We recently connected with Jamie Rex and have shared our conversation below.

Jamie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I wish I had been brave enough to pursue my own business in the arts from the beginning – I would have had so many more years of experience behind me. I went to college first to be a teacher and went through several majors all the while telling myself that a career as an artist would never keep a roof over my head. Only after a master’s degree did I realize I had spent so much time and money on a career I didn’t want. I wish, at that time, there were more narratives about how college could serve someone on my path – in the late 90s and early 2000’s you just didn’t see enough examples of small businesses who thrive and aren’t trying to grow massive. As far as I can remember, there wasn’t a prototype in front of me like I can see all around me now. Today, I see so many people making a living from their passions, and it’s beautiful.

Jamie, 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?

Hello! I am Jamie Rex of North Road Knits. I started working with yarn in roughly 2008 when my sons went off to preschool for a few hours a day. I found fiber art to be a fulfilling way to play with the artistic side of my brain and keep my hands busy while I was also caring for our family, pets, garden and home. While I sold things to folks right away that first fall, I also took a really long time to teach myself all the skills I needed to refine my techniques. I still try and add new skills every year. I love that I make things with my hands that others love and want to wear; it often feels miraculous that I still wake up every day excited to have yarn in my hands. I specialize in winter accessories, especially hats, and have published most of my knit patterns as well.

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

When I first started thinking of myself and my craft as a business, I didn’t understand how valuable it was to get out into the creative community and build relationships with other people doing the same thing. I now see the process of showing up at craft markets with other artists, exchanging ideas, and sharing one another’s work as an uplifting and integral part of my life. I love being able to take home something handmade by the person next to me and share about it just as much as I love being lifted up by others in the same way. I guess the resource I wish I knew about earlier in my creative journey was community.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a maker is seeing my work out in the community. I make A LOT of hats, and when winter hits and the wind is really blowing, it’s so fun to see one of my knits walk into the local co-op, or on someone’s head as they’re walking their dog in a blizzard. My partner once called me from a grocery store nearly three hours away and said he saw two people wearing my knits there. It’s also super rewarding to have someone who bought something last year come back and buy stuff for their whole family next the year. Repeat buyers let me know what I am making is loved and worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://northroadknits.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northroadknits/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamieSierraKnits
• Other: https://www.ravelry.com/stores/north-road-knits https://www.etsy.com/shop/northroadknits

Image Credits
All taken by me, Jamie Rex.