We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tia Crook a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

Eye Thrive, the not-for-profit organization I work for, provides full, wraparound services for underserved areas within the St. Louis region. Last year I had the privilege of screening thousands of kids from ages 4-18 AND getting to see those kids get glasses on our Mobile Vision Clinic.

So many of them were getting glasses and truly SEEING for the very first time.

One kiddo that really sticks with me was a 4 year old little boy named Micah, who struggled mightily with the screening, and then received a fairly significant prescription when we saw him on board the MVC. As he was stepping out of the vehicle, he looked all around pure wonder. He pointed up towards the sky and said “What is that?!”

It was the flag, on the flagpole, and it was the first time in his life that he was seeing it clearly.

A couple of weeks later, I got a call from Micah’s teacher. She wanted to express her gratitude because he was like a whole new kid! He was staying in his seat and he could see what was on the board and the walls. During naptime, he was pointing out all of the letters on the walls and excitedly telling her what he could see.

I tear up just thinking about it because by getting Micah the glasses that he so desperately needed and identifying that he has a vision problem versus a behavioral problem may have changed the trajectory of his school career.

Tia, 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?

In first grade, I devoured Junie B. Jones books. At the time, I declared that I was going to be a book editor because my FAVORITE part about reading the books was finding all of the little mistakes and showing them to my dad. As I got older, I continued to read more and more, and the stories became more important than the physical words.

Communicating stories and unearthing their meanings within became my true focus once I was able to explore interdisciplinary learning at Hendrix College. I was a English Literary Studies major with a minor in Art History. From there, I jumped right into the online Museum Studies Masters Program at Johns Hopkins University. My time in the program made me realize that I derive the most pleasure and soul satisfaction by revealing the underlying connections and stories between objects.

All of this was happening concurrently with my growth and experimentation as an artist.

I taught myself to crochet from a book when I was in 6th grade, and I have been creating ever since. I love to make my own dresses and sweaters and socks, as well as my cactus friends and multimedia fiber pieces.

My cuddly cacti were a positive product from a bad relationship. I had been lost and depressed at the time, but felt so strongly connected to a crocheted cacti kit I saw in Barnes and Noble that I felt compelled to create again after a few years of not creating anything. My little friends became a meditative escape that I surrounded myself with, until my partner at the time told me that I should sell them. I was hesitant to turn my happy escape into a way to make money, but I just so happened to be working in the Craft Alliance gallery at the time, so I was able to see the joy that my creations gave to other people. I was able to connect with those customers in a new way and understand the stories that my art could tell, but also the stories that I could gain from those interactions with Craft Alliance patrons about their connection with and understanding of art.

Craft Alliance was my first introduction to the nonprofit world, and I cannot express how much growth I experienced during my time there both artistically and professionally.

Now I am here, at Eye Thrive, where my favorite part of my job is collecting the stories of the kids that we serve. I love to listen to them talk about themselves and knowing that their lives could be forever changed by one pair of glasses.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2019, I was working 2-3 jobs at a time, I had a less than supportive partner, and I had no confidence in anything I was doing, but also felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. It’s a long story, but the short version is that I ended up in a behavioral health unit for a few days.

That stay completely changed my priorities. I quit the job that was causing more stress than doing good. I took more time to explore my creative side. And perhaps the best part is that I got my little Pistachio, who was, and continues to be, the most curious little dog I have ever met.

I took odd jobs like nannying and working in a Halloween store to occupy my time and learn about what I wanted to do next. Through the help of therapy and eliminating stressors, I realized that my heart is so open to help people, especially kiddos, so that is what I need to be doing.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest thing that I have had to unlearn is that I do not have to be in control of everything. I cannot do it all, even if I think I could do it better.

When I was working at Gap, I always jumped in when someone called in sick, but worked with no voice when I had laryngitis. Somedays, I would work from 6:30 am-3:30 pm on shipment and then go directly to work a concert at the amphitheater from 4:30 pm – 12 pm.

I COULD physically do all of that. But, I wasn’t able to do any of it WELL.

Now that I am working one full time job, doing something I love and feel passionate about, I have so much more time to spend recharging and creating.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @byhook_and_bycrook

Image Credits
Fresh Art Photography