We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Paige Vecitis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Paige below.

Paige , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Like a lot of people, I picked up crochet in 2020 – more specifically, during the pandemic when I was 14 years old. However, the pandemic didn’t push me to find a new craft; it was actually social media. This was largely due to the fact that I was homeschooled, so the pandemic didn’t have as much of an impact on me. I kept seeing people crocheting a bee during that “era” of social media. And from that moment on, I was hooked. (quite literally)

Through the power of a couple of YouTube videos, I taught myself the basics of crochet. After learning the first few stitches, I wanted to create a character from the video game “Among Us,” which was also super popular at the time, and couldn’t find a pattern that I liked…… so I just made my own!

As they say, the rest was history! Now, at the ripe old age of 19, I am still learning and growing my skills but have definitely come a long way. Not only do I still design patterns, but I make them understandable so other crafters and crocheters can enjoy them as well. I don’t think 14-year-old me would think this is where our little hobby would end up.

Paige , 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! My name is Paige. I am 19 years old and the owner of SawyersWackyArt. And no, I have no relation to the name Sawyer, nor do I know anyone who goes by it. The name actually originates from 15-year-old me, who started my business. I didn’t want my legal name plastered on the internet, so this is where I landed!

Because I started my business so young, I don’t really have a “before starting your small business” career. However, I graduated High School in June of 2024 and graduated from Tacoma Community College with my Associate’s in Business just this past week, which is April 2025. I am looking forward to seeing what I can do with the knowledge I gained in business-related situations across the board.

Currently, my main medium of art is crochet. However, when I first started out, I dabbled in a lot of different artistic areas. From painting to pottery and even jewelry making, I’ve done it all. While I still want to learn more mediums and see what else I can create, for right now, I’m staying in my land of yarn and hooks.

I love doing all different techniques and styles of crochet, too – not just plushies! I also make tapestries, hats, gloves, sweaters, bags, and so much more. Having this variety helps me keep my inventory fresh and new for every event and online restock.

Sometimes, I have very niche ideas that I have to bring to life myself. While this makes the design process a lot more time-consuming, I love giving more variety and personality to the crochet community. Doing this has also helped me work on my fear of failure. Believe it or not, creating something from nothing with no guidelines tends to take more than one perfect try….

I find sharing my art with the world such a freeing experience. Before putting myself and my art “out there,” I struggled a lot with social and generalized anxiety. This affected me so much that I transferred to an online school halfway through my middle/high school education. For whatever magical reason, when talking to people at events or over the internet, I don’t feel the same way. Not only do I not feel paralyzed, but I’m excited to talk with people. If you ask me, that’s the best outcome.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have not mastered the art of social media, but I genuinely believe it is both a blessing and a curse for small businesses. As someone who creates and consumes social media content, I definitely see both sides.

On one hand, many businesses have “gotten their wings” from social media. I see many companies that get thousands of views, likes, orders, and comments—all the positive things you want from social media. This gave me the idea that creating and posting on a social media account would help my business succeed from the first post. For me, this was not the case.

I have been posting on social media consistently for almost four years now, and I still have not “blown up.” While this used to discourage me a lot, it doesn’t anymore. This brings me to the other side of the coin, all the other small businesses that “slip through the cracks.” Whether it is from lack of posting, not following trends, or simply not appealing to the algorithm, many businesses don’t have a “viral” moment. And that’s okay. You can still run a successful business without having the social media following of a celebrity.

Regarding advice for social media, the key is to be consistent with posting, interact with those who interact with you, and have fun with it. If you’re not enjoying the content you create, your audience won’t enjoy the content they are consuming.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love so many aspects of creating, but I especially love creating with other people. Whether it’s just a conversation or the whole design process, seeing a vision that was not only my own come together is truly remarkable.

For example, I am currently working on a commission to put a company logo on a disco ball – all with yarn! As far as I know, this has not been done before. This has made my design process involve a lot more trial and error, and I’m having so much fun exploring a new side of my craft. I would never have stumbled upon this idea without collaborating with another company.

I’ve also had the fantastic opportunity of turning pets, favorite characters, and other artists’ original characters into stuffed animals. Seeing my customers’ faces light up with recognition at something they hold so close to their hearts in my art is incredibly special for me.

I truly believe that I am sharing my love to people and the world through my art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/SawyersWackyArt
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sawyerswackyart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FU7Sfz5Lb/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sawyerswackyart
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sawyerswackyart?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits

Personal Photo: Michael L Johnson Photography
Instagram: @brody_k_londyn