Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- A whole bunch of people answer the question, "Why do you make things?" I recorded these interviews at Maker Faire.

- ...And a bunch of my Twitter buddies added their two cents as well.

My thanks to everyone who contributed to this show: (Listed in the order they appear, by the way...)

- Christina Lee

- Adrian Messenger

- An extremely nice lady who's name didn't get recorded. This is entirely my fault, and I feel like such a doofus for it. (She's the one who talks about baby blankets.)

- Alexa Westerfeld

- Crafty Chica Kathy Cano-Murillo

- Bea Owen (aka @bibia)

- Kirsty Hall. (Remember the podcast she and I did?)

- Kym Randall (aka @coffeemamma)

- Angela Mabray. (aka @craftygoat)

- Jared Graves (aka @orime)

- Janet Perry (aka @napaneedlepoint)

- Bill Ward, President of the Bay Area LEGO Users Group

- Kelly Day (She writes her blog, by the way, with Shayne Rioux)

- Rory Loeb

- Megan, of Sanourra Designs (aka @sanourra)

- Nancy Ricci (aka @gettingpurly)

- Paul Overton (aka @dudecraft)

- Barbara Forbes-Lyons (aka @penguintrax)

- Eleanor, aka undeadgoat

- Nicole Vasbinder , who also owns StitchCraft

- Vincent Pacheco

- Kristin Roach

Image from the Google Reader Blog.

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- The comments on this post tell me that the number one question folks have about craft blogging is, "What should I write about?" So this podcast attempts to answer that question.

- Learn why your blog is not really about you, and what it should be about instead.

- Understand why passion and value are two key elements of a great craft blog.

Good Bloggy Links:

- Check out the ebook I wrote about craft blogging. It covers even more techniques for finding topics to write about.

- How to Find Your Hidden Talent, on Skelliewag. A good exercise for those who need help identifying their passions.

- 7 Questions to Finding Your True Passion - a solid starting point to exploration.

- Watch this video: Gary Vaynerchuk absolutely nails how passion is crucial in the internet age.

- Julia Cameron's The Vein of Gold has been helping creative people find their passions for years.

- Don't miss this ProBlogger post on How to Write Great Blog Content.

- This ProBlogger post on developing a blog strategy is more about blogging goals than content, but great food for thought for new bloggers.

- If you're more of a photographer than a writer, you can tell your story on Flickr.

- If you're a person of few words, you might prefer Twitter or Tumblr

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- Juliann, aka TheSickChick, tells us about how crafting helps her cope with chronic illness.

- Learn something about how crafting helps in managing pain, anxiety, and depression.

- Find out how the craft community is a lifeline to Juliann, providing support and friendship under challenging circumstances.

- Be absolutely inspired by Juliann's determination to stay positive and crafty.

Links:

- Visit TheSickChick.com to learn more about Juliann's current and upcoming internet projects.

- You can also read the archived entries on Juliann's blog.

- ...And, follow her (and chat with her) on Twitter.

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- An interview with Bernadette Noll and Kathie Sever, co-owners of Future Craft Collective. They offer craft projects for families and kids that also teach creative reuse and self-reliance.

- Tips on designing good crafting and learning experiences for your children.

- Thoughts on how crafting can also become a way to learn more about sustainability.

- Bernadette and Kathie share their lessons learned through crafting with their own kids and their students.

Links:

- The Future Craft Collective website offers lots of projects to do with your kids, and lots of great links.

- Kathie's line of clothing is called Ramonsterwear. You may also know her from the Back and Forth Project.

- Bernadette has a great blog for parents, and be sure to check out her other project, Slow Family Living.

- Kathie and Bernadette recommend Crafting a Green World as a good source for sustainable craft project ideas.

- They also recommend The Story of Stuff, a short film about production, consumption, waste, and reuse.

The fantastic cardboard dress Sarah brought to CHA.

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- An interview with Sarah Hodsdon, a successful designer who has a lot to say about how that profession is changing.

- What's the difference between a business and a glorified hobby?

- How does the influence of the web (and how easy copying and stealing ideas becomes there) affect a designer's livelihood?

What is the role of a designer in a global, digital economy?

nbsp; Two designs from Sarah's work for Mrs. Butterworth's. Link below! Links:

- Lots of inspiration to be had on Sarah's blog.

- I highly recommend following Sarah on Twitter. She gives great tweet.

- Here's Sarah's store on Cafe Press.

Speaking of crafty McGyvering, check out what Sarah did with Mrs. Butterworth's bottles.

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- Margot Potter talks to us about creating a strong brand for your crafty business.

- Understand how building a brand can help you create new business opportunities.

- Learn some ways to go about figuring out what your brand is.

Links:

- Check out Margot's main website, including those hair don'ts we discussed in the interview.

- You can see Margot's craft-branded side at her Impatient Crafter blog. Or, see another side of her at her Impatient Blogger blog.

- Here's a list of Margot's books at Amazon. (Well, okay, except for the Peter Rabbit ones.)

Check out Margot's crafty videos at her YouTube channel.

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- An interview with Victor Domine, Public Relations Manager of the Craft & Hobby Association.

- Victor's take on that inaccurate Indie Craft Report that circulated at the January CHA show.

- Some thoughts about how CHA is working to bridge the gap between indie crafters and the craft industry.

- A bit of perspective: we are one market segment among many.

Links:

Visit the CHA website to learn more about membership and benefits.

You can find the full text of that indie report here. (Published at Creative Leisure News, but written

- Here's my, original post about that report.

Margaret Roach in her garden. All images courtesy of Margaret.

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- A conversation with Margaret Roach: about her work with Martha Stewart Living, and about her creative adventures these days.

- Some wonderful ideas on creative collaboration - I love how Margaret speaks about this.

Margaret and her sister, Marion.

- And yes, a peek into the craft world at Martha Stewart Living.

Links: Goodness, what a beautiful garden!

- Margaret's well-known garden blog, A Way To Garden, is filled with beautiful images and plant-y inspiration.

An image from the Mason-Dixon Knitting Gallery on The Sister Project.

- Brew yourself a cup of tea and spend some time exploring The Sister Project. The Gallery show of Mason-Dixon Knitting is lots of fun. And here's my Gallery show.

- . . . And don't miss The Crafts Dept., a new blog by the crafting team at Martha Stewart Living. Great read!

The Ranger Ink booth at CHA - always packed!

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- An interview with Mike Hartnett, publisher of Creative Leisure News and veteran watcher of the craft supply industry.

- Thoughts on where the craft industry has been, and where it's headed.

- A fascinating look at the trends that have risen, fallen, and shaped the way we craft.

- Discussion of how the emerging indie crafter community fits into all this.

Links:

- Be sure to check out Creative Leisure News - the archives are free, or you can sign up for a trial subscription.

- This was the CHA and the Indies post here on CraftyPod that got this discussion started.

- Mike mentioned the CPSIA in the interview. Modern June has an excellent roundup of CPSIA-related links.

- Another piece of legislation affecting indie designers is the Orphan Works Act. There's a very nice breakdown at Public Knowledge.

- We also talk some about the Craft & Hobby Association.

Welcome to the CraftyPod, a craft podcast all about making stuff.

Click the “Play” button at the bottom of this post to listen!

In this show:

- An interview with Emily Johnson, whose Family Trunk Project involves designing knit garments to represent each member of her extended family.

Links:

- Visit the Family Trunk Project online and see Emily's beautiful work.

- You may also be interested in the fiber CSA Emily mentioned in the interview - Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm.

- Here's a nice interview with Emily, at Ysolda.