Sharon Wildwind is a Calgary mystery writer, with a series set in the 1970s about Vietnam veterans and their adjustments to civilian life after they come back from Vietnam, complicated by the fact that they are “always tripping over bodies.”
But Sharon creates a lot more than mystery novels. Like me, she’s a passion pluralite. She works in textiles, and paint, and journals, and so much more.
The messaging that Sharon got as a kid from her parents around art and creativity was pretty intense. In fact, it’s amazing that she ever created anything at all.
She had an “aha” moment that made her realize that maybe art could be for her, when she literally thought, “If she can do that, I can do that.”
We talked how she got started, her approach to her work, her creative practice, her art journals, how commerce affects her creativity, and so much more.
Quote from Sharon:
“A human being designed this, a human being made this. There’s no reason I can’t.”
Something Cool
This week’s Something Cool is an event.
It’s something I’d been wanting to attend for years, but never managed to go before: Maker Faire!
Last year Maker Faire was the same weekend as my open studio (so frustrating).
This year, my dad found out about it, and got tickets for me and my husband, so the three of us went together, and it was amazing.
If you like to make things, if you’re fascinated by the way things work, if you’re interested in engineering, electronics, invention, creativity, and resourcefulness, there is something for you at Maker Faire.
It started in the Bay Area in 2006, and there are now two flagship Maker Faires in the Bay Area and New York, and over 100 independently-produced Mini and 14 Featured Maker Faires all over the world.
Here’s what it says on the About page of the Maker Faire website:
Maker Faire is primarily designed to be forward-looking, showcasing makers who are exploring new forms and new technologies. But it’s not just for the novel in technical fields; Maker Faire features innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, performance and craft.
Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. It’s a venue for makers to show examples of their work and interact with others about it. Many makers say they have no other place to share what they do. DIY (Do-It-Yourself) is often invisible in our communities, taking place in shops, garages and on kitchen tables. It’s typically out of the spotlight of traditional art or science or craft events. Maker Faire makes visible these projects and ideas that we don’t encounter every day.
What I loved about my day at Maker Faire is all the ARTY stuff everywhere! The intersection of engineering and art made my toes tingle!
Here are a few snaps:
Enjoy!
Hear ye, hear ye! This is to serve as official notice that all links to anything for sale, be it books or courses, are likely to be affiliate links. What this means is that if you click through said links and make a purchase, although it won’t affect the price that you pay, a few coins will jangle into my coffers, enabling me to buy a packet of hard gluten-free biscuits to feed myself and my husband for another day, or perhaps a pen with which to create some artwork. Or perhaps they will contribute toward paying a fraction of my web hosting bill, so that this blog and podcast can continue to exist. Thank you kindly for your attention.
Thanks for Listening!
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Now go get creating!
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