We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sara Thomas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sara below.
Sara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
Being a mainly micro crochet artist is a weird space. There is a human behavior to naturally assume the smaller an object is, the worth you put on it also decreases. However, with micro crochet that isn’t the truth. You are utilizing tools that are microscopic and takes more time to create sometimes than a piece with a larger hook.
I’ve learned to take this feedback into my tiny pieces to meet customers in the middle but also become determined to bring these tiny pieces a bigger impact to show their big worth.
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?
My Grandma Evelyn was a crochet artist. Growing up you would see her create these beautiful blankets or doilies. When I was younger, I never saw the time or value of the craft. Fast forward to 2020 when the world shut down and she passed away. I ran into her crochet hooks, yarn and books. It was a way to honor her that I picked up a hook to make something. With every stitch I started becoming addicted. I ran into a book with micro crochet motifs and the rest is history. I never have seen something so tiny, delicate and detailed in this space.
As I explored those patterns along with non-micro crochet patterns, my love for jewelry inspired me to turn my work into wearable pieces. I can make anything tiny! Now, I’m making earrings and necklaces of a wide variety of subjects. I offer anything from motifs of colors down to guinea pigs. I’ve always enjoyed things that some people overlook making so coming up with beetle earrings or bananas with their peels as earrings bring me such joy.
My favorite part of the creation process with my work is that my little, tiny pieces can bring such a big, pure reaction. When I’m showing at markets or send a custom piece off the reward of knowing that this will have a bigger impact than it’s size is what keeps me going. My work is all super lightweight so young to the old can wear a pair to express whatever they are interested in. My mother loves to rock her speckled chicken earrings, and she’ll tell anyone you can barely feel that they are there. Offering a product that anyone from any age or walk of life drives the extrovert in me.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I currently have a full-time job that is business sided. It’s not a maker creative one, so this is a passion project of mine. I spend many hours after my 8-5 sketching, creating, undoing in order to make these pieces. It’s a way to nestle into the creativity that I have. Many late hours in the evening with bright colors, cute animals or fruit and knowing my next market is coming up keeps my passion going. It’s not easy balancing both, but the reward is something that I carry with me when it gets tough.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
The Artist Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art by Erwin Raphael McManus. The demonstration in this book is how our essence of an artist is to create; be a part of a process to bring the world beautiful, good and true things. That is significant to me even if it’s a tiny pair of orange earrings that does it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.debbiedesigns.shop
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/_debbiedesigns
