Meet the Makers is a series of interviews to help you get to know the people who are building our community. Amy is a freelance journalist, a writer, a jewelry designer and our newest Operations Assistant!
Amy, why did you join YuKonstruct?
I got a tour from a friend because I was interested in becoming a member. At the same time, I was looking to leave my full-time job for a part-time one when the part-time operations assistant position came up. I applied, had a great interview and got a really good vibe from the place and people.
What do you like most about Yukonstruct and sub-brands being up and running?
Tool and space-sharing like this just makes so much sense to me. It’s way more efficient and affordable.
I’m also a huge fan of projects that come out of collaborations between people working in different disciplines (musicians working with illustrators, ie: Christine Fellows and Shary Boyle, or the Interactive Digital Media Incubator at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, which used to connect fine artists with tech experts in software development and gaming to help facilitate the creation of interactive gallery installations), so I’m excited to see what kind of cross-pollination comes out of people working across different media in the same space.
What do you like to make?
I do leatherwork and also work as a silversmith. A lot of the jewelry and accessories I sell are small and simple, but what I love most is working on bigger, sculptural pieces – necklaces that might as well be armour, or wallets/purses/packs that wrap around your hips and leg like you’re a gunslinger. I like the things I make to have a narrative element, even if that narrative is only obvious to me. I think this owes partly to the fact that the things I most like to make are stories (I’ve been a journalist for about 13 years and am currently finishing a master of fine arts in creative writing).
Why should people become Yukonstruct members?
1) Dog pats are on point.
2) I think one of the most important elements in fostering your own creativity is surrounding yourself with other creative people. You feed off each other’s energy, even if you’re doing completely different things. That’s definitely something you feel here.
3) When I first quit my day job to focus on freelance life (journalism and jewelry), I spent two months looking for the perfect robe because it was going to be my new “work uniform.” That robe consumed me like the Ring consumed Gollum. I borderline refused to leave the house because it meant ditching the robe and putting on real clothes. Cospace/Makespace offers a built-in community that not only guards against that kind of abject slothfulness, it guards against the related isolation and tunnel vision that can accompany the freelance/entrepreneur lifestyle. Here, there’s always someone to chat with at lunch or bounce ideas off of over coffee or just take a break and joke around with. Sometimes those conversations can also lead to work – you can find yourself getting hired for your particular expertise, or you might find the perfect person to hire yourself.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on my thesis, which is a novel. I’m also working on re-branding my jewelry line, complete with a new name, website, and logo. (which was actually designed by another Cospace member.)
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