Easy Crafts for the Insane: A Mostly Funny Memoir of Mental Illness and Making Things
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- Create Date：2021-07-10 05:31:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kelly Williams Brown
- ISBN：B08LB13WMY
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Summary
From the New York Times bestselling author of Adulting comes a story about how to make something when you’re capable of nothing。
Kelly Williams Brown had 700 Bad Days。 Her marriage collapsed， she broke three limbs in separate and unrelated incidents， her father was diagnosed with cancer， and she fell into a deep depression that ended in what could delicately be referred to as a “rest cure” at an inpatient facility。 Before that， she had several very good years: she wrote a bestselling book， spoke at NASA， had a beautiful wedding， and inspired hundreds of thousands of readers to live as grown-ups in an often-screwed-up world， though these accomplishments mostly just made her feel fraudulent。
One of the few things that kept her moving forward was， improbably， crafting。 Not Martha Stewart–perfect crafting， either—what could be called “simple，” “accessible” or， perhaps， “rustic” creations were the joy and accomplishments she found in her worst days。 To craft is to set things right in the littlest of ways; no matter how disconnected you feel， you can still fold a tiny paper star， and that’s not nothing。
In Easy Crafts for the Insane， crafting tutorials serve as the backdrop of a life dissolved， then glued back together。 Surprising， humane， and utterly unforgettable， this is a poignant and hysterical look at the unexpected， messy coping mechanisms we use to find ourselves again。
Reviews
Zibby Owens
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After tremendous accomplishments in her career and her personal life， the author suddenly had "700 bad days。" One of the things that helped her get through her dad's cancer， severe depression， and a difficult divorce was that she began crafting what she called “simple” and “accessible” crafts。 The author felt she could set things right in small ways; no matter how disconnected she felt， she could always glue paper together。 In this book， the author offers her personal journey framed by easy craf After tremendous accomplishments in her career and her personal life， the author suddenly had "700 bad days。" One of the things that helped her get through her dad's cancer， severe depression， and a difficult divorce was that she began crafting what she called “simple” and “accessible” crafts。 The author felt she could set things right in small ways; no matter how disconnected she felt， she could always glue paper together。 In this book， the author offers her personal journey framed by easy crafting tutorials。 I loved the illustrations and how she put them everywhere throughout the book。The author turned to crafts as one of the things that made her feel better during difficult times。 One paragraph said， "Crafting gives me a sense of accomplishment even when I feel like I can't accomplish anything。 Crafting is tangible proof that I can do something。 To craft is to set things correct in tiny ways， make this crease or stitch， or move that candle over a bit because it just looks better there。 And I can almost always affect these changes in the universe。 Crafting reminds me that my brain moving differently from other people's brains is not all a bad thing。"To listen to my interview with the author， go to my podcast at:https://zibbyowens。com/transcript/kel。。。 。。。more
Natalie
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The titled grabbed me for so many reasons: 1） our "it's crafty" slack channel at work - the name says almost all you need to know about it - but during the covid-19 shutdown the projects we posted on there ran the gamut and that was a-ok！ 2）there's something about getting in a craft groove during a time when you need a contemplative moment or just one that is occupied with something that's not high stakes， doesn't have a deadline and is by its very nature a little goofy and silly and lighthearte The titled grabbed me for so many reasons: 1） our "it's crafty" slack channel at work - the name says almost all you need to know about it - but during the covid-19 shutdown the projects we posted on there ran the gamut and that was a-ok！ 2）there's something about getting in a craft groove during a time when you need a contemplative moment or just one that is occupied with something that's not high stakes， doesn't have a deadline and is by its very nature a little goofy and silly and lighthearted。 3）I completely understood how Kelly made all those stars。 I sympathized immediately with how she remembered her highs and lows by the craft projects and social occasions that bookended some of her best and worst times。 There's no way to give a memoir a meaningful rank or a score - they're honest or they're not。 They're funny， poignant， sad， heartbreaking， ridiculous， irritating and all the things human beings are to one another。 Kelly is an unreliable narrator of her own story - the who， what， when， where， why she practiced as a journalist are not going to come into play for everything the reader grows curious about。 That's okay - how often do you show guests your closets， attic， basement， and that weird shelf in the garage。 Give the woman a break - she's sharing a ton about a really difficult time in a way that makes sense to her。 Who cares if it all makes perfect sense to us？ That would literally be impossible in this situation I think？ The crafts are silly， the stories that go with them are poignant， troubled， troubling and all too human。 I tore through this in one sitting。 you might too。 I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley upon which to make an honest review。 。。。more
Henry
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Good book
Donna Davis
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Kelly Williams Brown is an experienced author， but she is new to me。 I ran across this odd little book at exactly the time I needed it， and maybe you do， too。 My thanks go to Net Galley and Putnam Penguin for the review copy; this book will be available to the public July 6， 2021。 Brown points out that mental illness remains one of the few conditions that are cloaked in secrecy and shame。 Nobody afflicted with bipolar disorder chooses it， and although it can be successfully treated， there’s no c Kelly Williams Brown is an experienced author， but she is new to me。 I ran across this odd little book at exactly the time I needed it， and maybe you do， too。 My thanks go to Net Galley and Putnam Penguin for the review copy; this book will be available to the public July 6， 2021。 Brown points out that mental illness remains one of the few conditions that are cloaked in secrecy and shame。 Nobody afflicted with bipolar disorder chooses it， and although it can be successfully treated， there’s no cure， either。 The title of the book reflects her choice to simply own it。 “This is the water I swim in…I wanted to talk about how I have come to be content in my own skin。” In sharing her journey， she tells us how nearly impossible it is to find a psychiatrist within a reasonable commute， who takes your insurance; now try doing it while you are in a precarious state of mental illness。 At one point things come to a head， and in a fugue of which she has no memory at all， she rises from bed and attempts suicide， nearly succeeding。 Had her boyfriend not found her when he did， she would have died。 “’Lots of people， they just take a few aspirin and say they want to die， but you meant it！‘ the very kind ER doctor says with something that sounds a tiny bit like begrudging approval。” The crafting aspect of this book is partly a device， used to share what kind of mindset caused her to resort to it， and also which crafts are soothing at life’s most difficult times; several of the crafts she discusses are just as mysterious to me after reading her instructions as they were before。 Her favorite little origami stars， which grace the book’s cover， are among these。 And there are some crafts for which she tells us she has no clear instructions， and recommends YouTube tutorials， so that part’s kind of a wash。 However， there are a couple of things that do sound interesting and that I might try。 I initially rated this book four stars， thinking that if a person puts crafts in the title， the crafts should be clearly taught， but later I decided that this book really， truly isn’t about crafts。 Brown has money， and at times I am a little alienated by her wealth， that is obvious in her narrative。 But she recognizes this， and she uses it to drive home the point: “I had good insurance， and open schedule， and no internal conflict over therapy—and yet it was still fucking impossible。 My privileged ass could barely make it happen。 Think about the hurdles that Americans who don’t have these advantages face every day when they’re trying to access help！” I have deliberately left out the humor here， the places that at times make me laugh out loud。 You can find them for yourself。 They are well placed， preventing the overall tone from becoming too grim。 I found this book the day after dropping a close family member off at the psych ward of a local hospital， and it seemed almost like an omen that I should read it。 If you are contemplating reading it， whether due to mental health issues of your own， or of those close to you， or simply out of curiosity， I highly recommend you do it。 This little gem may become a cult favorite， and it would be a shame to be left out of the loop。 And if it inspires you to be more vocal in advocating for mental health awareness and treatment， and of dragging this pervasive problem out of the attic and shining some light on it， then the world will be a better place。 。。。more
Jess Witkins
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I wasn't sure what to make of this book when I started reading。 I was familiar with the author and her first book， Adulting， which offered usable， real advice for young adults and twentysomethings about how to make it in the real world。 I assumed this book would be just as funny。 It is， but differently so。 In the vein of other authors who've made a name for themselves crafting one story， and then release a new book years later about how much of their lifestyle book was nice and all， but not actu I wasn't sure what to make of this book when I started reading。 I was familiar with the author and her first book， Adulting， which offered usable， real advice for young adults and twentysomethings about how to make it in the real world。 I assumed this book would be just as funny。 It is， but differently so。 In the vein of other authors who've made a name for themselves crafting one story， and then release a new book years later about how much of their lifestyle book was nice and all， but not actually the life they were living， so here's a new book where they fess up and speak honestly and vulnerably and now you can actually tell they've grown in the process （think Glennon Doyle）。 That's what this is， albeit still in a quirky Kelly Williams Brown way。 This book is serious。 It does not begin that way。 There's some vaguery and glossing over the demise of her marriage， and there are crafts thrown in along the way， which is not my jam， but it was hers。 Stick with it because - wow - she gets real about the mental health collapse she suffered after life threw multiple broken bones （who loses use of BOTH their arms at the same time？！）， loss of family members and friends （death and disconnecting）， tumultuous relationship status， dad gets diagnosed with cancer， and her new medication meant to help with depression instead causes her to fall into mania。 She actually tackles A LOT in a short amount of pages and shares some real insights into living with mental health problems。 Even the added craft elements become more entwined with what she was battling mentally and seem more useful。 Anyone who can survive all she did and come out the other side has a story to tell， and I hope by sharing hers， it brings validation and understanding to others who may be struggling with their mental health and find hope （in crafts perhaps）， but in carrying on。 This is an impressively emotional book that uses levity within its seriousness to tell the story。 Similar reads include Broken by Jenny Lawson and That's Mental: Painfully Funny Things That Drive Me Crazy About Being Mentally Ill by Amanda Rosenberg。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Karen
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"It is following good mental health hygiene—which is the real self-care， although it’s so， so boring！ It is cultivating contentment rather than chasing happiness。"I have never heard of Kelly Williams Brown before this book。 I have not read her previous books and I think I was drawn to this book because it mentioned crafts。 As a crafty person， I have to say that most of the crafts in this story are simple and not anything to write home about。 But I still read them all because Kelly's humor is all "It is following good mental health hygiene—which is the real self-care， although it’s so， so boring！ It is cultivating contentment rather than chasing happiness。"I have never heard of Kelly Williams Brown before this book。 I have not read her previous books and I think I was drawn to this book because it mentioned crafts。 As a crafty person， I have to say that most of the crafts in this story are simple and not anything to write home about。 But I still read them all because Kelly's humor is all over them and it's fabulous。I loved her voice throughout this whole book。 The way she talks about her life and her mistakes and things that happen to her and the way she describes the people in her life （even those who abandon her or whom she abandons） is magical。 She clearly is a person full of life and joy。 "The guy tells me what he says he tells everyone he transports in my current circumstances: he hopes that I take this as an opportunity to rest， to reset， to try again。 That it is never too late for anyone， and if I’m still here， there’s a reason。 He guesses everyone needs a break every now and again。 I should take the break and make the most of it。 I should take it and use it to figure out what it is I’m still here to do。"I kept cringing for most of this book because she makes one mistake after another and really pushes her life into places where you want to shout "no， don't do that！" and it's like watching a car accident。 but you also can't help but be in love with her and root for her and want to wish her the very best。 "I hadn’t realized how very dark and small my world had become。 I’d dropped each joy， one by one， not noticing they were gone or really remembering I’d had them at all。 I stopped listening to music， stopped dancing， stopped going on country drives。 I stopped enjoying food， found no pleasure in good company， but instead a temporary lessening of misery， which made me a super-fun presence。 Depression is so talented at turning you from a foodie into someone who wishes they could just eat a compressed nutrition bar every day， except about everything。"Because her personality is so colorful， her vitality is so obvious that you can't help but wish well for her。 And there's so much emotion and truth in her words。 There's so much wisdom in the lessons she learns as a result of ongoing insanity that has become her life for a while。 "So perhaps here is the point of it all， my precious plums: bad things happen for good reasons or bad reasons or no reasons at all， to all of us。 There is nothing to be done about it except perhaps breathe， abide， and hold on to the faith that no matter how awful today was， you never have to live it again。"And in the end there's so much peace and grace and self-compassion that you are left with nothing but hope for her and her life。 I enjoyed every moment i spent with this story。 I will say the chapters around suicide are hard to get through and can definitely trigger folk。with gratitude to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
lavende
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While I have some criticisms about this book， I actually think it was pretty good。 I thought it would be a lot more craft-focused， but instead it really is more of a story of the author's 2-year-long mental breakdown with the origami she did during that time （among other things） sprinkled in。 Some of the things she describes are devastating， some are very relatable to me， others not at all， on the whole I found "Easy Crafts for the Insane" to be very entertaining。 It did make me want to keep rea While I have some criticisms about this book， I actually think it was pretty good。 I thought it would be a lot more craft-focused， but instead it really is more of a story of the author's 2-year-long mental breakdown with the origami she did during that time （among other things） sprinkled in。 Some of the things she describes are devastating， some are very relatable to me， others not at all， on the whole I found "Easy Crafts for the Insane" to be very entertaining。 It did make me want to keep reading， mostly。 There are triggering parts in this and Kelly Williams Brown sometimes approaches them with a little too much flippancy for my taste， but I guess I cannot tell anyone how to recount the worst experiences of their life， so 。。。 be warned， the part of the book where she discusses her suicide attempt and the part a little before that are definitely a lot。 What genuinely annoyed me though， were the parts where she talks about politics and the Trump administration。 I understand that the 2017 election was upsetting to her， but to hear her disclaim that yes， she is really only minorly directly affected by this change （unlike the "children in cages"， which of course is a sentence that we must throw around as often as possible） and then describe the way she felt a "biological instinct" to hide under the table in the bar she watched the election results come in。。。。。。。。。 literally please stop being so dramatic。 Generally headache-inducingly liberal takes on politics in this book。 Similarly， she used the occupation of Palestine to make some inane point that I don't even remember now， a la "same as the Israel-Palestine conflict， this has always been this way and will probably always be this way"。 This definitely could have been expressed just as well （better！） differently。 。。。more
Literary Redhead
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 If Job were a woman with irreverent wit， he’d be Kelly Williams Brown， whose EASY CRAFTS FOR THE INSANE reveals 700 Bad Days that rival Job’s for Most Terrible Life。 Her marriage died， she broke three limbs， her dad was diagnosed with cancer， and she ended up in an inpatient psych unit when medication triggered mania。 🧶 That Kelly can invest her story with such humor makes it more palatable， but this is some really heavy stuff。 Even for readers who have had similar maladies。 That said it is a br If Job were a woman with irreverent wit， he’d be Kelly Williams Brown， whose EASY CRAFTS FOR THE INSANE reveals 700 Bad Days that rival Job’s for Most Terrible Life。 Her marriage died， she broke three limbs， her dad was diagnosed with cancer， and she ended up in an inpatient psych unit when medication triggered mania。 🧶 That Kelly can invest her story with such humor makes it more palatable， but this is some really heavy stuff。 Even for readers who have had similar maladies。 That said it is a brave， beautiful and important memoir that reveals the truth of mental illness without taking itself too seriously。 Yet I took it to heart and cried after Kelly’s long string of Very Bad Luck。 I asked Job’s question， “Why？” The answer。 More Bad Luck。🧶 But then， joy of joys， Kelly begins to heal！ Her broken bones mend， she’s back on meds that work， she gets a job she enjoys， makes a new group of friends， builds stronger relationships with family， and opens her heart to contentment — as with Job a happy ending！ 🧶 Hurrah and a must-read for anyone who loves beautifully written memoirs， seeks solace when deeply depressed， or loves crafts （included here with descriptions） because they know crafts soothe the mental beast and can actually be really really fun。 Don’t miss this one！5 of 5 StarsPub Date 06 Jul 2021#EasyCraftsfortheInsane #NetGalleyThanks to the author， PENGUIN GROUP Putnam， and NetGalley for the review copy。 Opinions are mine。 。。。more
Sue Fernandez
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This book was exactly what I needed！ I'm someone who gets anxious， and I always want to do things with my hands， but I'm a little craft-challenged。 The author walks you through some crafts that probably won't make the top of the crafting genius list （except maybe the dragon eggs）， but they are what crafts should be。。。something to pass some time， reflect on， keep your hands busy， etc。 BUT， this book is 100 percent more than that。 The author recounts her dark nights of the soul， and （I'd HATE this This book was exactly what I needed！ I'm someone who gets anxious， and I always want to do things with my hands， but I'm a little craft-challenged。 The author walks you through some crafts that probably won't make the top of the crafting genius list （except maybe the dragon eggs）， but they are what crafts should be。。。something to pass some time， reflect on， keep your hands busy， etc。 BUT， this book is 100 percent more than that。 The author recounts her dark nights of the soul， and （I'd HATE this） loses the use of both arms for a time in two separate incidents。 She had so much good advice for those in the midst of mental despair， and I will be buying at least a few copies to have on hand for friends or family when they are struggling。 I can't recommend this book highly enough。 It's not a craft book， it's not a mental illness book， it's not a self-help book， but it somehow is all of these things and more。 。。。more
Ashley Holstrom
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A really lovely memoir by the wonderful Kelly Williams Brown， queen of Adulting and graciousness， and the easy crafts that helped her get through her darkest days。 Content warning for attempted suicide。 I wish I’d known this before diving in。
Robin
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Publishing date: July 6， 2021To many of us， Kelly Williams Brown was a success。 She was a popular columnist for a newspaper， and her book Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy（ish） Steps appeared in the New York Times bestseller list。 Heck， even a House Hunters episode made her seem genuine and appealing and it was one of the few episodes that didn't make me want to throw my shoe at the TV。 But it all came tumbling down when she fell into a deep depression after a divorce， broken bones， Publishing date: July 6， 2021To many of us， Kelly Williams Brown was a success。 She was a popular columnist for a newspaper， and her book Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy（ish） Steps appeared in the New York Times bestseller list。 Heck， even a House Hunters episode made her seem genuine and appealing and it was one of the few episodes that didn't make me want to throw my shoe at the TV。 But it all came tumbling down when she fell into a deep depression after a divorce， broken bones， and her dad's cancer diagnosis， where she came close to losing it all （including her life）。 This memoir is a moving journey of a woman's mental breakdown and recovery （with the assistance of learning various crafts， some quite complicated） that， while told in a sometimes flippant and irreverent style， is candid， harrowing， and heartrending。 Fans of Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things ， Allie Brosch's graphic memoirs， and books by Samantha Irby will want to keep an eye out for this fabulous memoir。Thanks to the publisher for the advance digital galley。 。。。more
CJ Connor
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