We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amara Hark-Weber. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amara below.

Amara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I began learning how to make shoes more than a decade ago, and I will always be learning. Because there are no schools that taught the skills that I wanted to learn, I found a more experienced maker to teach me. I took that information and went back to my own workshop to practice. After a year or two, I had a new set of questions and problems, and set up another learning session with someone who would be able to help me. That has been how I have moved forward as a craftsman.

There are so many skills involved with shoemaking, and very little one can do to speed up the learning process. In hindsight, I wish that I had had more practice before going out professionally, but because of where I was in life when I started, that would not have been possible for me.

One of the most important qualities that I have, and had when I started was stubborn perseverance, and a near blind belief that this is what I should be doing. I went through years of struggling to get by, trusting that over the course of my career the foundation I was laying would be important. It was.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I make custom shoes and boots for individual clients. Each pair is completely unique, designed in collaboration with the client, and made to the measurements of their feet. I design, pattern, and make every element of each pair in my workshop from leather (although I do sometimes use rubber soles).

There are very few shoemakers in the United States, and the few that there are know and support one another. Each of our practices is unique. I make many styles of both shoes and boots, which is unusual. Because I make so many styles, I have a wide skill set from which to draw, and a deep understanding of the nuances of fit and materials.

Because there are so few shoemakers in the United States, many people don’t understand the complexity of footwear construction. The footwear I make is quite different from factory footwear, both in construction as well as materials. My footwear is made of the best leather being produced globally today. It will last a lifetime and is made to be repaired.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The relationships that I have formed with clients and peers is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job.

Most of my clients are repeat clients, and over time I get to know them in a totally unique way — by working together to design their footwear, and hearing about how they wear it out in the world. My clients come with specific needs and visions, and my job is to listen and respond, building them something that suits their body and their lifestyle.

The relationships that I have formed with others shoemakers are some of the most prized in my life. We share the particular struggles and joys of this craft, and many times it is a particular type of person who is well suited to the work — clever, creative, attentive to detail, and tenacious.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

One of the things that I think about a lot is the many meanings of value. Many folks outside creative fields hear the word value and think about money. Rather than that, I think about quality, time, and cultural heritage and significance.

I charge the least amount of money that I can for my footwear to make a living wage, but they are still expensive products. But, I feel strongly that the value they carry far outweighs the cost. It has taken me a long time to value myself and my work in terms outside the monetary system, but when I started thinking more deeply about the contributions that I make simply by doing my job, I realize the significance.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.harkweberstudio.com
• Instagram: @harkweberstudio

Image Credits
Photos taken by Amara Hark-Weber. Image of Amara Hark-Weber taken by Mark LaFavor