Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Edelstein. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emily, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

During the pandemic, I left my job as a manager of a fashion boutique. I was not happy with my life or career. I suddenly had a large amount of free time and rediscovered my love of craft and creating things with my hands. I warped my loom for the first time in years and knitted two blankets and a lace sweater. I had time to play again.

However, as wonderful as that time was, it reaffirmed the decision that I made in my 20s that I didn’t want to pursue fiber arts as a full-time profession. I have so much respect for the people who make their full-time living through craft, do it well, and find joy in it. Craft is a difficult road: hard on the body, full of financial uncertainty, endless travel to shows and galleries, and the risk of artistic and creative burnout. I knew in my heart that I was not up to that challenge.

At that same time, I began researching new career paths and continuing education options. This eventually led me to the field of Arts Administration and the Master’s program at Drexel University. I started the intense 15-month program online, then moved closer to Philadelphia to finish in person, where I wrote my thesis on functional craftspeople in the modern American art world.

My big risk was starting graduate school at the age of 38 in a somewhat niche field during a pandemic. I lived with my family to offset costs and went into debt.

That risk has given me so much. The alumni network from my Drexel program is strong, fierce and supportive especially in its home city of Philadelphia, and I draw on it often. I was very fortunate to draw on my years of craft training to find work in my field quickly. The combination of education, both formal and informal, and a carefully built network of connections has allowed me to make a living working for and with the craft community, something that I am deeply passionate about. It has led me to have the skills to take on the position of Executive Director of CraftNOW Philadelphia.

Emily, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My journey with Craft started with my long arms. At 16, I decided I would knit a sweater that actually fit me. That led me to my first craft mentor, Shirley Sacks, who owned a shop in Kutztown, PA, called the Crewel World. Knitting led to spinning wool, which led to a desire to learn how to weave.

Eventually, my desire to learn a craft led me to my second home, the John C Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina. Through their work-study and host programs, I had hands-on instruction in everything from blacksmithing to boat building to papermaking. I also met my second Craft mentor, weaving teacher Nanette Davidson.

I love craft. I love talking to the people who make things and hearing their stories. I love learning how and why things are made. I also love the communities built around craft, where you can talk to people about power hammers and obscure sheep breeds. I still always have at least one project in progress and buy too much yarn.

I am also grateful to the people who support these craft communities through purchases, promotions, donations, and general appreciation. My focus is on spreading my love of craft to as many people as possible and encouraging them into the wonderful craft communities of makers, artists, artisans, gallerists, buyers, curators, businesses, organizations, and enthusiasts. I love the analogy that the craft scholar Glenn Adamson made about the craft community being a tent: it is high to allow for those who have risen to the top but also wide so everyone is included.

CraftNOW Philadelphia is unique in that it aims to support the craft “ecosystem” as a whole. Our programs focus on education, economic development, and curation. We work with 75-plus partner organizations across the city to celebrate and promote what the craft community does and to support that community going forward. Philadelphia has always had a strong culture of making, and we amplify the voices of those who are making and creating in the city now.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Put your dollars to work. Purchase from your local artists and makers. Hire local creatives, and pay them what they ask. Never expect an artist to work for free. Support funding for paid arts and creative sector internships, which are often unpaid, and out of reach for many students. Make sure there is access to affordable housing and studio space.

Also, recognize that arts and creative businesses ARE businesses. CraftNOW partners with the Philadelphia makerspace NextFab to offer a hybrid conference called Tools of the Trades. The topics range from taxes to marketing plans to insurance. Today’s creatives are often a one-person shop that does the accounting, inventory management and marketing. Tools of the Trade offers participants online and in-person classes on topics, as well as access to mentors and a community of peers who are experiencing the same challenges and learning the same skills.

If you are a builder, designer, or architect, use local talent. Our CraftBuild program introduces craft artists to members of the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia.

Support craft and creative education! Art programs in primary and secondary schools are being cut. Colleges and Universities are cutting art programs, and many creative colleges are shutting down altogether. Everyone deserves access to creative education, from preschoolers to seniors. To continue to have a thriving creative ecosystem, the next generation needs access to creative education.

Through our CraftNOW Create! program, we work with the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation and our partner organizations to bring craft activities to over 6,000 children. We also present a free academic symposium every November to help advance scholarship around Craft and the creative sector.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had taken accounting as an undergraduate and learned more about money management and how important it is to a creative career and a successful non-profit. I encourage all of my Drexel interns to take accounting! Learning how to read a budget and a balance sheet, how to apply for a loan, and how to write a grant are all crucial to a creative career.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.craftnowphila.org
• Instagram: @craftnowphl
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftNOWPHL/

Image Credits
Headshot – John Ruggles Tools of the Trades pic – Immortal Visions Studios