand Valley State University students were in touch with their creative side, often as part of creating holiday gifts. From crocheting and drawing to stained glass and custom-painted ski gloves, students used the slower pace of break to reconnect with their creativity through hands-on hobbies.
For students, crafting provides both a means of relaxation and a way to express themselves. Arts and crafts serve as a productive use of free time amid the cold and busy holiday season, offering comfort and connection amid the dreary weather. To many students, the results of their artistic endeavors were perfect to give as gifts to friends and family.
Freshman Lilly Pettit said she spent nearly every day honing her artistic skills, taking advantage of the slower pace to work on projects and relax through both crocheting and drawing.
“I initially learned how to crochet in third grade at an after-school daycare program, but after that initial learning, I didn’t practice it until COVID-19,” Pettit said. “I continue crocheting and drawing because I think it’s relaxing. Crocheting is (also) a great skill to have to make handmade gifts or clothes.”
Hannah Struthers, a junior at GVSU, also spent time crafting over break, focusing primarily on crocheting and other art projects, often with the intention of sharing her skills with others as Christmas gifts.
“I’ve been crocheting since middle school, and something that always gets me back into it is working on gifts for my friends and family,” Struthers said. “Over break, I got to work on a lot of Christmas gifts, so it’s been fun enjoying a hobby that I’ve had for a long time.”
For Struthers, crafting is also a social activity: she found time over break to do crafts with those she loves, bringing her closer to those around her.
“I got to crochet with some of my friends and roommates over break,” Struthers said. “We like to get together and crochet with a TV show on in the background when it’s super cold and snowy.”
Meanwhile, freshman Keara Aderman took on a new artistic challenge by learning how to paint custom designs on Kincos, leather ski gloves. In addition to the gloves, Aderman also practiced making stained-glass sun catchers.
“Creating things is one of my biggest passions, so I’ve been busy with different crafts over break,” Aderman said. “I learned how to make custom mitts with designs painted on them for myself and my brothers for Christmas.”
The gloves required Aderman to adapt her painting process. The leather of the gloves created a challenging, uneven surface for her to paint on, much different than the canvas she is used to. Aderman said the idea came from a mix of practical research and social media inspiration.
“I love to ski downhill, so when I was looking for gloves that are good for skiing, Kincos showed up,” Aderman said. “My social media kept showing videos on my feed about custom-painted gloves, so I decided it was something I wanted to try.”
Aderman created three pairs of gloves in total, one for herself and two for her brothers. Each pair took between five and seven hours to complete, challenging her to fit crafting around her break schedule.
“They love to be outside, either snowmobiling, snowboarding or ice racing on four wheelers, so I knew they would appreciate it,” Aderman said. “It was pretty time-consuming (to make) each of them. I split up the time between different days, so I wasn’t doing all the painting in one sitting.”
Aderman noted she had to be sneaky to keep the project a surprise.
“I actually had to keep it a secret until Christmas so my brothers didn’t have any idea of what I was making them,” Aderman shared.
As students enter a new semester of busy schedules, arts and crafts remain a reliable outlet for self-expression and stress relief. In exploring their artistic sides, students may find not only a temporary escape, but also a lifelong hobby.
