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

Josie Mae, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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 went to a Waldorf school for my early elementary school years, and I was taught a variety of fiber arts in our handwork class. I loved handwork class. We learned to knit first, and then we learned spinning, felting, and crocheting. Crocheting was my favorite immediately. I was the first student to learn the scallop stitch for the hats we were making, and that was really exciting for me. For the most part, I’ve been crocheting ever since, but I really started trying to improve at about 14 years old.

Most of my skills within crocheting have simply come from practice. I freehand most of my work, and I’m still pretty bad at following patterns, but youtube videos have been helpful to learn certain stitches and techniques. I would say my struggles with patterns and the lack of many people to learn from after I left Waldorf were the main obstacles to learning more. Over time though, practice has really been enough help me continuously improve. Experimentation and redoing parts of pieces over and over has also been essential.

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?

I make and sell crochet items. Almost all of my items are freehand, and I make them up as I go. I really love colors and the look and textures of different stitches, so it’s really fun to just play with. Every single of of my items is unique; I won’t repeat an item and probably couldn’t if I tried.

My favorite items to make are dolls. Each doll has a unique hairstyle and removable outfit. Since dolls are made for children to play with, I fully believe they should be as interactive as possible. Thinking up different clothes for each of them is an absolute delight. An intense amount of detail goes into each doll. For dolls with straight hair, I attach individual strands of yarn until their head is covered, which takes me hours. For dolls with curls, I crochet each curl and attach it. Every item of doll clothing is also intricate and fits its doll perfectly. Many of their clothes have pockets. Some of the dolls come with bags, or pets, or flowers. One even has an embroidered tattoo and another has a fully functional, removable, prosthetic leg.

I’m an avid reader and writer too, and I name each doll and write up personality information for them, so people can choose a doll that suits them. Most of the dolls are inspired, or at least named after, fictional characters. Their looks and personalities are entirely their own though. I take time with each doll before finalizing their name, gender, or personality. Every doll also has a controversial opinion, often in support of compassion, kindness, and justice.

I also crochet octopi, owls, and occasional rabbits who have names and personalities as well. Each octopus helps the individual or family that adopts them with certain emotions, struggles, or skills. I know it all sounds a bit silly, but it’s a really easy way for me to be creative and to make items that people will truly cherish. As much as I love selling items and making money, I have so much fun with it that I would probably keep doing it without any monetary incentive.

I also remember how import dolls and stuffed animals were for me as a child. I want to create items that fully feel alive for children and can be good friends for them. It is also important that children see themselves represented in their toys. My dolls and stuffed animals have a wide variety of body shapes, genders, hair types and styles, and many other traits. It is also of course important to support people with marginalized identities through more than just representation, so I use some profits for donations and fundraisers as well. Some dolls are created and advertised as fundraisers, with the purpose of their profits being donated.

Because making doll clothes is so fun, I have also recently started crocheting clothing for people as well. I love experimenting with styles and adding delicate or interesting details to the clothing pieces I make. While I have not yet mastered standardizing my sizing, I do make clothes in a variety of sizes. People should never hesitate to reach out and see what I currently have in stock.

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

I think sometimes it can be hard for people to understand that art is work, which then makes it harder for people to be willing to pay for that work. In order for artists to be able to support themselves, people have to appreciate the time and effort they put into their work. More people recognizing that handmade items are generally higher quality, continue important human skills, and fully support real people rather than questionable corporations would be extremely helpful to a thriving creative ecosystem. For those who are able: support your local artists.

Encouraging young people to be creatives is also essential for a thriving creative ecosystem. Because, again, our society does not truly take art seriously so much of the time, people are discouraged from considering art as a valid path in life. Art is essential to a joyful society and we should stop guiding people away from their innate creativity.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Finishing a piece is always very satisfying. Seeing people enjoy my finished pieces also delights me. Especially because so much of my work is for children, I get to see it bring a lot of happiness to people. I love helping people find the right little friend or a piece of clothing that helps them feel beautiful. My prices can always be negotiated for this very reason; if someone truly loves one of my pieces; I do not want money to be the only blockade to them obtaining it. I know my work is worth money, and I certainly I need to make money, but I try to be as flexible as possible. In an ideal world, I would be able to give it all away and simply spread joy. Sadly, we’re not there yet. Still, in general, being able to use my creativity to make myself and other people joyful is very rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hyggehatte/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josie-mae-mitchell-5a4200304/