Beginning Again

“To create one’s world takes courage.” —Georgia O’Keeffe

I haven’t sent anything to this mailing list in more than five years. The last time was in 2020 while I was hosting my online interview series—Making a Life: The Conversation— during the COVID lockdown. If you signed up back then, I’m grateful you’re still here.

At long last, I’ve decided to revive that “conversation”—now as a newsletter.

In this space, I will be writing about the role making by hand plays in my life, about the inspiring people I meet, and about why I believe that handwork is not just relevant but crucial in our modern world. In the process, I hope to inspire you to celebrate and appreciate your own creativity, to join this dialogue, and to spread your knowledge and enthusiasm far and wide.

I have a lot of ideas to share. But, to be honest, I’ve been struggling with writing for a while.

After publishing Making a Life: Working by Hand and Discovering the Life You Are Meant to Live (which was the precursor to the online series), I spent several years working on a new book. Eventually, I tabled it. I felt stuck. It was my first real experience with writer’s block, and it was both scary and confusing. Aside from basic editorial tasks connected to my consulting work, I stopped writing for nearly two years.

Then, a few months ago—I was invited to contribute to the Vacation with an Artist (VAWAA) blog. VAWAA matches makers of all levels with artists around the world for immersive mini-apprenticeships. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity. I’ve dreamed of connecting with VAWAA—and someday enrolling in one of their trips—for a long time.

I wrote “The Ordinary, Extraordinary Container,” an essay about my experience weaving baskets from foraged plant materials—and about Elizabeth Fisher’s carrier bag theory of evolution, the idea that the container, likely innovated by women, was a foundational tool in human evolution. Last month, I also wrote “Another Way of Breathing” for the Spring 2026 issue of Laine Crochet, reflecting on my experience as a longtime knitter beginning to crochet.

This is one of the photos that ran with the VAWAA article. I wove this basket using grapevine growing in my yard, so I would have something special in which to carry my harvest from the garden to the house. Inspired by the people I wrote about in Making a Life, I now seek to make as many of my belongings as possible, ideally with natural materials obtained sustainably.

I completed both assignments and I’m proud of them.

And yet, I still feel hesitant.

To begin drafting this newsletter, I had to keep reminding myself to take it one small step at a time.

I made a simple commitment: five minutes. That was all.

After five minutes, I could stop and call it a success until next time—or I could continue. (This is my go-to strategy when I’m reluctant to begin a task.)

My plan is to post once or twice a month for a year and then reassess. Perhaps this will lead me back to the book I set aside. Or perhaps it will lead somewhere else entirely.

Either way, I’m glad you’re here.

As Georgia O’Keeffe so wisely stated,

“To create one’s world takes courage.”

Let’s do this together—slowly, by hand.

love,

A few notes:

If there’s something you’d like me to explore here—an idea, a question—just hit reply. I’d love to hear from you.

Videos from Making a Life: The Conversation interview series can still be watched on the Making a Life You Tube channel.

If you’re curious about the Carrier Bag Theory of Evolution, I highly recommend this audiovisual reading of Ursula K. LeGuin’s essay titled The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction.

The spring 2026 issue of Laine Crochet will be published on April 2. You can join their mailing list and get advance notice here.

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