We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Reagan Chambers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Reagan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I was brought in to this world as a weirdo. some people like to play nice and use the word creative as a descriptor, but I have always embraced the welcoming energy that surrounded weird. when I was 4 or 5 years old, my friends would play with baby dolls or barbie’s. I, on the other hand, was stealing empty cardboard pop-tart boxes from the trash and hiding them in my closet so I could turn them in to purses using the leftover scraps from previous projects. my mom would do a weekly clean sweep of my room and throw away the “garbage” she found in my closet…. for it to be quickly replaced the following day with an empty Trix cereal box. even as a child, I loved creating art for it to serve more purpose than to hang on a wall. I loved the functionality of my art having multiple purposes.
the older I got, the more I dabbled into other hobbies such as drawing, painting, jewelry making, scrapbooking, etc. even though I enjoyed all of these activities, I never felt accomplished. my current mediums weren’t scratching that creative itch my brain was craving. I was a freshman in college when I decided to finally try crocheting. I was determined to crochet a blanket one day, and that day became a reality in August of 2015. I went to my instructor (YouTube) and learned my basic stitches and fundamental skills. after a week or two, I finally got the hang of the motion; one hand holding the tension of your yarn and the other directing the hook where to go. I did this over and over, making row after row to just pull the end and unravel the whole thing to the start. after much practice and frustration, I started on my goal- a blanket to cover my bed. 3 months (and many, many episodes of Bob’s Burgers) later, my blanket was finished. this project taught me not only the basics of crocheting, but, surprisingly, patients and self confidence. the best part? my art had function again. my art was serving multiple purposes, on top of it being something that I crafted and created myself. this was the hobby that took me to art festivals, fashion shows, and a local commercial, but this hobby has been one of the few constants in my life for the last (almost) 10 years. crocheting helps soothe my anxiety, and it has taught me that good things take time.
the 4-5 year old little girl using safety scissors to make a handle for a purse made from garbage is the same adult that uses yarns and hooks to creative long lasting, weird, multifunctional forms of art.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi! I my name is Reagan, and I started Creep Crochet in 2019. Creep Crochet is not the grandmother’s crochet. I design and create unique and weird accessories, clothing, pet goods, and decorative pieces. i’m a self taught, southern artist trying to make a difference here in the south. I am an active supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, and I try to offer a variety of products to the (sometimes small) southern queer audience here. I am also a huge animal lover, so I try to make sure that your pets are able to experience the weird as well.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
crocheting cannot be made by a machine, crocheting can only be made by hand. fast fashion company’s sell crocheted items as low as 4.99, even though 1 items can take hours/days to make. this translates to sweat shops exploiting their employees by paying them pennies to the dollar. while you might pay double the price for a local, handmade crocheted piece, that money is going to pay someone’s utility bill… not fund their next rocketship to space. I repeat- crochet can ONLY be made by HAND.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
in my opinion, I think that the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is healing my inner child with surrounding myself in such a strong, supportive community. while I was often mocked as a child for being “different”, yet now as an adult i’m getting praised for it. it’s such a warm feeling when someone reaches out to purchase or place a custom order with me; it’s like the weird girl from class is getting her time to shine.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @creep.crochet
- Facebook: creep crochet
- Other: tiktok- creep.crochet
Image Credits
Abby Cagel (@cxgle on instagram)