A Note from HHC's Creator
Vol. 0 of Honing Her Craft, why I'm starting it, how you can participate
Hi there, thanks for being here! I’m Amelia, a journalist, storyteller, and all-around creative. In storage, I have boxes full of various crafting supplies that I’ve picked up and put down over the years. Beads. Card stock. Stickers. Embroidery floss. Acrylic paint. Full notebooks. Can you relate? I’m always buzzing with creative energy and channeling it somewhere, and this newsletter is my latest project. It’s not one I plan to put down, though.
When this pandemic first started, I’ll be honest, I was excited about the lack of social interaction. While others felt isolated in quarantine, it was exactly what I needed. I was burned out by obligations, resentful of others’ success, and ashamed of my social anxiety. I needed space to recalibrate, recharge, and reignite my creative fire. Now I’ve had that time, though more time than I expected. As this year stretches on, I’m yearning again for connection. I miss craft nights with my girlfriends. I miss making new friends at events and conferences. I miss being surrounded by other womxn who inspire and challenge me. And if I’m missing connection, I know you are too.
(On assignment at Eldora Mountain in 2017 for the Boulder Daily Camera. Photo by Cliff Grassmick.)
I want this newsletter to last far beyond the pandemic. Not only do I want to catch up with friends and womxn I admire, I want to elevate and uplift them by sharing with the world the meaningful and valuable things they’re doing. I want to talk about what inspires us and drives us, why we’re afraid to ask for more money and how we go about negotiating for our true worth, and how we care for others through our work and put a little piece of ourselves into each product. We have so much to offer this world, and I think we can learn a lot from each other here.
If you learn something from these interviewees, I strongly encourage you to support the makers by buying from their stores, hiring them, reaching out, sharing their work, or all of the above.
Next week on Sept. 1, you’re going to receive the first edition of Honing Her Craft. Every Tuesday after that, you’ll get a new Q&A with a different female creative making a living from her craft. It could be a hairstylist, a journalist, or an illustrator. Whoever it is, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. And maybe you’ll even connect with a new friend and discover a new favorite artist.