My First Keynote at the Our Maker Life Event 2018 | Podcast Episode #72

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We’re Shaking Things Up Today.

Rather than me interviewing a guest today I recruited Jewell from Our Maker Life to interview me! We’re both so excited for the Our Maker Life Event 2018 happening this weekend and we chat all about it. If you’re attending the event this year, I can’t wait to meet you!

You’ll Learn About

• About the Our Maker Life Event and why it’s great for makers
• What to expect when attending the event and who you will get to meet
• My keynote and how that opportunity came about

Episode Transcript

Brittany:
Hi there, Brittany here, and thank you so much for joining me in episode 72 of the BHooked podcast. It’s a real pleasure to have you here today. I have something a little special planned for you today, and I can’t wait to share a bit of that information with you.

If you’re brand new to the show, or if you’ve been a listener since day one, I just want you to know I appreciate you, and I’m so grateful for your support. For those of you who are brand new to the show, this is the podcast where… We make yarn happen together. Whether that looks like a hobby or a lifestyle, I’m here to help you try and accomplish those goals.

So I mentioned I’m going to do things a little bit different than usual. Typically when I do a standard like interview style podcast, I ask the questions to a guest or a specialist who I’m looking for them to share some wisdom with you. Well, this time, in preparation and just general excitement for the Our Maker Life event that’s happening this Saturday, I’m going to be turning the microphone over to Jewel.

She is the creative wonder woman behind the Our Maker Life team, and rather than me interviewing her, she’s going to interview me. Now, we do talk a lot about the event, things that you can be excited for. So if you are going to attend the event this weekend, well, first of all, I hope you come find me and give me a huge hug because I can’t wait to meet you.

If you aren’t going to be at the event, well, I think you can definitely hear the enthusiasm in both of our voices and understand how it works, but also how a networking event like this can really benefit you if you’re planning to take yarn into a career.

So since I’ll be traveling this weekend, you can bet I’m stuffing one or two or maybe even three projects in my suitcase and my carry-on. Well, you can bet that one of those projects is going to be my project from Annie’s Hook and Needle Kit Club. I’ve been working through that Sedona shawl. It’s one of my favorite projects to date. I love the smooth ripple of the stitch pattern. I love the yarn, the variegation. It’s like a roving style yarn with like bright and beautiful colors. So you can bet you’ll find that in my suitcase.

And I want to tell you a little bit about Annie’s Hook and Needle Club. We’ve covered it several times here over the past couple of weeks. And I just want to remind you about this service and why I choose to take part in like a mail order project.

One of the biggest benefits for me as a designer is that I get to separate my passion from my work. Now, when you design for a living and you also crochet to have some sanity in your life, then you don’t want to blur those two lines, right? You have to have separation between work and play. And for me, these subscription services, the projects that arrive in my door are kind of like my play. That’s what I deem as my personal project, my passion project. And I don’t have to worry about it bleeding into my work life.

That way, I’m able to stay motivated and on fire for my job as a designer. And I still love every aspect of that. But most importantly, it doesn’t allow me to feel like my hobby is work.

So if you feel like you could benefit from something like this, go ahead and check out annieskitclubs.com slash be hooked. That’s annieskitclubs.com slash b-h-o-o-k-e-d. You can find out more information of how to become a member today so you can receive one of these projects at your door every single month.

Now, there are a few resources and links that we’ll talk about here on the show. And I want to remind you that you can always find any of the information we talk about over on the show notes page. That’s just an easy, quick reference point for you. I know you’re probably on the go or doing other things, so you don’t have to memorize anything that we talk about. Just visit the show notes page.

The show notes page for this episode is BeHookedCrochet.com slash session 072. Now, I let the cat out of the bag and already told you that Jewel from Our Maker Life is the guest on the show. But rather than being the person answering the questions, she’s actually going to ask the questions and I’ll be the one answering.

So it’ll be a super fun format. It’s something we haven’t done here on the show before. I am just beyond excited about giving my first keynote presentation and I couldn’t think of a better crowd to be able to share my first keynote with.

So for those of you who are attending, let’s geek out together. We’re going to be super excited. You’ll hear a lot of the things that are going to happen this year. You’ll kind of get some of my feedback on how it was last year and maybe in some response to the other presentations that are going to take place.

But again, if you aren’t able to attend this year, just share in the excitement with us as well and maybe allow that excitement to bleed through to next year and hopefully you’ll be able to attend if it’s something that you really are looking forward to doing.

Are you ready? Let’s just dive right in. Jewel, hello. Welcome back to the show. I’m so excited to have you.

Jewell: 6:00
Brittany, I’m so excited to be back on your podcast. It’s so amazing. It’s such an honor. It’s such a pleasure because, you’re the first three-time guest. So you’ve been here three times now. How does it feel to like have that honor? I feel like probably how the Warrior basketball players feel like on a three-peat sort of thing. This is cool. Yes. Top basketball players. This is awesome. I’m a big basketball fan.

Brittany: 6:27
Oh, yeah. I… Well be honest, I don’t know much about basketball. My husband loves it. I can watch it and I can sort of keep up with it, but you’ll probably talk mostly over my head when it comes to basketball.

Jewell: 6:39
Yeah, I’m a longtime follower of it. It’s probably the one sport that I do understand a little bit, even though I always think it’s funny because I’m from South Carolina and there is no official professional team of any sport there. So I always think it’s kind of interesting that like my home state of where I’m actually from, there are no like professional teams, but I follow a lot of professional sports, but big college sports fan too. So kind of on a 3P role here. I love this.

Brittany: 7:10
Yeah. So the reason for us coming together for a third time is a little different than what we’ve done the previous two times. So normally, I have the microphone and I am asking you questions and sharing your wisdom with the audience.

Well, today we wanted to do something a little bit different because we’re seriously excited about the OML event that’s happening in just a couple of days. And you’re going to turn the microphone on me. Instead of me asking you questions, we’ll switch it up and you can ask questions. Meet anything you want. So it’ll be kind of a Q&A session. And I definitely want to talk a little bit about the event and what’s going to happen there. So how do you feel about that?

Jewell: 7:55
I’m super, super excited. You know, I’m not sure if a lot of people are aware, but we do podcast sparingly through OML. So I’m obviously not as amazing and as awesome as you are able to reach out to so many people, Brittany, but it’ll let me put my little podcast hat on. So I love it. I’m super excited to kind of pick your brain and talk about the maker life and I play host.

Brittany: 8:23
Yes. Well, I know I’m in good hands here. I’m giving the show to you for this short amount of time and I’m pumped. So take the microphone, my friend. Ask away.

Jewell: 8:34
Okay, I think, and I’m trying to put myself in the mindset of what your viewers and your followers would want to know. So Brittany, can you just talk a little bit about, I guess I would say, what your maker life looks like?

Because I think people oftentimes have this image or impression of people who we think your maker life is. And I definitely know that we had a very amazing one and have one of you. And that’s why we chose you as an OML keynote. But if you could just kind of sum up what your maker life is like and maybe where you started in comparison to where you are now.

Brittany: 9:17
Oh, yeah. So this question is one of my favorites. And it’s because you said that everybody has a general idea of what our maker life looks like when they’re looking at these different Instagram accounts. We only show really what we want people to see, right? That’s kind of the trend. And we have this habit of making people think that everything is perfect.

But in all reality, an accurate description, a two-word description of my maker life would have to be, a beautiful disaster. There’s lots of organization and time management. I’m very structured in how I like to do things. I guess I’m a mix between that right brain and left brain.

I have a really wild creative side, but I also have a really structured, straight-laced, gotta-do-everything-by-the-book side. And those two sides really clash and collide sometimes. And that’s what you get. That’s what you see is sometimes really structured and really straight-laced and sometimes just wild and crazy. And sometimes it’s just a blend of the two.

Jewell: 10:28
I think that’s awesome, Deena. Do you think that that’s kind of what draws people into your maker life, meaning like your social media following? Like, especially on Instagram, you have such an amazing following. I think you are around like 150,000 followers, Brittany. It’s just absolutely phenomenal.

Do you think that that is what sort of drawing people to what you do, the fact that, you know, it’s sort of this beautiful mess?

Brittany: 11:00
Yeah, so it’s really interesting. Well, first of all, it’s really flattering to even know that that many people are genuinely interested in what I have to say. That blows my mind every single day. And so I try to put a lot of thought and purpose behind what I post.

I’m typically not one to say, “well this is what I’m doing,” and sometimes I’ll do that on Instagram stories when I feel like I have some extra time to share those things. But for the most part I like what I post to have a purpose and I think that probably draws people to me more so than others.

But also I think we naturally gravitate towards people who are similar to ourselves. And so perhaps my design style or my photography style resonates with somebody. Maybe some of my little quirkiness that I might inject here and there resonates with somebody, or maybe they like the fact that it is a very purposeful Instagram account. There’s not really much private sharing or sharing of my personal life on there, even very few pictures of my face. And I think that really has something to do with it, if I had to guess.

Jewell: 12:06
Yeah, I think that’s really cool, too, because we were—I was actually just talking with some maker friends and we were having a conversation about the need for just authenticity. So I would love to hear a little bit about your thought there, because sometimes I think that there are—I would love to know what your thoughts are on this—on authenticity.

This idea that you have to show your face because that’s what’s necessary to come across more personable or authentic. I’d love to just hear about what your thoughts are on that perspective of being an authentic maker.

Brittany: 12:45
That word is really powerful to me, especially in my business. And it may not always portray as my face, but it always shows my message. So my message is always to be as authentic and real as possible. So whether that be I show a mistake that I made, or maybe I just don’t even edit one of my photos as much as I normally would. I think you can show… being authentic in those sorts of ways, as well as showing your face and kind of peeling back the curtain a little bit. Some people are interested. And like I said, it’s flattering to know that there are so many people out there who are genuinely interested in just me, just little old me.

But I’d like to give a nice blend, especially on my Instagram account, of some of those more personal photos, of some of those more purposeful and posts that have and intent, maybe to teach somebody or to share something that I found really helpful or useful. But at the heart of it all, authenticity is really my number one goal. And I definitely like to try to experiment with different ways to show my authentic self on different platforms.

So on Instagram, it’s a very visual platform. So it makes sense to be very visual, have different photos and pretty photos. Let’s be honest, a lot of people, accounts that do really well on Instagram are really pretty pictures. But that’s just one platform.

Then there’s YouTube, which another goal of mine this year was to get my face out there a little bit more. And I’m doing that for higher reasons. Basically, I want to be comfortable in front of the camera, not just behind it. And you can be your authentic self there. And I remember the first couple of times that I filmed like a talking head style video, I was just—I kind of cringed a little bit as I was editing. And I’m like, oh, I make that face when I talk? Oh, that’s funny. But, you know, it’s just me.

And the podcast even takes it to another level. This platform is probably more intimate than anything else because you have your audience’s attention for 40 minutes to an hour, sometimes even longer if they’re binge listening. And I try my best to not edit anything. Like, pretty much all of these interviews, I’ll go through and I’ll make some adjustments to the sound quality just to make sure it’s pleasurable to listen to, that the volumes are the same so you’re not kind of booming in somebody’s ear. But for the most part, everything is as it was recorded.

And there’s some authenticity to that too. I don’t always say the right things. I’m not always perfectly eloquent in my speech. But the purpose of that and the purpose of the podcast and being authentic is also a way to improve or to get better.

Jewell: 15:43
Right. Yeah, definitely. I totally agree. And I think that, you know, it’s great that you have goals for what you want to do. And I think that that’s so important in our maker life.

But, you know, I also think that what resonates with makers when they come to your page and your channel is that it’s just—or at least I’ll speak from my perspective. When I first came across you, I was like, wow, it’s just so right to the point. You know, like I feel like I don’t have to weed through a lot of stuff. I see the crochet. I want to make that. And then I know if I go to your YouTube page, there may be a tutorial about how to make that piece.

And I really think that that is something quite amazing. And you know, I can’t say for sure, but I think sometimes people are either a little bit intimidated or afraid of just trying to put themselves out there as an expert in the craft per se. And so you may feel like you kind of have to tiptoe around that and have people get to know you and then by default, then they can appreciate the pieces that you’re making.

Brittany, I think you just do a great job of really, really showing the craft. It comes across even in your name. It’s like, be hooked. And I’m like, yeah, I want to hook. Like, I want to be hooked to this. And then you look at all of your beautiful pieces.

So, I mean, I’d love to hear your thoughts on that, if that’s something that you agree with, because I know for the OML team and I, we reached out to you and asked you to be a keynote. But I think that that was something that we unanimously agreed on. It’s just like, wow, it’s like you’re operating at a whole higher different level when it comes to the skill set of crochet, that it was just like a no-brainer to have you as a keynote to be able to inform and inspire others.

Brittany: 17:45
Oh man, that just—it’s music to my ears to hear you say that. It makes me feel so incredibly accomplished because we always feel like we’re not doing the best that we can do or we’re not doing everything perfect. And to hear somebody—and we’ve not coordinated this at all. I didn’t tell you what I wanted you to say about me. Yeah, we’re just going on like an ask-me-anything kind of style.

And to know that you get it. That means that I’m portraying the message that I’m trying to portray. I’m definitely a no fluff kind of person. Like I said, I kind of skate between like wildly creative and like super straight-laced. And I like to be very straight to the point. I am respectful of people’s time because I want people to respect my own time.

And so although it’s great to have like a full story or a really thoughtful post somewhere or a really long video—I mean, honestly, sometimes you have to have a long video—but I always try to make sure I have the audience’s time in mind. And that is my number one priority because they’re coming to me for a purpose, right? And if I’m not giving them that, then I’ve let them down.

So I am just thrilled that somebody on the outside looking in can say that that’s the number one thing that they pull away from not only my Instagram account, but myself as a business is just getting to the point, doing what I say that I’ll do. And, you know, if I can be entertaining and educational in the process, then like that’s just icing on the cake.

Jewell: 19:27
Yeah, yeah. I think it’s so necessary in our community from so many different angles. And I think it’s why the attendees are going to just get—like, this is gold that they’re going to be able to gain.

And of course, we’re not going to like give everything away about what you’re going to discuss in your keynote. But, you know, I think what’s a good lesson from just what we’ve been talking about here a little bit is just this need for passion coupled with being authentic, being yourself and being professional, you know, in a level of professional that you say is a little bit more streamlined.

Like I just, you know, quite honestly, don’t see that a lot in the community. It’s like I said, a little bit more like carefree. And I even say this, you know, on behalf of myself. Like if people go and see my North Nets page—I mean, I don’t think the first word that they would think is professional. I mean, I think that they would maybe think like cozy, inviting, authentic, like I’m sort of sitting down having a cup of coffee with you sort of thing.

But it’s not like super, super—like where I think somebody would think like, wow, this is a girl who it’s like, technically she’s about her business. And I just, I think that’s what I get from you.

Now, Kelly or other people on the OML team, Nathan or other people who’ve had the amazing opportunity to network and meet with you at last year’s Toronto event may say different. I never even got the chance to ask you what you thought about last year’s Toronto event because that was our first time meeting.

Brittany: 21:13
Yeah.

Jewell: 21:15
What did you think about it?

Brittany: 21:17
Oh my gosh, it was such a blast. I really had no idea what to expect. And I’ll be honest, I was super nervous because it was in Toronto and I’m here in the States. And not only was it like only my second time ever leaving the country, it was my first time leaving the country alone.

Me and my husband are very much a team and we do everything together. And it just terrified me that I had to fly in a different country and navigate through like customs and all that stuff. I was just—I was sweating it. But after I got there and thankfully I was able to meet up with a couple of friends of mine—Sarah from Repeat Crafter Me and Kristen from Good Knit Kisses. And we met in the airport and we were able to help each other out, kind of navigate through.

By the way, the Toronto airport is humongous.

Jewell: 22:09
It’s so big. And difficult to navigate.

Brittany: 22:12
Yeah, definitely. Yeah. But we had a great group of people that was helping us to coordinate that entire stay. And we were fortunate to spend some time at the Yarnspirations headquarters and with their team there. And it was wonderful meeting their designers.

And then just to top it all off, we got to spend an entire day with people who are just out of their minds, excited about their craft—about yarn. And it was so much fun to be surrounded by all of those people. It was impossible to not be excited and like have your heart race, just being around and in that kind of atmosphere. It’s impossible to not feel motivated or inspired.

So I loved it. And I was just completely floored when I received your invitation to speak there this year. And it was kind of a fortuitous thing because I had mentioned to you before that public speaking was a goal of mine. And I’ll be honest, I had kind of set that site for next year, in 2019. I was going to really try to make it a point to find some place where I could get on stage and talk to people.

And it just happened upon my inbox one day. And I’m like, you know what? I was going to wait until next year. But why not? Why not go ahead and do it now? This is really what I want to do. And I have the perfect opportunity and I have a perfect audience to be able to share that first with. And gosh, the rest is history.

Jewell: 23:40
I’m so excited for it. It’s going to be so much fun. And I think that that’s such a beautiful lesson in how it all played out—from your Toronto experience at the OML event to what it’s going to be this year and what’s going to happen at our third event in Chicago.

I think that the cool lesson here is just take a chance on yourself. And network, right? And network, yeah. And I think that, you know, it’s so fulfilling to hear you say that. And I love when I’m able to hear people talk about their experiences and what they get from the meetups.

Because I think that that’s our whole goal. Like at the end of the day, we want people to do something that not only impacts, you know, their maker life as far as like their business, but we want it to have an impact on who you are as a person. And to be able to do something exciting, maybe even a little scary.

You know, we were very intentional with that—of like not always having the OML events in the same city every single year, because that can feel a little complacent. Not that it wouldn’t be awesome, because I think that it would, but it can be a little bit complacent. But we thought, wow, it would be a real challenge and a very exciting adventure if we had it in a different place every single year.

Imagine if we could pull it off. And so for the fact that we have been able to three times, I feel like it really pushes the people who decide that they want to be an attendee to take that chance because, you know, it may not be in the city that you’re actually in. So to hear that it was your first time, you know, traveling out of the United States by yourself, and then you were able to meet up with maker friends and just, you know, get this really cool experience—I think it just warms my heart. And it’s something that, you know, I would want everyone to experience at least one time in their maker life.

Brittany: 26:02
Yeah. And let me say this too. One of the most important moments in my career, in my transition, in my business was networking. And stepping out of my comfort zone, I was just like everybody else. And I felt a little intimidated by other people. And I thought, well, this person is doing great things. They’re not going to want to talk to me. Why would they want to do that?

But at that moment when I just stopped caring about what people’s responses were going to be—yeah, there have been plenty of people who have said no, they don’t want to be on the show or no, they don’t want to collaborate with me in some way—and that’s perfectly fine. But every single one of those opportunities has taught me something, and especially the opportunities where people said yes. And most people say yes. So there’s only been a few that have, you know, preferred not to be on the show.

But those connections and what has come from those connections—that is what has really been the turning point for me in my business. If I had met you at OML last year, you may not have invited me to come speak this year.

Jewell: 27:14
Yeah, yeah.

Brittany: 27:15
And there have been other people that I met last year at the event that have now been on the show, and I’ve learned different things from these people and their journeys. And that is just the one important lesson that I really want to stress: even though you might feel like things are a little scary and you don’t want to put yourself out there because maybe you are fearful of rejection, when you step out of that box and make those things your priorities—making connections with people—that’s when you’re going to see a big change in your business.

Jewell: 27:53
Yeah, that was going to be my question to you about what piece of advice you would have for people who—because it’s so hard, right, Brittany? I feel like when we get over that hurdle, then it’s so easy to look back and be like, yeah, totally do that because I was able to do it.

But what’s that piece of advice that you would give to people where they feel like they’re at that wall, like they know where they want to be, but they can’t get over that fear of not being successful? What would you tell them?

Brittany: 28:26
Well, what I always remind myself is that fear is two things. Fear is an indicator and it’s a motivator. When you feel fear, that’s your best sign that you’re doing what you should be doing.

And there’s a great book called The War of Art. And he puts it very eloquently. And he speaks about this thing called resistance. And he actually kind of gives resistance a character. But he talks about fear as the sign that you’re doing the right thing. And that’s because you wouldn’t be fearful of something if you didn’t care about the outcome.

And so who wants to put their time and effort into something that they don’t care about? Well, you’re not going to do that in your business. Chances are you’re very invested in your business and you’re very deliberate in what you’re doing and what you’re putting out there. And so when you’re a little fearful of maybe trying something new, that should be your best sign that you’re doing the right thing.

And then to take it one step further, it’s a motivator because when you’re fearful of something, it’s for a good reason. But that means that you’re not going to fail—because in some cases you can’t.

Jewell: 29:45
I love that. That’s so profound and I totally am there with you. I feel like every single time where—like these big moments in my life where, you know, even starting OML was one of them—I will never forget, you know, the level and the intensity of fear that I felt when the idea sort of came into my head and into my heart.

I was freezing outside, so I’m not sure if I was shaking from the cold or shaking from the fear. But either way, I just immediately dismissed the idea simply because I was so terrified of it. And it was literally just the fact that I thought people would reject the idea and then as a result reject me, that people would think it’s weird or absurd. Why would I spend time and energy and money to go and meet up with knitters?

Even if I am a knitter, I knit in my own space. It’s just a million thoughts that I was having. And I love how it’s like you said—if you’re fearing it, then part of that means that it’s there for you, because success is just around the corner.

Like, I guess it’s kind of like that moment of your second wind. You know, right before you finish the race is when most people say you experience your second wind, because it’s—I feel like that last mile—because I’ve run really short marathons once or twice in life. And, you know, it’s right at that moment when you can see the finish line, but it’s still a ways off.

And you just literally want to quit because you can see the success. You can physically see it. But you’re not there yet. And so… and you still got your thoughts of, well, you may not make it. And so you want to quit.

And I think that that’s something that also happens in the maker life. We can see our shop being open. We can see ourselves going to events and having tons of fun in a cool new city. We can see ourselves networking with people and telling people about who we are and what pieces we’re working on. But because we’re not there yet, we get fearful.

And I think it’s just amazing when—exactly. Yeah. I know that’s how I feel every single time. Like, you were one of the people that made such an impression on me and getting the chance to meet you at OML.

Because sometimes I get a little sad the more that we have these because I feel like there are so many people that I want to meet and have great long conversations with, and it just goes by in a whirlwind. It feels like a wedding day, and I don’t get to remember everything. But you had such a profound impression.

And it was very interesting—when the OML team and I sort of reconnected right after the event, your name popped up as far as memorable by all of us.

Brittany: 33:29
Oh, thank you. Yeah. And so I think some of your mentality about how you view the maker life and how you view your business really makes an impression on people. And it’s sometimes something that you don’t even have to say. It’s just your character that comes.

Jewell: 33:44
Yeah, absolutely. So I always think it’s really exciting because we don’t—I mean, we have our attendee list—but a lot of times we don’t know, like people don’t register by their shop name per se or like their Instagram handle.

So when we actually see people, we’re like, oh, you’re Karen. Or, you know, like, it’s just like really exciting. So are there any people—I don’t know if they will be there or not—but are there any people in the maker community and industry right now that maybe your fingers are crossed that you may hope you come across in meeting at this year’s meetup?

Brittany: 34:18
Oh, wow. Gosh, put me on the spot there. So many of them. So many of them. I’m really looking forward to meeting the three people who were able to snag up a ticket before they sold out through my link. And so I’m excited to meet up with them. I’ve got a little gift to give them as well.

So I’m super excited to meet with them and chat with them, have a coffee, and just learn how I can do better, give them better resources and solve more problems for them.

But I’m also really excited about meeting some people that I’ve already talked to even on the podcast. I know Melissa from Woods and Wool is going to be there and I’m super excited to meet her. And I know Vincent from Not Bad. I’m super excited to meet with him. And Jessica—we’ve talked several times, but we’ve never actually met in person. So I’m super excited about that.

But of course, it’s such a rush when you have so many people there. I’ll be honest, it’s a little surreal. Even last year, I guess because the crowd of people that was at Toronto last year, pretty much all of them had an Instagram page. And since that is really where I love to spend my time—that’s like the one network that I like to spend my time on—I have a bigger audience there than maybe some other places.

And it was just surreal for people to come up to me and say, “Oh my gosh, you’re Brittany.” I had never experienced that before. So I know this year it’s going to be like overwhelm to the max, but I’m just so excited.

I wish that I could spend some quality time with every single one of them, but I’m just going to try to jump in and keep myself accessible to everybody because… I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it weren’t for everybody in my audience who are supporting me, who are listening to me, who are excited about my designs and sharing them with other people. So it’s just one tiny, tiny little way that I can show my gratitude.

Jewell: 36:21
Yeah, absolutely. I know what you mean. It was so funny because my fiancé said, wow, I’ve never seen anything so profound of people—because he was at the Toronto event and he’s not a knitter, not involved in the maker community.

And so he said when he noticed how people were going up and introducing themselves and hugging, that we were all talking to each other by our Instagram handle names. Like even if we recognize each other’s faces, they were like, oh my goodness—like so many people call me North Knits.

So he said, it’s like this sort of language that you guys have of your own. And I was like, well, yeah, most people, you may know them by their Instagram handle or their shop page, even before their actual name.

So yeah, I always think that’s a really, really fun part. And I think the amazing makers that you’re looking forward to meeting—it’s going to be so, so exciting. They’re also in my top three of people who I’m really looking forward to meet.

I had the wonderful chance of meeting Jessica at our first event in 2016. And she is just every bit amazing and inspiring—um, you know—offline as she is online. And she’s going to be the second keynote speaker this year too. So you ladies are just rocking it out.

Her plus one is Vincent of Not Bad. So they’re traveling together and he is equally inspiring. And have you heard sort of about this new yarn punk style that he has started online?

Brittany: 38:05
I have.

Jewell: 38:27
I haven’t heard too much about to you. Like I said, I feel like he’s giving us these little fun little teasers, right? Yeah, these little teasers, these little fun sneak peeks. But I love how he’s shown some of the pieces that he’s wearing and sort of how yarn punk connects with that—like some of his jeans and sweaters and jackets. And yeah, I’m totally gonna just completely fangirl out seeing Jessica again and meeting Not Bad. I’ve come—She does, yeah.

Brittany: 39:15
It won’t. I’ve actually been to Chicago several times. Back when I had my full-time job—my listeners understand my background is more biology-focused—and I’ve worked in labs and healthcare and that sort of thing. I’ve taken several trips to Chicago for testing and, I don’t know, kind of boring stuff honestly.

I went there a couple of times. There is a company called Abbott there, and I was learning how to operate a couple of their pieces of equipment. So I’d been there a couple of times. And then, little known fact: when I was at one of those events, my husband met me after our training and we celebrated my 30th birthday there.

Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever said my age online—wow. Okay, so I’m not 30 now. That was a couple of years ago, but it was—oh gosh—it was one of the most incredible times. My husband and I are really big into food and nice restaurants and that sort of thing, so we found some of the coolest restaurants that Chicago had to offer.

Honestly, you don’t have to try hard to find a great restaurant in Chicago. We did the science museum, which was right up my alley, and it was such an incredible time. It’s an amazing city.

Jewell: 40:36
It’s an amazing city. I cannot believe I’ve lived here for close to six years now. So I was super excited when I saw that Makers chose Chicago as the meetup city.

For your listeners who may not know, OML is the city that we have it in—not directly chosen by the OML team, but by you guys, the people in the community. We hold an open poll with five or six cities and let people vote for two to three months.

It’s always part scary and part exciting because we’re like, “Oh, what city is it going to be?” So when it was Chicago, at first I was like, “Yes! It’s going to be so much fun.” Then I realized all the pressure was going to be on me for the technical planning stuff—so then I got terrified.

I’m like, “Oh my goodness, I really hope I show, as far as event style, the best that Chicago has to offer.” I’m so excited you’re going to be able to have another couple days back in.

Brittany: 42:13
I know, me too. Yeah, it’ll be nice traveling alone because I’ll know the city, so it won’t feel like it’s my first time there. I’m familiar with the airport and everything like that. So yeah, I’m excited to be back. I love it there.

Jewell: 42:30
Yeah, well I know we’re probably winding down here to the end, but I did want to make sure I asked you—because also at the OML events, not only do you get a chance to connect with wonderful makers in the community, but you also get to connect with some really great brands and businesses.

You have an opportunity to showcase who you are as a maker and what you’re doing, and maybe build those relationships back online—collaborations and things like that.

Are there any particular brands you’re excited about? I can tell you some of our sponsors who are going to be a part of the event. You tell me if you’ve ever worked with these yarns before. I think I can probably guess one who you’ve worked with a little bit.

Brittany: 43:26
I know Lovecrafts is going to be there. I’m super excited to meet those guys again because it’s such a wonderful team. They have such a fresh perspective on the industry, and I love that they bring that to the table.

I’m excited to see their presentation. I don’t know what they have in mind or what they’re planning, but I know it’s going to be awesome. Yeah, it’s going to be good.

I’m also really excited to meet the guys at We Are Knitters. I know last year there was a little bit of an issue, so we weren’t able to meet them in person. I’m excited for the knit along, the crochet along that takes place toward the end, and just to connect with them and chat in person. I don’t think I’ve ever really emailed or had a conversation with any of them, so that’ll be a new one for me.

Jewell: 44:26
Yeah, the We Are Knitters team is absolutely amazing. I actually, earlier this year, had the chance to talk to Alberto, who is the co-founder and creative director of We Are Knitters, on my podcast. He shared his maker story—it was just so amazing.

I can’t say enough great things about what Alberto and Pepita are doing with the We Are Knitters team and podcast. They are just rocking it out in our industry. I think it’s probably one of the most anticipated parts of the event—the We Are Knitters Knit Along. It’s going to be so, so awesome this year.

And this will be Lovecrafts’ first time joining the sponsor fam and the OML festivities. So yeah, also super looking forward to their presentation and connecting with them. I mean, it almost doesn’t get more awesome than Lovecrafts. I love what they’re doing through Love Knitting and Love Crochet. So cool.

Brittany: 45:40
Yeah. And they’re all so approachable too. So if you have an idea—I mean, they do so much. They offer so much to our community.

It’s not just crochet alongs or knit alongs. It’s the ability to host a store on their website where you can purchase patterns. So it doesn’t really matter what your goal is—they probably have something for you. And they’re a nice team, so you can just walk right up to them.

They’re super responsive, super friendly. Don’t be afraid. Just go and introduce yourself and see what happens.

Jewell: 46:15
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, there are going to be so many amazing opportunities to just connect. Like you said—Lovecrafts, We Are Knitters, and the Knit Along that they’ve been part of with the OML events every year.

KnitCrate is also a part of this year’s meetup event.

Brittany:
See, that one’s new to me. I didn’t know about that one.

Jewell:
Oh yeah. I’m super, super excited about KnitCrate. This will be their first time at the OML event as well. But Rob and the team over there—they are so absolutely profound.

Have you had a chance to try any of their kits yet?

Brittany: 47:00
I have. I’m actually an advocate for them. I have worked with Rob—he’s been on the podcast, him and one of his team members. I just love his approach to his business. He’s right up my alley, honestly.

Him and I geeked out a little bit. We have a lot in common in terms of internet business and our ideas about not only being present, but making a transformation in people’s lives and in the industry.

That’s one thing he was able to do with KnitCrate—take his experience from a completely different industry and figure out how to make our industry better based on his findings. So I echo your enthusiasm for him. I’m super excited to meet him. I didn’t know he was going to be there.

Jewell: 47:45
Oh, yeah. It’s going to be our first time meeting, and they are just so amazing and so supportive.

I was super, super excited when I first came across KnitCrate. I was like, “Yarn delivered to your door? Every month? In a crate?”

Like you said, I think he has a sort of cosmetics background, yeah? And now he’s working with designers to bring these crates of wonderful yarn. Oh man, I was just blown away. I was like, “Yeah, they have to be there.”

Brittany: 48:55
Yeah, for me, those crates have really been my passion project every month.

When you’re a designer, I feel like you need to separate your work from your passion. Because when it bleeds together—I mean, who likes work, right? We always feel some kind of dread when we attach the word work to it.

So, in order for me to maintain that separation, I have to have a passion project. I need something where I’m following another pattern, where I don’t have to worry about writing it down or thinking, “Oh my gosh, this is going to be too complicated,” or “This tutorial is going to be two days long.”

I don’t want to worry about any of that. I can just get back to the meditative aspects of the craft. I sit there with my pattern, with this perfect yarn, and I don’t have to worry about whether I have enough—it’s already figured out.

And I’m like a kid on Christmas morning every time I open up my KnitCrate. I don’t know what’s going to be inside. Most of the time I try to avoid their Instagram so I don’t spoil it. I know my KnitCrate is on the way right now, but I haven’t looked.

I love that. It’s a surprise every time. Like I said, it just gets me back to the passion of it.

Jewell: 50:20
Yeah, definitely. I totally agree. And I was just talking with the team over there and how they are so inspiring for me as a maker, because I typically don’t work with like fingering weight yarns or anything where I feel like I, if it’s not chunky, I’ve typically shied away from it and have been a little bit more fearful. But KnitCrate really encourages me to work with yarns that I may not normally just go to a local yarn store or craft store and pick up. So super, super excited about KnitCrate.

I just also want to mention some of our other sponsors because I just feel like there’s so many amazing brands who in some way, shape, or form are going to be a part of the event. And I know that, Brittany, you’ve had an amazing chance to work with some of these companies like Lion Brand, Joanne. I’m super excited about it. There’s two other amazing brands that we’re so happy that they’re just an amazing support of our event. Yeah, and Sugarbush Yarn, I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to work with any of their yarns yet.

Brittany: 51:28
I haven’t, no. No, that’ll be a special treat. Oh, yeah, it’ll be really, really nice. Some super cool things in store.

Jewell: 51:36
Yeah, so each of these brands will have a representative there or have somebody there that people can chat. Some of them will—some of them are just contributing as far as like swag—so it’ll be a secret as to who’s who. But yeah, in some way shape or form, they’re definitely in support of the event.

Koigu is one who they represent in some Koigu yarns. I don’t know if you—I think Koigu is based out of Canada. So I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to work with their yarns as well, but they will actually be presenting as well. So makers will have a great chance to meet with them. So, so much coolness in store. I am like so excited. Yeah.

Brittany: 52:24
Yeah. And I would challenge everybody too, because you’re listening to this episode before the event actually happens. And so you have just a couple of days to just pick one brand—because you don’t want to overwhelm yourself. Pick one brand and think of one thing that you could do for that brand and then present it to them if they’re going to be there.

Or maybe you get the contact information of somebody where you can say, “Hey, I would love to write a pattern for your work or do a video” or whatever it is that you do. I would challenge you to figure out something that you can pitch to them so you can move forward in a positive direction.

You’re there not only to meet all the other fun people that you’re already friends with on Instagram, but we’re all there to better ourselves as a business too. And with all of these brands at your disposal right there in front of you, it would be a shame if you talked yourself out of just introducing yourself to one of them.

Jewell: 53:30
Definitely. And one of the things that—I’m in total agreement with you there, Brittany—because even at last year’s event in Toronto, a huge Yarnspirations team who you sort of travel with, they were there at the event and had such a great opportunity to connect with makers.

And we saw a ton of makers after the event go back online and do collaborations with Yarnspirations. Like, you know, they’re like, “Oh, I got a box of Yarnspirations stuff” and was able to make these really cool pieces. That sort of stuff just warms my heart because I know how it can feel to sort of be trying to navigate the maker waters online, especially, and like feeling like, how do I get in touch and reach out to these people?

So it’s something that is definitely a part of the OML team’s mission and passion project to try to do as much as we can to drive those connections, for sure. Even if there’s not a sponsor representative there, there’s a wealth of makers who have worked with these brands. So even if you don’t get a chance to meet with a sponsor who is there—or if they aren’t—you’ll be able to experience their product.

Make it a goal to talk to a maker who maybe has collaborated. Like the Lion Brand kits—I’m always blown away when I see the makers release the Lion Brand kits. And I know some people who are listening to this may feel like, “Oh, well that person releases kits with Lion Brand on a regular basis, like how do I connect with them?” Well, this could really be your time to.

Some of those makers may just be there—have definitely been at our past meetups—and people have got an opportunity just to get that conversation started there. And, you know, to not only, like we said, really build some authentic friendships and relationships, but to really do some things for your business. We just think it’s great. It’s beautiful.

And I just love the way it always comes together. And I think if you find yourself there and you see and recognize that opportunity and are able to take advantage of it, it shows that it was probably meant for you too all along. So don’t let the opportunity pass you by.

Brittany: 55:59
And I would also add to that that working with these brands—it’s not always about the numbers. You don’t have to have a huge, gigantic following. A lot of times they’re looking for talent and they’re looking for passion. And if you have those things, those brands will help you get the numbers.

Jewell: 56:16
Absolutely. Definitely. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spoken with these teams and that’s exactly what they say they’re looking for—from knitting to crocheting, even into yarn dyeing and weaving now.

Because like KnitCrate, for example, they are looking for people who also dye their own yarns and have that be a part of the crates. And they’ve done that a couple of times. So, you know, you may only have four or five hundred followers or less. But if you make these really, really beautiful hand-dyed yarns or have been doing your own patterns and they’re just phenomenal, then why wouldn’t they want to work with you?

So I totally am in agreement with you there—don’t let the numbers hold you back or make you feel inadequate. Because yeah, if you have the passion and the drive and the talent, people would love to work with you. Absolutely. Yeah, definitely.

Yeah, well, I’m so, so very excited. Is there anything else leading up to this amazing event that I am equally nervous, super nervous, and equally super excited about that you would want people to know?

Brittany: 57:39
Oh, well, I am just—I’m so excited—to share my message with a keynote. I have been preparing for this for like five months now, practicing religiously. And, you know, it’s funny because when we were talking about the length of time, you’re like, “Well, you know, we’ll have about 30 minutes or so.” And my number one thing was, “That’s all?”

I might have to really try to condense everything I want to say in 30 minutes. So it’s been a real challenge for me. That really challenges me to get straight to the point, cut out all the fluff—kind of like what we were saying—and just get my message across.

And I’m so excited about it because I think that—well, I know that—what I’m going to share has transformed my life. And I know that if people take action on it as well, then it’ll transform their lives. And the bottom line is: we can all make our dreams our reality. We don’t have to be a special person. We just have to have a special purpose.

So that’s what I’m excited to share. And I will likely share some of the recording for those who can’t attend here on the show. I definitely don’t want to leave you guys out, but the attendees are definitely going to hear it first on Saturday at the event.

Jewell: 59:03
So, so excited to meet you and give you the biggest maker hug again, Brittany. Thank you so much for letting me sort of do a Q&A style and having a third opportunity to be on the podcast. I think that you’re doing amazing things. I definitely know that you have impacted my life and made me a better maker. And I’m so excited to share all that you’re doing with so many others in our community. It’s such a great honor.

Brittany: 59:27
I appreciate that so much. And I appreciate you taking the microphone here and giving us an excellent little shake up in the mix. And I know it’s going to be great. I’m so excited to see everybody at OML this weekend and we’ll see you then. I’ll see you there.

All right. So what is the one thing I want you to remember when you go to OML in three days? I want you to make sure you come find me and you come say hello. Don’t give yourself more than three seconds to talk yourself out of it for whatever reason.

I am just the same person you hear week after week, so definitely come say hello to me, and I can’t wait. I do want to thank Jewell sincerely because, man, not only has she been on the show now three times, but she gave us our first little twist here to our standard show where she asked me the questions. But she also gave me the chance to give my very first keynote presentation for the Our Maker Life community, which is a community that I hold very near and dear to my heart.

And thank you, Jewell. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, I can’t wait to see you this Saturday. I can’t wait to see you as well, to hug you and say hello.

Now, before we wrap things up for today, be sure to check out annieskitclubs.com/bhooked so you can find out about a membership to this kit club so you can have a project delivered to your door every single week. When you sign up for the first time, you’ll get 50% off your order and you’ll just pay $9.99 plus shipping and handling.

After that, it’s a monthly recurring membership, so you’ll pay $19.99 plus shipping and handling, and you’ll have a brand-new project that you can deem as your own personal passion project. That link, once again, is Annie’sKitClubs.com/bhooked.

Now, one last thing. Please head over to the show notes page at BHookedCrochet.com/Session072. If you are going to be at the event, please leave a comment on that page and just introduce yourself. I would love to read it. I’m sure your peers would love to read it.

When you get together at a big event like this, like Jewell and I talked about, there are a lot of us that are going to be fearful. We’re going to be a little reserved. We’ll definitely be out of our comfort zone. And it always helps to have a friendly face. Maybe have somebody that you can find and say, “Hey, I chatted with you over on the show notes page.” And hello. And then you guys automatically have something in common.

So leave your comment there. Introduce yourself. I can’t wait to see you there. And again, for those of you who won’t be with us this weekend and you still want to hear my keynote presentation, I am sharing it first at the event. But you can bet I’m so excited to share it with you because I really believe it has the potential to change people’s lives.

So you can look forward to kind of a remix version of my keynote—it’ll make an appearance here on the podcast in the next couple of weeks so you won’t miss out on a thing.

All right guys, for those of you who will be there on Saturday—I’ll see you in a few days! For everyone else, I look forward to serving you in next week’s episode of the BHooked Podcast. Same time, same place. I’ll see you then. Bye!