Curiouskat Puzzles
What's your name?
Kathrine (curiouskat_puzzles)
Where are you based?
Florida, USA
Tell us about what your ordinary day looks like.
I am a stay at home mom. So, I spend a lot of time with my child. We read a lot and do some fun “school” time. Usually, I can get a few sessions of puzzling time throughout my day.
How did you get into the world of puzzling?
When my child was born, I found myself overwhelmed and dealing with extreme stress. It took me many months before I realized I needed to find some kind of better system for handling the stress of being a first time mom. Somehow, I ended up finding videos on youtube of people talking about puzzles (yes, Karen Puzzles was one of them). I was never into puzzles as a kid, not as a matter of personal taste, but it just wasnt something i had been surrounded with or really remember being presented as an option. When thinking of puzzles, I only ever remembered the landscapes and photography images that never appealed to me. Suddenly, I saw these puzzlers showing so much excitement and happiness over puzzles and I became curious. While my first puzzle isnt one I would go for now, and it was very difficult, I found myself hooked and needing to do more.
What makes you keep puzzling & how often do you puzzle?
Working on puzzles has drastically helped in regards to my levels of stress. I usually work on puzzles almost every day. I find the experience to be very soothing and helps me just zen out and not have to think about anything. Not only does it put me in a better mood, but it also works as bonding time with my child. What started out as leaving out a few pieces at the end for my kid to put in has developed into her asking specifically for puzzles as gifts.
What is your favorite type of puzzle?
I am quite fond of colorful images. Especially ones that are illustrated. Bonus points for: gradients, grid style images, or art that features birds or cats. I also adore when puzzles have a fun element to them. Such as a different type of finish (sparkle, soft touch, pearlescent), an advent calendar with a theme other than Christmas (Halloween, Valentines), glow in the dark sections, flocked elements, color changes, etc.
During puzzling sessions, do you listen to anything or puzzle in silence?
In the past, I have listened to audiobooks, watched tv/videos, or listened to music. Sometimes I still do, but often the puzzle time is in silence. I tend to get pulled into the puzzle and often forget to put anything on.
If you were to describe what puzzling means to you, what would it be?
To me, puzzling means calm and making time for myself.
Tell us about your other interests & joys.
To be honest, my other hobbies have gotten a bit thrown to the side in favor of puzzling. I grew up as an avid reader. When I became an adult and started making money I quickly accumulated enough books that it could be considered as a library. I still love to read, but the time previously dedicated to personal reads is currently taken up by readalouds for my kid or puzzles.
Do you have anything you want to share?
I never meant to get into making puzzle content. I picked up the hobby to handle stress but later found this wonderful community of puzzlers. There were so many people who shared their love of puzzles and I wanted to join in on the fun. It began first on Reddit and later on Instagram as just a way to document my completed puzzles. I never expected to come to love this hobby as much as I do or even continue posting long term. However, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
