Glue guns, scissors and paint: Crafting is making a comeback

Crafting and “analog hobbies” are making a comeback this year, with related topics trending online, according to a story from the TODAY show. This crafting trend has been visible at Miami University as well, with students spending more time doing artistic activities with friends, and clubs forming around those pastimes.

One of these clubs is the scrapbooking club at Miami, started by Emma Elson and Madison Koroschetz. Elson, a junior English literature and creative writing major, serves as vice president. Elson said she has been crafting since elementary school, and had a crafting dresser in her old house and would often spend time making crafts with her grandmother. Since going to college, scrapbooking has been her main creative outlet, which is why she and Koroschetz decided to start their club in 2025.

Getting the club started proved to be a challenge for Koroschetz and Elson. Since they started their club last spring, they didn’t have the exposure of Mega Fair, and for a while, they had to provide their own funding. However, they really wanted to make this happen, and Elson said the club became their “baby.”

Since last fall’s Mega Fair, the club has grown.

“We have over 200 members in the GroupMe, and we have about 87 members on the Hub,” Elson said. “Our first meeting had over 100 people … and we still have a consistent, I would say, 50 members who show up. It hit big, a lot more than we thought it would.”

For Elson, crafting is something relaxing that she loves to do, but she thinks the benefits of crafting are different for everyone. She enjoys crafting with friends and using it as an outlet to get to know people, and it’s something she doesn’t see herself ever giving up.

“I think going analog has been a really huge trend because it’s something you’re doing physical with your hands,” Elson said. “It’s comforting to be present and be in the space that you’re in, not scrolling on your phone.”

Elson said the scrapbooking club is very beginner-friendly and helps to provide the needed supplies to new members, even the scrapbook. The club meets every other Thursday, with meeting times for this spring semester yet to be determined. Interested people can reach out to Elson or Koroschetz by looking up the club on the Hub.

Olivia Besancon, a senior sociology major, said she has always been drawn to anything related to arts and crafts. Growing up, her mother always encouraged her and her siblings to be creative, and it stuck.

Besancon said she loves making collages and was recently introduced to crocheting. She also enjoys making things for her friends and considers crafting to be therapeutic for her. Besancon said she finds herself crafting four or five times a week.

“[For] me and my friends – in 2026 – phones are out … and arts and crafts are in,” Besancon said. “We know that it’s good for us.”

Besancon and her friends will often craft together, working on different projects in the same room of their college house, talking while working on their individual projects.

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Felix Karmilowicz, a junior data analytics major, has also been into crafting since a young age. He spent a lot of time creating art using seashells with his grandma, and his parents enjoyed making stepping stones with handprints.

Now, like Besancon, Karmilowicz enjoys making collages. He also likes making pieces with clay, and he channels his passion for arts and crafts through his involvement in the Visual Arts Club, where he serves on the executive board.

“The world is getting really expensive, and also somewhat scary, so finding a way to relieve yourself, like crafting, can make you less anxious,” Karmilowicz said. “I don’t have to spend money on making decorations [that] I can just make it myself. There’s also a lot of TikTok influencers [who are] like, ‘Come with me and make something,’ and those will start trending.”

Arts and crafts are making a comeback, and while the benefits are different for everyone, more and more young adults find themselves choosing crafting over hours on social media.

powers40@miamioh.edu