From Aqua-Woman to Ceramic Artist

 

The path to your passion is different for every person. I asked ceramic artist, Monica Wilson, what sparked her interest in the field.

“I have always been interested in making things, or thinking up things to make. I asked my mom to make me an aqua-woman suit when I was small, she wasn’t sure where to start. She put me in pottery classes as a kid and gave me a small home studio. Later I ended up in fashion school, then art school where I worked with various materials, welding, casting cement and plaster but found clay to have the most immediate response to touch, and I love that. I also love the ceramic art community – great cooks, honest people. To run a clay studio you have to know how to do everything from mixing glazes to repairing and firing kilns, these people are problem solvers and can make just about anything with their hands.” –M. Wilson

It’s not easy to see the end result when you’re in the middle of discovering your voice. All you can do is plug away until you’ve found your match. And often, the steps that lead to your calling give a beautiful depth to your next venture.

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Mom, You’re the Best

Like some distorted wine analogy, I grow to appreciate my mom more an more as I age. Mothers are the selfless heroes, who all too often fly under the radar. They sacrifice their sanity, sleep, and sometimes even the last piece of cake— just for you. Mom’s are a million things packed into one: your first playmate, teacher, a soothing retreat, your biggest cheerleader, and your oldest friend.

My mom and I have always bonded over craft time. She was a great encouragement to me as I grew up. I was infamous for creating “art” messes around the house as I created and experimented. That must have required such patience on her part. Not everything I made was a masterpiece, far from it in fact. How could she have known that I would end up pursing this craftiness as a career? Perhaps I wouldn’t have made it this far if she hadn’t been so open to my creativity and inspiring with her own talents.

How did your mom play a role in who you are today? Really think about it and tell her. It’s a thankless job too much of the time. Get out there are show the moms some love!

In Nature, Nothing is Perfect and Everything is Perfect.

We’re all hunting for beauty: be it in nature, our travels, through work, or play. Rugged appeal in rolling hills and twisted branches steal our breath and remind us of the call to adventure.

“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.”
-Alice Walker

Where do you find your inspiration? Take a look at more inspirational quotes from wise women who’ve paved the way before us.

Carhartt Women’s Belton Shirt is pictured above.

Meegan Czop of Rebuilding Exchage

I think there are a lot of women (myself included) who often feel as though they are without a voice; be it in the workplace, the construction site, on the range, in social media, or during everyday life. It can be infuriatingly overwhelming to stand against the dialogue that already dictates those venues and arenas: the ideas that men are better leaders, women can’t perform as well in tough, blue-collar jobs, or even that women are better suited to clerical tasks rather than being out on the field.

Women, let’s stick together and raise our voices simultaneously to create a new discussion. We are capable. We are strong. We can swing a hammer or wield a crowbar. We can be contractors and painters and cattle ranchers and mechanics and engineers. We can do whatever job we want. We can lead, and we can do it well. WE CAN.

That brings me to Meegan Czop and the folks at Rebuilding Exchange. Many women there fill roles that are typically considered a man’s job. Meegan spends time on the ground scavenging through demolition sites for materials that can be resold through the non-profit to the public for re-use. It’s a tough job and she’s often the only woman to step foot in the work zone.

I tagged along on a trip she made to a Chicago warehouse that was ruined by fire a few months ago. With a jump in her step, she explores areas that would make most people nervous. A job that requires an adventurous spirit requires a special person. Meegan is changing the dialogue of what women are capable of with the elbow grease she puts into every day, the hard work she does to preserve and better the community, and the way she defies stereotypes with confidence and competence.

Meegan is wearing: Carhartt Women’s Force Performance Verdon Polo & Series 1889 Slim-Fit Double Front Denim Dungaree

Forget the Desk Job– I Make a Mean Chocolate Croissant

 

It’s fair to say that most people would prefer an early morning routine of rolling out fresh chocolate croissants to a 9 to 5 desk job. But how do you get there? How do pin down your dreams fast enough to make a career out of them?
After realizing she wasn’t cut out for the daily grind of cubicle life, Sandra Holl decided to buckle down and follow her heart by attending culinary school. At that time, she knew she wanted to be her own boss and make the food she wanted to make. Seeing the opportunities at Chicago’s Green City Market, Sandra decided that opening her own booth would be a low-risk way of starting a business. There she and her husband, Mathieu, used it as a venue to test out their rustic, French pastries and built a name for themselves. Eventually, a brick and mortar space was next step. In 2010, Floriole Café and Bakery’s doors opened in Chicago’s quaint Lincoln Park neighborhood.
When I asked Sandra what the most rewarding part of her job was, she replied,

“I love that I have a family business. I work with my husband and can bring my daughter to work with me. She sees how hard I work and is so proud of her mama. She often tells customers, “This is my mom’s bakery.””

There is no greater feeling than to bring creativity and light to the world through the smile a chocolate hazelnut cookie can yield, while inspiring your own daughter and nudging her along to the discovery that she too can do the same with a little elbow grease and determination.

Here are a few tips from Sandra for anyone striving towards a similar path:
1. Find a chef you admire and work with her or him. Absorb as much of their knowledge as you can, then move on and learn more.
2. Perfect the basics before you get creative. No one really wants a wasabi curry cupcake but everyone wants a perfect slice of peach pie.
3. Everything breaks. Learn how to fix things yourself.
4. Know that you will work seven days a week. Even when you are off, you will run errands for the business, answer calls and emails and when the security alarm goes off in the middle of the night, you will go make sure that it was only a false alarm.

Sandra is wearing: Carhartt Women’s Minot Shirt, 1889 Slim Double-Front Denim Dungaree, & Rapid City Utility Work Apron.

 

Shaking Up Social Media and How Women Are Portrayed

Let’s take a minute to think about women in media and how we’re portrayed. It’s a common enough topic these days. Many of us are aware that our society is continually bombarded with gorgeous glamazon women, thin and flawless, with glowing skin and shiny hair, perfectly positioned, sitting, standing still, just waiting to be admired.
We all know the wonders of Photoshop, the great works of make-up artists, and the phenomena of calorie counting. Even once the smoke and mirrors are revealed, it can still be hard to shake the conditioned image of what women are expected to be in this day and age. Of course what we need is an adjustment of those expectations. We say we’ll think differently and react on a more educated level when we see these constant reminders of what our culture demands of us. But it can be tough to stand strong against the nonstop barrage.
We need to start consuming media that shows us the real strength and beauty of women. Watch movies and read books that pass the Bechdel Test. That’s simply a work of fiction that features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. Quite shockingly, there are few contemporary pieces that pass. Seek out the ones that do. Toss out the magazines that tempt you into the never-ending chase after a newer, thinner, fitter, happier, sexier you. Trust me, once you find your true path in life and do what it takes to follow it, you’ll be the better version of yourself that everyone hopes to be.
Don’t buy into the misconception that women are catty with each other and just want to compete at all costs. Stop perpetuating that behavior. We need to build each other up. Be inspired by the strong trailblazers who have left a wake that shakes things up. That’s my ultimate goal with Crafted in Carhartt. It’s a place in social media, where women are portrayed as the strong, capable, creative, and awesome people that they truly are. Let’s focus on the good we as women can bring to the world. Be challenged by women making art, building skills, making things, and getting business done. We can all learn from each other’s stories and advice.
I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather see images of women, who are masters of their trade, proficiently swinging a hammer, shoveling coal, and accomplishing something great than someone who is dead in the eyes, forcing a smile as just the right amount of wind tousles her hair. How about you?

Pictured above is Detroit artist, Kate Silvio. Read more about her and her work here.

 

The American Dream and Making the World a Better Place

 

Do you guys remember Pashon from Detroit Dirt? She was recently featured in a national Ford ad campaign. Pashon reminds us that the American dream is working hard for your aspirations, and hopefully making the world a better place along the way. Take a look here:

Victoria Shaheen of Pewabic Pottery

Passing down knowledge of the arts and creativity seems like the ultimate gift. As mothers, sisters, and friends we can help multiply ingenuity and imagination. Just ask Victoria. She molded her first lump of clay at the age of six. Her mom was an artist who wanted to share the passion she had for her favorite medium. Alongside her mother, Victoria saw several women who broke down barriers and set prime examples for the female art force, such as Mary Chase Perry Stratton, Maija Grotell, and Beatrice Wood.

Mary Chase Perry Stratton founded Pewabic Pottery in 1903, deviating so far from the path that patriarchal society laid before her. Instead of solely tending to matters of home and family, she broadened her mind with art and business. To Mary, pottery was more than a hobby. It was her life, her bread and butter, her ambition and aspiration. She left behind a legacy of distinct work and work ethics. If we all could be so lucky and determined to leave behind some goodness for those who follow in our footsteps, the world would be much better for it.

To Victoria, Mary Stratton “is watching over all the female artists in Detroit. If you’re walking down Woodward, feeling down on your luck, or tired form working twice as hard for half the pay merely because of your gender, look up! Chances are you will see a Pewabic facade or design somewhere on one of those buildings. Maybe she didn’t literally pave the road but she literally finished the buildings!”

Victoria aims to one day run a studio of her own with friends, hopefully traveling and doing workshops along the way. Her advice to aspiring artists is simple. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Art can still be fun to make, analyze, and critique. While Victoria sees Mary Stratton as the ceramics Rosie the Riveter of the Midwest, she hopes to be more like Shirley Temple. By integrating a bit of her background in New Jersey, she hopes to make viewers feel that playfulness of a child at the beach.

That being said let each day take you a step closer to fulfilling your dreams. Find your voice and don’t be afraid to make it heard. That’s the way to leave behind a legacy of triumph and create an appetite for achievement in generations to come.

See more of Victoria Shaheen’s work here. 
Also take a look at her work wear: Sandstone Sherpa Lined Vest, Clarksburg Sweatshirt, Jasper Jeans, Soft Hands Glove, & Carbondale Safety Glasses. 

DIY: Quote Shirt

Alright ladies, it’s time to fight for your right to wear summer clothes! Before the cool weather really starts rolling in, make sure to wear those flip flops and shorts as much as you can. In the spirit of Crafted in Carhartt, I wanted to carry an adaptation of this great quote by Marie Curie around with me.

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that?
We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.
We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”

I stenciled it onto the back of my Carhartt Annapolis Shirt. What a great reminder to yourself, and those walking behind you, of the hard work we should put into our passions.

DIY: Moss Sign

It’s that simple. Do what you love. If you’re crafty and love finding ways to bring nature into your living space, this DIY project is calling your name. You can pick up these supplies at your local craft store. It’s quick, simple, and to the point.

What you need: adhesive moss paper, a tree ring, an inspirational quote, pencil, sharpie, and scissors 

1. Pick out a quote that inspires you.
2. Type it up on a computer, mirror it horizontally so that it reads backwards.
3. Cover the back of the paper in graphite so you can transfer the letters to the back of the moss paper.
4. Flip the paper right side up (so that it reads backwards again), place it on the back of the moss paper, and trace the letters.
5. Your quote should appear backwards on the adhesive side of the moss sheet.
6. Trace over the graphite with a sharpie so you don’t smudge the tracing off while cutting.
7. Cut the letters out.
8. Peel and stick to the wooden palette.
And you’re done!

check out my crafting outfit here: Traverse City Hoodie & Straight Fit Slim Jean