Shop Name: amandajocrafts
What you like to go by: Amanda Jo (Jo is my middle name)
When did you start your shop? Last March, I started making amigurumi dolls for a craft fair at my college, and they did so well there that I decided to keep going with it and begin an etsy shop! I've graduated now, but crocheting is still a wonderful thing to do and I greatly enjoy having a direction to my crocheting. Coming up with new items and patterns for them is so much fun!
Is this your only job? This is not. I do this in the evenings/weekends after my full-time day job.
When did you realize you had this talent? My mother first taught me how
to crochet when I was 8. I made this horrid-looking blanket out of all
the spare yarn my mom had in the house. After that, I learned how to
read a pattern and how to create some aesthetic appeal.Where do you find your inspiration? Everywhere! Especially with my Harry Potter items, I try to think to myself "what would I have liked when I was 13?" Overall, I just want to make people smile and know that they are happy because of something I've created. It's a beautiful feeling.
Who has been the most supportive of your work? My fiance has been fantastic. He completely
supports me, even when my bags and bags of yarn
and dolls start to take over our living room! Never once has he said
"you've got to clean this up," and he helps me think of fun new items
and will be so supportive of all of it! I'm so grateful!What is one thing you would like to accomplish that you haven't yet? A personal goal of mine is to get to 100 items in my shop! I'm at about 35 right now, so I'm hoping by next March, I'll hit that magic number!
What are your words to live by or favorite quote? Alan Alda (Hawkeye from the TV show MASH) has a quote that says: "Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been." I think those are such stunning words, and such a beautiful way to look at your live.
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