Humans of Crafting

“...[2/2] At some point in November 2020, we decided we wanted some plant hangers for our living room and Alex thought he'd try and make one himself. He ordered some macrame cord, he watched some tutorials, he tried, he liked it, and kept making plant hangers, wall hangings, Christmas ornaments, etc. He got pretty good at it in no time. We showed them to a few of our friends, and they wanted to buy some from us, so we thought, why not take it up more seriously and open up an Etsy shop? We love crafting anyway, so why not try and turn it into a job? So here we are, two months into doing crafting more professionally and we are enjoying it so much! The feeling of creating, of turning raw materials into something beautiful is amazing. We are heavily inspired by nature and incorporate nature motifs into our branding and into our products as much as we can. And I am enjoying the photography side of it too, as I get to style and photograph all of the products we make. :) [2/2]” —— ✎ Images + Content © Siyana and Alex, @knotatreecrafts ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #meettheartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CMzgVnzrKOc/?igshid=fm6c7nll6xn1

[1/2]. “Hi, we are Siyana and Alex. Here's how our crafting journey began. I have always been drawn to art in different forms. I used to do drawing and painting in middle school, then took up photography at age 13 and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Photography. I've been into it for over 14 years now. Since having kids we've been doing lots of crafting with them - playdough and clay projects, making paper cards, planet carousels, rockets, castles out of cardboard. Expressing myself through art and crafting is something that comes naturally to me. It brings me joy. Alex loves creating and building things. He built our kids a wooden playhouse and a sandpit in the backyard, planters for the garden, shelves for the kitchen, etc. He loves working with his hands and fixing stuff. He's a chef by trade, so he's been off work during the lockdowns and he was constantly taking up craft and upcycling projects at home. I am currently learning to do woodworking, inspired by him. I am more interested in wooden toys and home decor, so I am practicing in our new woodworking shed.” ...[1/2] —— ✎ Images + Content © Siyana and Alex, @knotatreecrafts ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #meettheartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CMuPke2L7mr/?igshid=phkgy6fs3nll

[2/2] “I have always loved to paint. I have also always had an ability to scale drawings, even as a kid. I didn't actually paint seriously until I was in my early 30s. I had been engaged to a designer and we used to go to art museums together. She would always get mad when I would look at art and say, "I could do that," telling me that I had no idea what went into creating art. So she gave me an airbrush for Christmas and soon after we broke up and I decided to begin painting. I bought a book on airbrush which detailed the masking process which I tried my best to learn. I found that I liked the combination of airbrush and acrylic paint so pursued that path for several years, continuing with the masking process. When my painting room was converted into a downstairs bedroom, I went on a 17-year painting hiatus. At that point in time, my oldest son challenged me to paint again, but without a true painting room, I had to opt for smaller canvasses and I dropped using airbrush altogether. But my process of continuing to mask things off has resulted in the clean lines that make my painting style somewhat distinct. As to my subject matter, just like a prefer fiction over non-fiction when it comes to reading, I prefer the imagined versus the real when it comes to painting. Early on, I discovered the work of Rene Magritte, the Belgian surrealist who quickly became my painting inspiration. I loved how he depicted what seemed to be impossible things in such a realistic way. I became enamored with his work and began pursuing many of his explorations - the man in the bowler hat, day and night in the same setting, giant floating objects. Like Magritte, I wanted to paint the impossible, or at least the highly improbable - and that is what continues to be my quest to this day.” “I think it's awesome to think of painters as craftsman. Every painter has their own process for creating, that ultimately becomes their own means of craftsmanship. Thanks for the opportunity to share a bit about what I do and why I do it!” —— ✎ Images + Content © Tom Blood, @tomblood_art ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #acrylicpaintingartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CMj_FKCr-iG/?igshid=mthrfbavrvwi

“ [1/2] It's interesting to think of my painting process as a form of crafting, but in essence, it most definitely is. As an artist, one of my strongest skills is my ability to scale. All of my paintings begin as a sketch, most no larger than maybe 5" x 7" (or whatever dimension I'm creating). I then scale that sketch onto a blank canvas, breaking it down into four quadrants. Once I have the pencil sketch on the canvas, my painting process begins, often through the process of masking off. For example, if there's a sky in my painting, I'll mask off everything but the sky - trees, flying birds, whatever reaches into the sky area. I then proceed with painting the sky. When finished, I remove the mask to reveal the sky. Then repeat the process, as I craft my painting. ... [1/2] —— ✎ Images + Content © Tom Blood, @tomblood_art ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #meettheartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CMe28P8rsby/?igshid=1w2hsdv53iibt

“Crafting is like a teacher that taught you to have patience, to wait, to listen, to accept it when things do not come out as you wanted, and to produce again without giving up.” “With my architectural education, accumulation, and interest, I try to bring together new material, texture, form, and surface possibilities that the art of ceramics introduces me. In my works, I investigate the interpretation of urban texture and contemporary architecture with the flexibility/brittleness and color/texture variations provided by ceramics.” “The figure-ground study we do when starting an architectural project, to follow the traces in the city, to understand the relations and urban scale has always been important for me. For İstanbul -the city I live in- especially in the Historical Peninsula, these figure-ground studies provide us with much data on both the formation and development of the city in time. I also presume that the study graphically itself -I prefer to call it "the image of the city"- has a meaning and value for the viewer.For these reasons, as I learn the ceramic technique and improve myself, I wanted to realize my idea of study on the city maps and urban scales to interpret them on clay. Starting from three districts of İstanbul, selected due to their impact on my personal memory and visual significance to me, I use regional maps showing the existing urban texture to create patterns in order to give the audience a different perspective. My personal ceramic journey started like that continues with my studies on many other cities of the world.” —— ✎ Images + Content © Dide Dinç Üstündağ, @ddseramik ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #clayart https://www.instagram.com/p/CMUgs53jDVK/?igshid=77qurezzrwwf

[2/2] “I've been crafting and creating art as long as I can remember. I was always inspired by my mother's ingenuity and quirky creativity as well as her ethic of "using what you have." She's always had shoeboxes and drawers full of everything you could imagine that she cleverly salvaged from wherever she went - buttons, ribbons, doorknobs, hammers, clothespins, bricks, harp strings... “ “My favourite challenge has always been to breathe life into something old and make it into something new. Turn a bare wall into a mural. Take the plywood from an old torn out cabinet and build a playhouse. Cut up a pile of sweaters and make them into a twirly coat. Right now I'm working on a quilt using the fabric from my daughter's baby clothes, some hand me downs, and my old beloved torn sheets.” [2/2] —— ✎ Images + Content © Aprille Soons, @aprillesoons ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #quiltersgonnaquilt https://www.instagram.com/p/CMM7cRvjIJA/?igshid=scrfhtkr28ne

[1/2] “Creating art is an expression of beauty and fun for its own sake. It doesn't have to be good. True flow in art is the ultimate freedom of the mind and the hands. There are no rules and the possibilities are limitless.” “When I was five, I sewed a piece of torn doily to an old woven belt with long, loose, awkward stitches and magically it became a skirt. I was hooked.” “I've been crafting and creating art as long as I can remember. I was always inspired by my mother's ingenuity and quirky creativity as well as her ethic of "using what you have." She's always had shoeboxes and drawers full of everything you could imagine that she cleverly salvaged from wherever she went - buttons, ribbons, doorknobs, hammers, clothespins, bricks, harp strings...” ... [1/2] —— ✎ Images + Content © Aprille Soons, @aprillesoons ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #makersofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CMHjcPGD9wO/?igshid=1c42fe8oocoqi

“Crafting is life. I am a full time freelance artist and art educator who creates on daily basis.” “Art has always been a part of my life. It wasn't until 6 years ago that I transitioned from drawing and painting to pyrography, or woodburning. I was cleaning out my parent's house when I found a hobby burner and started incorporating it into my practice. Since then, I've upgraded my tools and have thad he wonderful opportunity to collaborate with amazing woodworkers/ artists in both Chicago and Portland, OR. I love experimenting and create all sorts of pieces– from earrings, to cheese boards, to boxes, to portraits, to side tables.” —— ✎ Images + Content © Melissa Romeo , @madelike_this ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #woodartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CMCgNaPjWLz/?igshid=1s42ou0i3yma1

“Crafting is a creative expression.” “I have always been a passionate crafter. I get so excited about all of the materials, especially paper, glue, scissors, and paint. I come from an artistic family who encouraged me to work with all kinds of materials. As a kid I was obsessed with papier mache, collage, drawing, and painting. I went on to get a university degree in Visual Arts which was an amazing experience. Since then, I have developed my art career over the years and it has led me back to paper sculpture, particularly creating paper botanicals and flowers.” “I chose paper as my medium because it is readily available, super easy to manipulate, lightweight, and most easily replicates the delicate forms of flowers and leaves.” “I have a deep passion for flowers. I worked for many years on a flower farm and then as an event florist at a big wedding venue. Flowers have always appeared in my artwork. I started out creating giant paper flowers as a part of a trade show booth and I got hooked on it! Eventually my house filled up with giant blooms and with two small kids I decided to switch to life sized flowers instead. Over the years my flowers have become more and more realistic. I am so inspired by all of the beautiful work I see on Instagram from artists who are really pushing the craft of paper flower making to new levels. I love replicating plants and flowers because people have an emotional reaction to flowers that I get to explore when I present my finished pieces. I love hearing people's stories, too, when a certain flower reminds them of a special moment in their lives.” —— ✎ Images + Content © Linda Hamilton, @daydream_flowers ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #paperartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CL9ZHI0jdPT/?igshid=1loaz73zuoshl

“ Crafting is how I find myself.It has always made me happy from a very young age. It's a kind of therapy for me when times are difficult.” “I was raised in a creative household. My Dad loves art and my mum likes to knit and sew. We all share a love of nature too which inspires my art work.” “I turned back to art and crafts in a big way when I was diagnosed with Breast cancer in 2015. I had to give up work and needed a way to keep busy. My home was soon overrun with art. I enjoy all arts and crafts but mostly create needle felt pictures at the moment.” “I began selling at local craft markets. I was given the all clear in 2016. Consequently I like to enjoy every day and make it count. I hope my art brings joy and warmth to people. I now sell my art as my full time job at Craft markets and independent shops in the County. I have also begun selling in my etsy shop since lockdown. Thank you for taking the time to read a little about me. X” —— ✎ Images + Content © Vikki Gibson, @wooden_heart_designs ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #mixedmediaartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CL4JkLNDRCr/?igshid=14xy9j3bc4aso

[2/2] “In my late teens I was lucky enough to get a job in a local Forge and I was in heaven! I don't think I realised it at the time but when I look back now I think that art had become 3 dimensional for me and I was now building something from my drawings which felt like the natural progression. I don't think I even acknowledged my creations as art at that time more like something I really enjoyed doing. We built custom wrought iron gates and handrails and during lunch breaks and after work I would practice techniques with all the tools and machines around me to design and build my own creations. Work dried up at the Forge and after many mundane career choices that gave me little joy I moved to Australia. Several years after settling in Sydney I visited a friends exhibition of contemporary steel art and my passion was instantly reignited. I remember thinking to myself, I can do this... Stuck for inspiration I decided to work with what was in front of me which was my left hand! By the time the build of my left hand was complete using scraps of steel I had collected I was becoming inspired by the new animals and nature around me, a red back spider, hammerhead shark and cow skull became my new inspiration and the ideas have been flowing ever since.” [2/2] —— ✎ Images + Content © Adam Graham, @adamgrahamsculptures ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #metalsculptor https://www.instagram.com/p/CL1xAg8Dl9E/?igshid=1wou66esqu0b4

[1/2] “Everything about working with steel is appealing to me. The smell, the heat, the colour change as the metal heats and then cools & I become very excited about the endless possibilities of creating lots of small parts or miniature sculptures and then consolidating them into a larger piece, like fingers on a hand or lips & eyes on a face. Expressing emotions isn't always that easy, so for me art is a way to express myself without words but through love and care in my process.” “As a young boy I would spend hours playing in the woods behind my house in the British countryside and I remember hearing my Mothers voice in the distance calling my name to come inside for lunch or dinner. I would spend hours laying out sheets of corrugated iron and beer bottles I had found around the woods in various spots, then I would excitedly visit them daily to see what creatures would be nesting or hiding underneath. I would often find families of meadow mice and shrews, frogs and slowworms where my favourite, or if I was really lucky an adder would briefly cross my path. I loved to observe these creatures and became fascinated by their movements, colours and textures. My uncle was an artist and I loved looking at his detailed ink fantasy drawings of castles and dragons which inspired me to start sketches of my own, in pencil at first and later adding water colour as I gained confidence in my abilities.” ... [1/2] —— ✎ Images + Content © Adam Graham, @adamgrahamsculptures ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #metalsculptor https://www.instagram.com/p/CLzAqHpDuJ8/?igshid=76b55slubvht

“To me, crafting means creating something from my heart and mind to share with others. I love nothing more than that lightning bolt of inspiration that sometimes strikes at the most mundane times. I love to do my best to do justice to that spark in both the process and finished product.” “I have been artistic from the start. Like I said, the bolt of inspiration is an undeniable drive for me. When I was very small I would sculpt tiny animals out of plasticine. As I grew up I focused on drawing, then in young adulthood painting became my main outlet. I now work as a painter, but I’m back in school for fine arts and I’m diversifying my skills, experimenting with ceramics, sculpture, drawing, and different styles and modes of painting. My drive in life is to create and it brings me so many experiences that make my life rich.” —— ✎ Images + Content © Kat Cearns, @kat_cearns ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #whimsicalartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CLt2IKUDy_Y/?igshid=lqujmzvf0ovx

. “Crafting is a moment when you show your true self and uniqueness through art.” “Craft is unique and everyone can enjoy the craft. I want to share a little happiness with others through my work. My very first clay was when I was six or seven. I remember back then I saw my mom making clay and I was curious about the cute little things. Then, I started learning clay.” “I've met a lot of people when I started selling clay. They felt happy when they got their personalized clay. It makes me feel happy too. Besides that, my co-workers are housewives who have retired and have to work to take care of their family needs. I think it's really amazing. Clay is not only a thing, but clay gives me and other people happiness, helps my co-worker, and has a lot of lessons to be learnt. That's why I really love making clay.” —— ✎ Images + Content © Joana Bernice, @handymondy ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #clayartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CLreaJmjEPY/?igshid=1t58gg4bzyljz

“Crafting is peace of mind.” “I originally began crafting when I was in graduate school. On the weekends I would sell my works on Prince Street in NYC. I ended up working Prince street for ten years off and on in between and during "real jobs" - at that time I was mainly making small pillows and hand worked jewelry...” “Well I really loved the freedom of having my own little open air store on the street at whatever hours I chose. At times it was really stressful because of weather, police and lack of sales - but overall it was such a great experience to feel validated and seen by selling things I was making with my own two hands - without paying rent!” “...This job experience led to my painting, which is what I do now. I believe that behind crafting or folk art you find the purest form of art making and a possible cure to the "art world." —— ✎ Images + Content © Parisa Karami, @parisakaramiinsta ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #watercolorartists https://www.instagram.com/p/CLpA1reDZTp/?igshid=1uekfni95ynd2

• (English Translated Version**) Craft for me is what connects with my soul today. It is what keeps me creating collage constantly. I have always been linked to art. Since I was a child I have enjoyed creating artworks, from painting, drawing, to making collages. Later I studied photography... and I discovered that taking analog photos was very beautiful, since the manual and craftsmanship are one of my engines. *These craftworks are created by Yurié Alvarez Barco, of a Chilean, who in times of pandemic, dedicates herself to analog collage, being an Audiovisual Director and Documentary Photographer • (Original Spanish Version) La Artesanía para mi es lo que conecta con mi alma hoy en día. Es lo que me mantiene creando collage constantemente. Siempre he estado ligada al arte, desde niña jugaba haciendo arte, pintando, dibujando, haciendo collages. Más tarde estudié Fotografía... y hacer fotos análogas era muy hermoso. Ya que lo manual y la artesanía son uno de mis motores. *Estas artesanías son creadas por Yurié Alvarez Barco, de nacionalidad chilena, quien en tiempos de pandemia, se dedica al collage analógico, siendo Directora Audiovisual y Fotógrafa Documental —— ✎ Images + Content © Yurié Alvarez Barco , @negraluz_collages ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #collageartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CLmX0nTDjoz/?igshid=dlnbs7l81col

“Crafting to me is immersing yourself in something that sparks joy, encourages inspiration, and lets you step back from a finished product and go, "Wow, I made this." “ “I started crafting candles in the midst of quarantine, where I was jobless and just needed something to pass time. I was very much into drawing, painting, music, and other creative outlets as a teenager, so creating candles really fulfilled my need to pursue creative outlets that I had left behind years ago. What started as a hobby became something I am passionate about and find so much joy in. I love the art and science of candle making and how different fragrances can make us feel, as well as finding inspiration through astrology and strong, powerful women. “ —— ✎ Images + Content © Amanda Kelly @somethingwiccacandleco ✎ #humansofcrafting #HOCFTG #crafting #makersgonnamake https://www.instagram.com/p/CLjvphbjYlx/?igshid=e26xcsc58b7s