We were lucky to catch up with Dan Brockett recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, thanks for joining 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 started teaching myself the craft of basketry around 2018 after stumbling on a video of someone weaving with willow, which was something I didn’t even know was possible. At that point we had some willow already growing on our farm, but I decided to ramp up production in order to cultivate my own supply of weaving material. For several years I taught myself how to weave through books and online videos, which was challenging and only got me so far. It wasn’t until I took my first in-person class in 2022 that my career as an artist began to take off. If I could go back I would have pursued in-person learning from the beginning, as the progression of my skills from that experience accelerated at a rate I never could have accomplished on my own. Still, I believe the skill that’s most essential when learning a craft is patience, whether developing your understanding alone or with a mentor. The time required to invest in learning my craft has been challenged by obstacles like maintaining my full-time job and developing a community of connections that I could leverage for teaching and selling opportunities.

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

I have explored many different artistic paths in my life with the hope of landing on a passion, but I never truly connected with one medium or modality. As I got older my creative pursuits waned and lingering farm dreams took priority. That focus led to my wife and I purchasing 12 acres in 2017 and ultimately creating Foggy Blossom Farm, a perennial nursery and food forest.
In 2018 I turned 40 and stumbled upon a video of someone weaving a basket out of willow, which was something I never knew was a possibility. I was captivated and immediately formulated a plan for how I could incorporate this new-to-me craft into our existing farm operation. The idea of learning and developing a self-contained, sustainable craft captured my fascination and I began working towards making it a reality.

I first began by experimenting with plant materials that were already available on the farm, like blackberry canes and grapevines, and quickly fell in love with the process of weaving. Basketry seemed to be the perfect blend of my farm dreams and my longstanding desire for a consistent, successful artistic pursuit and practice. After creating those first few rudimentary baskets I began planting willow around the farm in an effort to develop my own supply of basketry material, which I knew would take several years. In the meantime I discovered a willow farmer in Ohio who I sourced dried willow rods from, which provided me with the appropriate material to begin learning the craft with as my own willow plants took their time to mature.

Over the last 5 years I have diligently and happily taught myself the art of willow basketry through books, videos, and only very recently some in-person workshops. My passion has only expanded, along with the number of willow plants currently growing at Foggy Blossom Farm. Today there are over 5,000 willow plants around the acreage featuring over 100 varieties, and I’ve woven nearly 300 baskets.

An important aspect of my work that is not immediately apparent is the fact that I am not only a willow basket maker, I am also the willow grower. As I approach the tipping point of weaving exclusively with my own supply (after nearly 5 years of cultivation), I realize that my relationship with the material runs far deeper than what the weaving techniques within each basket reveal.

The process of making a basket from scratch starts years in advance. Perfectly straight, long willow rods are the result of several seasons of growing and coppicing. Harvesting bundles of rods happens by hand in the winter and is followed by months of drying. When the rods are dry they must then be re-saturated through a soaking process, and then mellowed for another stretch of time. Eventually an ideal, weavable state is reached, but within each aspect of the process is ample room for mistakes.

This cycle of growing, harvesting, and tending to my material has taken years to understand, and it’s one I’m still in the process of mastering. Understanding the full scope of my craft from plant to product has added a depth to my creative practice that I never thought was possible.

Another aspect of my basketry that is not entirely obvious is that all of the colors, textures and finishes within my work are completely natural. Willow grows in a wide spectrum of hues, and I’ve aimed to collect a unique and vast array of varieties to showcase this beauty. My baskets are never dyed, lacquered, or altered in any way. They are simply willow – grown, dried, woven and dried again.

In the beginning of my basketry journey I often thought that I would never become good enough to share my work, or teach others, or feel confident in applying to things like residencies and gallery shows. Throughout the years, however, I have been able to transcend those negative feelings I had about myself and my potential. I am proud of my ability to be an ambassador for this craft, as well as for all of the opportunities that have opened up for me along the way.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When my wife and I began Foggy Blossom Farm we were focused on cut flowers and vegetables. We had farm dreams, and hoped to develop a business that was financially successful, but that initial path quickly proved to be a drain on our time, energy and relationships. Shortly after that first phase of the farm we turned more towards creative intentions that could be sustainable long-term. That ultimately led to willow, and basketry, and the artistic direction the farm is in now.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The demand for willow as a weaving material is very high, and the supply is relatively low in the US, so the importance of growing our own has been paramount. Cultivating a personal supply of crafting material has become a very rewarding way to meld my love of growing with my more artistic side, and the mission that has emerged from that pursuit has been a focus on sustainability. As a plant willow is regenerative rather than extractive, meaning it becomes more robust the more you take from it. We’ve been able to positively impact our acreage through the cultivation of thousands of willow plants that not only serve my creative practice but also develop diversity, serve pollinators, provide habitat and more. As we continue to develop different methods of harvesting, growing, planting and crafting with willow, the hope is that it will create a ripple effect that will inspire others to do the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.foggyblossomfarm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foggyblossomfarm
• Other: https://foggyblossom.substack.com/

Image Credits
Betsy Brockett