Windowsill Chats Patreon

Margo is joined by Brandi Kincaid for a chat on finding inspiration, the power of journaling, and the art of sending extravagant hope by mail. Brandy, a tiny treasure seeker and paper lover, shares her experiences as a designer, creator, and curator of monthly hope packages as they delve into the creative process behind these packages, the importance of personal connections, and the impact they have on both the sender and the recipient. Brandy's passion for journaling and her thoughtful, empathetic approach to her work shines through as she shares insights, tips, and glimpses into the art of finding meaning in the world.Margo and Brandi discuss:Showing up unapologeticallyWhat it means to bring your tender self to the tableWhy she keeps a commonplace book and notebook with her everywhere she goesHow she customizes her Extravagant Hope designs  for what her community needs each monthGentle softness and quiet vs. motivation and a call to actionWhat her journal pages reflectHer different art supply preferences Creating and sharing work as personal expression, not for validation or commercial purposesWhy she still sends physical products instead of going 100% digitalHer process of designing, making, packaging for Extravagant Hope packageHer internal battles when it comes to marketing and promoting Sourcing inspirationMentioned in this episode:Words in Air: The Complete Correspondence Between Elizabeth Bishop and Robert LowellThe Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor by Flannery O'Connor and Sally FitzgeraldQuilts of Gee’s BendConnect with Brandi:https://www.instagram.com/brandi_kincaidWww.theshinybits.comWww.Brandikincaid.com

Margo is joined by two creative powerhouses, Erin Drews and Leigh Standley to discuss their collaboration of art, words, and working together. Erin Drews is a Michigan based artist inspired by nature and Fauvism. She loves using color to create visual excitement and play, most typically through the subject of flowers. She's been described as "pink lemonade with a shot of whiskey," and when she's not creating, you can find her laughing, connecting, collecting art, immersing herself in nature, and enjoying the people she loves.Leigh Standley is the artist, writer and owner of Curly Girl Design, Inc. where her line of clever and colorful greeting cards and gift items have taken the industry by delightful storm. Focused on the magic of the small moments, her product peeks into the corners of life and taps into the hearts of all.Founded in 2003, the company began with just 12 greeting cards and grew steadily. In 2005, Leigh was the recipient of her first LOUIE award for greeting card excellence and was nominated for 3 more in 2010. Her work and studio have been featured in creative publications like Where Women Create, Stationery Trends, Boho Magazine. Leigh believes firmly in the power of a creative community and the power of that community to unlock our truest selves.Margo, Leigh and Erin discuss:Their own creative businesses and a beautiful collaboration they’re working onMental health, adult ADHD, depression, PTSD, and how it has informed their artThe loneliness that can come from being a solo creative and how they work through thatSome of Erin’s unique art collectionsWhy she currently has a career outside of her artWhat it means to live in wonder and curiosityThe intersection of the creative act and faith or spiritualityThe very unique funding model that Erin works on through Hope College and how it can be a difference maker in many people’s livesConnect with Erin:www.isntagram.com/drews_barrymorewww.erindrewsart.comConnect with Leigh:https://www.curlygirldesign.com/https://www.instagram.com/leigh.standley/

Margo is joined by artist, art retreat facilitator, and author Carrie Schmitt. Carrie began painting in 2009 while bedridden after being diagnosed with a life-threatening allergy to heat. She paid attention to a very poignant internal message. Since then she has devoted her life to creativity in many facets and allows herself and creativity to continue to evolve. Her mission is to teach students not only how to paint, but more importantly to have a loving relationship with your art because it has the power to heal, empower, and transform us when we offer it our tenderness instead of our criticism.Carrie teaches online classes and in-person retreats at her home and artist sanctuary called House of Miracles in Steilacoom, Washington. She also licenses her art for products, including stationary, home décor, clothing, and more. She has written several books, including The Story of Every Flower, a 10 year celebration of her journey as an artist. Her picture book A Flower in Her Heart: The True Story of an Artist Who Bloomed, won the Mom’s Choice Award in 2022. Margo and Carrie discuss: How creativity has guided her through big life changes and transitionsHer life changing diagnosis and how it really became the catalyst to her spiritual and creative journeyThe story of what she calls her “accidental spiritual pilgrimage” and what she learned from itCreating the House of Miracles and how it came to beHer experience of working through feelings of shame and silent suffering and how things changed when she became more vulnerable and spoke on her strugglesHonoring the feminineWhy she talks and listens to her paintings and encourages others to do the sameFinding freedom and non-judgement within herselfGetting to know creativity in a new wayMentioned in this episode:Puget Sound PlungersChromophobia by David BatchelorIlarion MerculieffConnect with Carrie:www.carrieschmittdesign.comwww.instagram.com/carrieschmittwww.facebook.com/CarrieSchmittArtAndDesign

Margo is joined by former teacher & blogger turned entrepreneur, and second time guest in the Windowsill, Anna Huff. As a business mindset coach, Anna works to empower women to pursue their passions and live in authentic alignment with who they were divinely designed to be. Through years of burnout and struggling to find alignment, Anna played small. Thinking that if she just did more, worked harder, learned more, and achieved more she would find what she was looking for. What she discovered was that nothing she could ever do, earn, or say would make her any more worthy of becoming who she was divinely designed to be. Through the process of fully discovering her purpose, she now helps others master their own mindset practice in order to live in alignment and acceptance of who they really are.Margo and Anna discuss: Permission and acceptance to be multi passionateHuman design and how it allows you to go deeper in self-discoveryHow to sit in the discomfort and feel your way through fearThe mindset shift that made meditating easier for her What success mindset is and how to operate from itDetaching from the outcome Not letting fear have all the funVulnerability, openness, and growing awareness to one's thoughtsConnect with Anna:www.instagram.com/theannahuffwww.facebook.com/theannahuffwww.theannahuff.comJoin the Mindset & Marketing Facebook Group

Margo is joined by sisters Kim and Tracy of Hearts on Fiber out of Davidson, North Carolina. Kim and her three daughters were of the belief that every small town needs a local yarn store so when the Davidson craft center closed, an empty space for fiber arts opened. The urge was so strong to try and fill the “space” that they quickly began planning a way to open a new kind of craft store.Hearts on Fiber started with little more than an idea, late nights dyeing yarn out of their kitchen which became the laundry room and eventually the attic until their passionate mission to be so much more for their town came to fruition. Since moving into their current location in downtown Davidson, the business has expanded and Kim’s sister Tracy has taken on a role within the business. Hearts on Fiber provides kits and tools for a range of fiber arts, along with the space to learn, inspire, explore fiber arts, build community, and so much more.Margo, Kim and Tracy discuss:The stars aligning and how Hearts on Fiber really came to beInstilling creativity in her daughters from a young ageHow working with family impacts their business and managing different personalitiesHow Tracy came into the businessHow to cultivate community through inspiring and teachingMaking knitting/fiber arts accessible to people of all levelsDemystifying knitting techniquesPrivate class offerings versus group classesWhere to start if interested in knitting for the first timeAnd so much moreConnect with Kim & Tracy:https://www.heartsonfiber.com/www.instagram.com/heartsonfiber

Margo is joined by self-taught polymer clay artist Rachael Skidmore.  Rachael’s passion for self-expression, penchant for artistic creativity, and dedication to hard work have been the foundation of her success as a small business owner for over 13 years.She established MadebyMaeberry in Aug 2019 and has inspired large audiences through her social media presence online and delivered hands-on teaching by hosting intimate classes in person. While she is widely recognized in the polymer clay community for producing high-quality pieces, her voice of genuine support for inclusivity is what makes her stand out as a creator. A curator of color with a knack for original design and tantalizing patterns, Rachael takes inspiration from all aspects of her life; from her passion for vintage clothing to her love for hiking in the mountains with her family. Margo and Rachael discuss: Her journey from social work to polymer clay creativityHer mental health journey: therapy, medication, and living with ADHDThe importance of having people to lean on to aide in your successHow to scale when you like to work for yourself and by yourselfFinding harmony between creative work and family lifeRisk taking and growing her audienceHer experience in publishing a bookAnd moreConnect with Rachael:http://madebymaeberry.com/www.instagram.com/madebymaeberryPolymer Clay Jewelry; The Ultimate Guide to Making Wearable Art EarringsPolymer Clay Jewelry Design for Beginners (Dometika Course)

Margo is joined by self-taught artist, writer, and internationally recognized best-selling author Meera Lee Patel. Meera writes books that help people connect with themselves, each other, and the world around them. Her books & journals for everyone have sold well over a million copies and have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. In 2021, Meera was awarded the Olin Fellowship to pursue her MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. After spending many years waiting for “the right time” to pursue her first love, children’s literature, she’s finally following her heart. In the forthcoming years, while continuing her advocacy for greater mental health awareness through her work, she hopes to write and illustrate for children and the grownups who care for them.Margo and Meera discuss:Meera’s journey from feeling disconnected in her career to finding fulfillment through creativityUpholding the values instilled by her immigrant parentsManaging her full time job and her creative career for 8 years and what it taught herThe importance of building resilience and discipline What she believes is the main difference between people who are successful or not successfulHaving dedication to your visionThe vulnerability and unknown involved in deciding to work on oneselfImposter syndrome as a self-taught artist and authorWhy she decided to go to school for her MFA, how it’s been challenging, and how she’s used it as a unique opportunityNavigating motherhood, marriage, and multiple family businessesHow It Feels to Find Yourself: Navigating Life's Changes with Purpose, Clarity, and HeartConnect with Meera:www.meeralee.comwww.instagram.com/meeraleepatelhttps://twitter.com/meeraleepatelhttps://meeraleepatel.substack.com/

Margo is joined by printmaker, surface designer, textile artist, and author Jen Hewett. Jen’s work combines her love of loud prints, 1970s maximalism, and saturated colors with the textures and light of the landscapes that surround her. In addition to creating her own products, Jen designs fabric for the quilting and home sewing market, and home collections for national manufacturers and retailers. Her clients include: Moda Fabrics, World Market, Anthropologie, Blue Sky Planners, and Brewster Home Fashions. She is the author of Print, Pattern, Sew, and This Long Thread: Women of Color on Craft, Community and Connection.Margo and Jen discuss:Her creative path from HR consulting to creative and where she got the courage to change career pathsCreating creative momentumFinding harmony as a self-employed artistKeeping your day job until your business is viableWhy she shares her income sources and breakdown publicly When and where she started to notice a lack of diversity within the craft communityWhy she believes in selling her misprints (and why they often sell quickly)Working in digital versus analog and her process for eachSome of her new collections and projects she’s looking forward toAnd so much moreConnect with Jen:https://jenhewett.com/www.instagram.com/jenhewett