Can I say something thatās probably a little weird? I LOVE making things. Crocheting is the life I love with music, but I donāt love designing that much? Sure there are things Iāve designed and written up, and there are types of things (especially that involve charts or graphs) that I have a soft spot for in designing. However, I would much rather spend my time making stuff that other people design and maybe putting my own twist on it. I am super appreciative of designers and always try to give credit. Itās just not where my heart is, ya know? And I also find the idea of trying to maintain social media overwhelming, even though itās the best way to get my products out into the world. And since design isnāt my focus, I have some imposter syndrome going on with my work. Can anyone relate???
I donāt think thatās weird at all. Iāve been crocheting for years, and I never even felt any interest in designing. Iāve adapted some patterns for personal use, and I find the trial & error process of figuring out the perfect way exhausting. I crochet to relax, not to get annoyed 
: I also donāt feel like I have any ideas that go beyond little tweaks to existing patterns. Thatās why I, too, an super thankful for designers and always happy to pay money for good patterns because I appreciate the work those took.
I find social media quite overwhelming too. I always tell myself thereās a reason why many companies nowadays hire their own social media managers. Itās a whole job in itself it you want to fully tap its potential for growing your audience and sales, and thatās something thatās hard to manage in addition to a day job.
None of this means youāre any less talented as a crafter! Crochet is still skill you needed to learn and practise to be really good at. (You can probably easily see that when comparing your first projects to your current ones.) Itās the same with other crafts. Tailors also sell their work without having designed the clothes they make because their work is still something the average person canāt do. Painters who āonlyā paint the people or landscapes they see rather than images they came up with themselves are still very talented. So are you :).
Itās really affirming to hear someone else say it. I wish I could do nothing else but crochet and make music-what my degree is in- but itās not feasible for me right now. I certainly canāt afford for someone else to manage my socials. But I still love my craft and want to make some money from it to help me fund new projects.
I can definitely relate. There are so many awesome patterns out there it makes it hard to get to designing. I also really love pattern testing to improve my skills and learn new techniques. As long as Iām creating Iām in my happy place. 
Itās not weird, social media -IS- overwhelming especially if you have to figure it out yourself. And now a days everyone wants you to pay them to tell you how to do it.
As far as making or designing I think itās just a matter of preference, if it were weird hobby shops wouldnāt be filled with millions of crafting kits. I can understand the impostor feeling but if your goal is to sell the things you make just seek out the designers that encourage the selling of the finished items. Thereās lot of em out there. 
Personally I like the design aspect and have more written down then Iāll ever have time to finish or try.
I honestly have soooo many patterns I want to use and the work of designing isnāt necessarily my favorite thing unless itās for something really specific or a gift for a friend. 
It stresses me out a little.
Yes social media can be overwhelming. Thats one reason im not posting on insta daily nor facebook. Its alot to create reels and make items plus being an adult and cooking/cleaning
Iām kinda over being stressed about social media.i used Instagram for my drawing account really aggressively and it was just a massive energy suck. Instagram then turned around and said theyād be deprioritising pictures in favour of reels. If I wanted to do videos Iād have a YouTube channel and get paid for it. whatever.im over it 
I post there still but donāt really expect anything from it. Iāll left my account to rot for 8months now my engagement is terrible. same with Facebook. Iād rather have fun designing and making patterns. If youāre worried about selling patterns or items Itās probably better to spend your time on the sales page seo. People search for what they want probably more often than theyād trip over it on social media anyway.
I started designing patterns mostly because the things I wanted to make werenāt out there as patterns when I needed them, for example childrens TV characters.quite often those patterns get taken down for copyright so professional designers (where itās their main job) wonāt touch them. I know what you mean though,itās much easier to make someone elseās pattern without any frustration if you just want some chill time .
Iāve never heard of SEO. Whatās that like??
It stands for Search engine optimization. Basically tags and titles etc itās not a social media
It helps people find your stuff
Nothing weird about any of this. I think we all feel much the same.
I do design, but have hundreds that Iāve not published, thank you imposter syndrome lol
And when I donāt want to design I will make someone elseās pattern. There are literally hundreds I have saved on various wishlists.
As for social media, it can burn you out real quick if youāre trying to keep up with influencers. I just let mine grow organically. Post when I feel like it or remember and donāt let it bother me.
Just keep doing what makes your heart sing. If it doesnāt sing donāt do it.
Also, Iām one of those designers who is happy for people to sell what they make from my patterns.
Yes, Iām happy for people to sell their makes of my patterns too. I suspect those designers who put limits on also sell their makes and donāt like to flood the market with competition. All my makes get snapped up by my daughter
Lol my kids are like that too one took the ribot frog i just tested for and the other stole my orca first draft i am designing.
Ohhhhh that makes sense 
Thatās so funny! My cats keep trying to steal mine, but Iām pretty sure they would just tear them up 
It was a bit if a race between my daughter and my cat actually
Iāve caught them trying to carry it off like a fresh kill several times
I know what you mean. I could probably design a lot more than I try to or think about. Is very hard to switch off if have a creative brain even if also craft to relax. Ive always had issues with my confidence. I dont like to overdo social media either as get drawn into thinking what should be doing based on what otherās are. Is not particularly healthy.