We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mackensie Bennett. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mackensie below.
Mackensie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
Since starting my business it has been my primary source of income. Luckily business has grown each year, but it is still not a lot of money. Every market is a mental roller coaster that I’m still learning to navigate and have faith through. When sales are slow going, or when I have vet bills or when filing taxes, you betcha I mentally consider going a different route with my career. But I believe that I would not be happier having the financial stability of a regular job. My purpose is to create, and I am an artist down to my soul. If I were to devote my time elsewhere it would be a disservice to myself and my mental health would likely suffer.
Mackensie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My mother was pregnant with me in Skagway, AK where she ran an espresso business out of a caravan shaped wagon. After I was born she moved back to WA and put the wagon in storage, which I’ll circle back to later.
From as young as I can remember I have always been an artist. I often won coloring contests as a kid, I had school poetry published in the local times, I would build elaborate cat castles from cardboard, and I chose for my senior project to create and exhibit a small art show. I earned my BFA in 2015 from Washington State University where I mostly studied ceramics.
After graduating I put my work efforts towards paying off student loans on top of bills. At one point I was working 40 hours doing conservation field work, and cooking in a kitchen and cleaning apartments on the weekends. I started to experience severe night sweats and nausea in the mornings before work. After months of this I had bloodwork done and learned that my adrenal hormone levels were extremely high. On top of this I had also been suffering for years from chronic eczema on my hands that was being exacerbated by my work conditions. I had finally reached my breaking point and took the signs that it was time to make some major lifestyle changes.
Back then I was spending most of my time and energy working away from my pets who I love dearly, and I had very few friends outside of work. I also realized that I had spent next to zero time creating art in the six years since getting my degree. I made it my goal to make what I love in life a priority. My mother died when I was young and I’ve always struggled with the idea of putting so much time towards retirement–especially at a job that doesn’t resonate on a deep level–when none of us are guaranteed to live long enough to see it. So I wanted to start living a life that I found fufilling doing what I enjoyed on a more regular basis.
In the search process for a new living arrangment I came upon extremely inexpensive off grid property in Troy, ID that I was excited by. So I used my savings to buy an RV and got rid of the majority of my accumulated belongings. After making the move I went down to part time work and enjoyed exploring the woods with my dogs in my free time. This transition into a more simple and slow pace of life was a healing period of time for me and I believe it allowed me to tap back into my creative spirit.
In the following spring I went to visit my Great Aunt for a month. She has done stained glass since the 70s and I grew up seeing her projects around her house. While there she helped me on a few projects and I came up with a simple earring design that I made several small batches of. I decided to bring these around with me while out and about and I managed to sell a few pairs to strangers. That experience had me hooked. I returned home with the basic equipment and looked for a space in town with electricity that I could make into my studio. As for selling my earrings it was too late to apply for the Moscow Farmers Market so I tried sitting on a bench with my earrings on display. Not so surprisingly I was told by the market manager that it wasn’t allowed and she kindly showed me to a gray area in a nearby alleyway on the outskirts of the market. So for the rest of the season I made my sales there.
That first summer in business I taught myself with the help of a book how to weave pine needle baskets using the ponderosa pine around the Palouse. I added my basketry to my offerings and eventually more stained glass designs as well as tie dye. By the next year I was able to quit doing side jobs and officially sell at the farmers market where I started expanding my booth. I went from selling out of my purse, to sitting on the ground, to an umbrella and patio table, then eventually upgraded to a pop up canopy and table. I am lucky to sell most of my work in person at markets about once a week for the majority of the year. Even though it comes with a lot of stress to play all of the roles it takes to run a business, I am so pleased to be supporting myself with my art. And to top it all off, I rarely have to leave my dogs home alone. They come to work with my in my studio and even some markets too!
About a year ago I moved back to western Washington and onto Whidbey Island near family. After thirty plus years in storage I was feeling oh so eager and happy to finally move the wagon onto the island with me. It has been out in the elements under a tarp most of that time, so it needs a lot of TLC. I am working towards refurbishing and remodeling it to become my mobile art wagon to bring to markets. It’s been a long time coming and the process of fixing it up will be fufilling. The thought of stocking it with my work, towing it to market, and inviting folks inside excites me so much. With time I would love to expand my market circuit, live out of a truck in summers and tow the wagon to a wide circle of markets in other states.
My current array of work is stained glass, pine needle basketry, and tie dyed garments. With time I will phase out my smaller stained glass designs and go bigger and bigger. I would love to do custom windows someday. Most folks know me for my earrings, but I also make suncatchers, house plant stakes, and propogation stations. I’d like to start making more mirrors and 3D pieces. As for my basketry, I recently went to Florida and collected a large suitcase worth of longleaf pine needles so I will be stocked for a good while yet. I would love to wild forage dogwood or willow to practice weaving larger baskets. I used to make tie dye for music festivals to hand out to strangers and now I look forward to summer time when I can work on tie dye for work. I wait until summer to use the sun to solarize and cure the dyes I work with. All of the shirts I dye are upcycled from local thrift stores. And I also dye a variety of handkerchiefs, bandanas, and silk scarves.
I am proud that my work serves as an example to people of what we can make with our hands when we slow our lives down. Oftentime folks at my booth are surprised to learn that my baskets are made from pine needles. I am happy to give people a hands on experience to learn about the ancient art form, and to simply smell my baskets if nothing else. I believe art is best experienced with all of our senses rather than just our eyes. So I want my booth to be an experience for people that stands out at market, and that perhaps if I’m lucky they leave with a piece of my work to remember it by.
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?
This is a very common and overplayed concept among creatives but it is still important to voice. So many non creatives at markets struggle to understand pricing. My art is not a side hustle or hobby that I bring to market. It is how I support myself and pay the bills. When I total up my hours not only working in the studio, but also total market hours and bookkeeping and filling out applications etc I make far less than minimum wage. So when people audibly gasp and make comments on my work being over priced, I would rather they realize that it is out of their budget and to reconsider the time and supplies that went into making it. Artists are not selling mass produced necessities, we sell handmade wares that can enrich your life and hopefully last a lifetime.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
In a world full of mass production and infinite options online, it is so fufilling to have people choose to purchase my one of a kind, handmade art. I take pride in my craftsmanship so customers make my day by validating my work with their purchases.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gypsyygemss.bigcartel.com
- Instagram: @gypsyy_gemss
Image Credits
David Welton(just the photo of me weaving a basket)