Craft-ish Podcast With Vickie Howell

Recently Vickie spoke with the New York Times Best-Selling author of "You Are Bad-Ass", Jen Sincerco who's currently on a whirlwind book tour for her latest book, "You Are a Badass at Making Money." They talked about Jen's road from struggling writer and musician to life-coach guru, the role that gratitude can play in success, why creative types are so reticent to embrace an openness to mastering wealth, and how Universal Intelligence provides all we need to know about flourishing to our fullest extent. Buckle up listeners, there’s a lot of bad-assery in this episode! Show notes page: https://vickiehowell.com/podcast/jen-sincero/

This week Vickie spoke with textile designer, artist, and creative entrepreneur, Anna Maria Horner. She’d been admiring her and her work from afar for years, so it was an absolute pleasure for Vickie to finally meet her. They talked about Anna Maria's multi-faceted career which includes: design, publishing, teaching, licensing and running her own Nashville shop, Craft South; as well as what she’s learned from her career journey so far, and how she’s balances it all with her role as a wife and a mother of seven children. Anna Maria seems to be one of those people who it’s easy to become fast friends with. She’s bright, open, and unafraid to speak candidly. Conversation is easy with her, as you’ll see because they didn’t quite get to a proper hello before our chat was already on its way. Show Notes Page: www.vickiehowell.com/craftish

Recently Vickie sat down with this week’s guest, Brit + Co’s Chief Creative Officer, Anjelika Temple. During their conversation we talked about her journey from art school student to running the creative side of a major brand; tips on how to create a visual story for your own social media presence; how Brit+Co keeps millions of millennial readers engaged in their content; and why she herself has chosen to write and talk about her very personal decision surrounding the birth of her first child. SHOW NOTES PAGE: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/brit-co-anjelika-temple/

This week Vickie sat down and chatted with her friend and colleague, TV Host, Designer, Creative Director, and best-selling craft book author, Mark Montano. They talked about how his childhood experience with a Native American dance troop spawned his love for artisanal design; how important it is to stay focused on your own work, especially when presented with an onslaught of gorgeous, social media photos of other peoples’ work which can easily be intimidating; about how his career path evolved from fashion to craft; the challenges of working in public television; and how embracing new media has given him access to an audience in a way he's never had before. SHOW NOTES: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/mark-montano/

This week Vickie talked with Kat Coyle, the designer of what's become the symbol of the Women's March: the pink, cat-eared hat. They talked about her journey from artist to yarn store owner, and how the idea for infusing the power of knitting into a movement focused on the equal and respectful treatment of women came developed within the yarn lined walls of her shop. SHOW NOTES: www.vickiehowell.com/craftish

Vickie sat down with co-founder of L.A.'s Da Poetry Lounger co-founder, Shihan Van Clief. They went to high school together, but hadn't spoken in over 20 years. During their catch-up, the talked about community, the hustle of being an artist, and how being raised by a single father, writing to earn books as a child, and splitting his coming of age time between the multi-cultural lower east side of the late 80’s New York and the predominantly white, beach suburb of Los Angeles in the early 90’s, created a successful wordsmith. Show Notes Page: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/shihan-van-clief/

This week Vickie sat down with artist and digital quilt designer, Libs Elliott. Libs uses digital code to concept geometric patterns, which she then translates into the extraordinarily modern and graphic quilts. They talked about Libs' process, how her background in photography and advertising applies to her quilt business, and how she aims to preserve craftsmanship while embracing technology. She’s crazy talented, and seems, well, just cool. For show notes page, go to: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/libs-elliott/ To sponsor an episode of CRAFT*ish, go here: http://vickiehowell.com/product/podcast-sponsorship/

In today’s episode Vickie kicks things off with lifestyle blogger and Author of DIY Woven Art, Rachel Denbow. Rachel’s a creative skills teacher, weaver, and home decor expert. She’s been featured in HGTV Magazine, Apartment Therapy, Design Sponge, and writes regular features for A Beautiful Mess. Vickie'd never met Rachel before this interview, but within minutes she felt like she was chatting with an old friend from the craft industry. They talked about her evolving aesthetic, her urge to create daily, what she does to feel connected with other makers, and what it’s like balancing a creative career with a family and home life. Show Notes Page: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/rachel-denbow/

This week Vickie spoke with Graphic Designer, Illustrator and Educator, Andrea Pippins. At the time of this recording we are a little over 4 weeks away from the inauguration of an almost infamous, new President. For ultimate better or worse, to say that our American society is experiencing a period of unrest is probably an understatement. Vickie and Andrea took this meeting as an opportunity to have a very candid conversation about race, education, gender, and the power of creativity during times of personal -- or global -- insecurity. SHOW NOTES: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/craft-ish-andrea-pippins/

This week Vickie spoke with Abby Glassenberg from her Massachusetts studio. Abby is a writer, activist, and the force behind the home sewing blog and plushie pattern company, While She Naps. She’s also the the co-founder, along with Kristin Link, of the Craft Industry Alliance, a trade association for craft industry professionals serving makers, designers, suppliers, and pro bloggers. Abby and Vickie talked about the humility that the motherhood experience can sometimes bestow up us, her choice to veer from the path that her formal, advanced degree from Harvard laid out for her to instead go rogue and become a creative entrepreneur, and her passion for advocating for the fair treatment and livable wages of those of us in the craft industry. Show Notes: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/episode-29-abby-glassenberg/

This week Vickie talked with her close, crafty compadre, Jennifer Perkins. Jennifer is a Content Contributor for DIYNetwork.com, Brand Ambassador for Treetopia, Blogger Team Member for Tuesday Morning Stores, and independent designer, crafter and artist. SHOW NOTES: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/craft-designer-jennifer-perkins/

This week Vickie talked to Brooklyn-based journalist and novelist, Nora Zelevansky. Her latest book, Will You, Wont You, Want Me is out on shelves now. During their conversation, Nora gave usa peak into her life as a full-time writer and mom. She shared a bit of her creative process, some of the experiences that helped shape both of her novels, and the educational, life and spiritual journeys that have brought her where she is today. SHOW NOTES: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/nora-zelevansky/

This week Vickie spoke with artist and Studio MME founder, Megan Eckman about the culture shock of moving from North Dakota to Silicon valley, art school elitism, how she was able to create a full-time career for herself that also allows her to be true to her art, and how even though she owns a craft-based business she considers herself a terrible crafter. SHOW NOTES: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/megan-eckman/

This week Vickie talked with Lena Skvagerson, the Lead Designer for Annie’s Signature Designs and one of the experts on public television’s Knit and Crochet Now, hosted by Deborah Norville. During their conversation they talked about what she’s learned about the knitting & crochet industry over her triple decade career, whether or not perception of needle arts is different in her Native Sweden than in the United States, and what still excites her about producing collections to be made by the masses. Show Note Page: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/lena-skvagerson/

This week Vickie talked with Amy Singer , the editor and publisher of Knitty Magazine. They talked about Amy's guest spot on a TV show Vickie used to host, her allergy to a material some would consider crucial in the knitting and crochet industry, what the genesis was for her launching a web zine pre-mainstream blog and social media days, how crowd funding completely changed her business, and about how some somewhat common --although not often-enough discussed -- women’s health issues can really harsh a gals’ creative mellow. Show Notes at: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/knitty-magazine-amy-singer/ ‎

This week Vickie sat down with Natalie Chanin, a pioneer in the slow design movement and the creative force behind the sustainably-made goods lifestyle company, Alabama Chanin. They chatted about the slow-fashion philosophy, Natalie's signature, piece-work design style, and the importance of knowing where the origin materials for what you put in and on your body come from. SHOW NOTES: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/alabama-chanin/

This week Vickie spoke with artist and author of "Duct Tape Bags, Richela Fabian Morgan. They talked about using a hardware store medium to create fine art, why she loves designing bags, and about the debate between art vs. craft. Show Notes: www.vickiehowell.com/craftish

This week Vickie interviewed Rae Hookstra, the founder of the wildly successful sewing website, Made by Rae. She and Rae talked about how leaving her former career as a Physics teacher to focus on being a mom inadvertently lead her to start the blog that would ultimately redefine her professional path. They also discussed how the definition of feminism as we were taught it in the 80’s has evolved a bit, and about how her community of sewing followers has greatly influenced the type of business she’s chosen to nurture. Show Notes: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/interview-with-m…rae-rae-hoekstra/

This week on CRAFT-ish host, Vickie Howell chats with comic book artist and author, Travis Nichols. For Show Notes, go to: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/episode-20-travis-nichols/

This week Vickie reconnected with an amazing woman she met at a Vogue Knitting Live conference where she was the keynote speaker. Siedah Garrett is most publicly well known as the co-writer of the song Man in the Mirror (sung by the iconic, Michael Jackson), the Grammy Award Winning & Oscar Nominated writer of “Love You I Do” from the movie Dream Girls, and as the back up singer for frankly, too many of the vocal greats to list here. What the masses may not know about her, though is that she’s also an amazing knitting and crochet designer. During their conversation, we talked about how she got started as a singer, which legendary producer pushed her to song write, her childhood introduction to knitting and crochet, and about her utter enjoyment over making statement pieces for celebrities like Madonna. For Show Notes go here: http://vickiehowell.com/podcast/siedah-garrett/