Hello! Okay. Well. I have been thinking a lot about the things I have been doing over the last few years. I get asked to talk about the stuff I do quite often, in various capacities, so the idea of 'What I Do' swirls around and around in my head. And I think my explanation is evolving all the time. Because I do a few things. And I am a bit weird (in a good way, I think).
I PARENT MY KIDS :: There are 3 of them. They are lovely. There is Rin who is 22 and Max who is 14 and Ari who is 10. They are smart and creative and put up with the eccentricities of our life with great dignity.
I shall leave it at that, because they get snotty when I talk about them too much here. Let's move on to....
I MAKE THINGS :: I am absolutely compelled to make things. I can not NOT make things. I love to learn different and new skills, and improve the old skills that I have. The making is about the MAKING for me. It's not about the finishing. But I am also compelled to FINISH the making (hence I have very few Work In Progress projects lying around). The making is all about the process and the idea of maybe making to give. I like that. I make because it makes me happy.
I TEACH THINGS :: I see no point in being good at stuff... or even quite good at stuff... to the exclusion of others. I do not like the idea of so-called old fashioned skills being left to the Nannas. I do not want to sit next to you and feel like a smarty-pants crafty lady while you are fumbling with your needle or wishing you had a needle. The idea of that makes me cringe. I want to learn to do stuff and then show other people how to do it to. I want to do that because MAKING is a really positive thing to do and will help everyone be happier and more creative. And that is really super important for a happy, creative world. So yes. I teach things. With my blog, and my books and in person too.
I WRITE THINGS :: I like to write. Blogs and Books. About making things. And just about general stuff too. I like to blabber on and on about the things that concern me, because I know that as different as we all are, we are also very much the same in a lot of ways. I like to write about the weird stuff and the sad stuff and the interesting stuff and the happy stuff and the crafty stuff too.
I TALK ABOUT STUFF :: I want to talk about the weird stuff and the sad stuff and the interesting stuff and the happy and crafty stuff, too. And I want to hear what you have to say about all that stuff. That is why I really do TRY so hard to respond to comments, tweets, emails, visits and facebook messages as often as I can. I think that I am not the Oracle and you probably know more about stuff than I do. So I like to get the conversation started and see where it goes. But I don't like to start a conversation just to get a rise. That is a whole other kind of blog. Not this one. I like to start conversations because I get to learn stuff from you guys. And also because I like talking to you.
I GET THINGS STARTED :: I really like to use the internet and our shop to get projects started. Real life projects that transcend the virtual and happen in the REAL WORLD! Things like Brown Owls (the craft group), Softies for Mirabel (the handmade toy appeal we run yearly) and The Envelope Project (a worldwide ode to snail mail). I think it's easy to get things started and see how they roll. I think other people like to join in. I think you can get something started too. I do. Make it something that helps everyone else out in some way.
I BLOG and TALK ABOUT BLOGGING :: I have been doing lots of speaking about blogging lately. I like to talk about blogging because I LOVE BLOGGING! I think that is plain and clear! I think there is a lot to be said about blogging with sincerity and heart and passion in this age of New Media Experts. And I want to get the message out there that you can have a great blog by doing it YOUR WAY and writing about the things YOU LOVE. So I do that. I want people to know that blogging is not all about dollars and cents and hits and bounce-rates. It's about expressing and documenting and sharing and creating a legacy you are proud of. For me anyway. So that is why I like to talk about blogging.
I RUN A SHOP :: Well. I am not often in the shop anymore. But I do all the buying and merchandising and planning. And then Cam and Rin do all the actual in the trenches stuff. It's a group effort and I love our shop and every day it gets better and I thank our super-rad customers for sticking with us. There was a time last year when things were grim, but we hung on and seem to be coming out the other side. I run a shop because I love the little Mike's family it creates. I love breaking the rules of retail. I love being surrounded by the sorts of things I love. I love making a nice space for people to come and spend time and talk about how nice craft is and how cool vintage keyboards are and how nice it is to write a letter.
I DRIVE A CAR :: It is old. It is a 1984 Mercedes Benz. It has a wonky indicator and a creaky bottom. It was cheap and I love it. Except it's creaky bottom is also leaky. But hey. It happens to the best of us. I drive this car because it is reliable and golden.
I COOK :: I used to be a caterer. I used to own a cafe. I love to cook. AND I am not afraid to say that I am a really good cook! I love to cook because I was raised on excellent food and I think food is an ace medium for LOVE!
I also read a lot, watch lots of DVDS, share a studio space with Victoria Mason and spend lots of time hanging out with my friends and trying to convince them to come over for dinner. I do these things because I love them!
That is it. I do the things I do because I like to do them. How about you? Why do you do what you do and what do you do?!
xx Pip
