We recently connected with Al and have shared our conversation below.
Al, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
When I was a teenager, my therapist told me to take up knitting as a way to help with my anxiety and OCD. So that’s how I began. I was never knitting with the intention to make anything, but simply to keep my hands and my mind busy. I would knit a bunch of rows (very poorly!), take the work apart when I ran out of yarn and then start all over again. I would bring my knitting with me everywhere. When I was 19 I transferred to a school where I could pursue a degree in theater. I was in the black box theater, knitting my rows, during a break and a classmate walked over and asked me to make him a hat. I was nervous and told him that I don’t know how to make things I just do this to relax. He smiled his now signature smile and told me I would figure it out. And I did! The first thing I ever made was a yellow hat for the person who is now my best friend and for whom I have knit many things since. Recently he performed in a play I wrote, for which I also knit the props. A full circle moment if there ever was one!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hi! My name is Al Monaco, AlKnitsThings to the internet, and I am a knitter and theater artist living in NYC. I have been knitting for 15 years and am just now feeling like I am pretty good at my craft. I am usually open to knitting anything and everything. This past year, however, I took an intentional step back and just focused on knitting for myself. There is a weird thing that happens when your craft becomes a commodity and I was not enjoying it anymore. Recentering and just knitting for the love and joy of it again has been transformative. Recently I have creating knits inspired by the musicians I admire. Musicians like Mk.Gee, Dijon, Chappell Roan, Jensen McRae, and Joey Valance and Brae. This has truly been a year of returning back to myself and my passions.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the self expression and the abandonment of the need to be understood. Your people will find you, but you have to be honest about what you are giving to the world, not what you think you need to give. The instant gratification of likes and notifications is fickle and unsustainable, and so my focus especially in this last year has been to create simply because it brings me joy, and because I like it. And that has been more than enough for me.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The goal is to continue to learn. I want to be the best I can be at all of my crafts. When I look back at previous work, I have grace for my younger self, but I also have discernment and know that there is always room for improvement and no right way to do one thing. I think that has always been a big part of my creative journey, is learning all the ways to do something and then finding the method that works best for me, understanding there is no such thing as perfection, and that the world doesn’t end if I make a mistake. The mental health benefits of knitting are endless and I will never tire of learning more.
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Image Credits
All photos by me, Al Monaco