Sustaining Craft

Danny Allain: “I’m not the next big guy or anything. It’s just me. I make stuff.”

Danny Allain is husband to Morgan and father to Ruby, who were featured on Sustaining Craft on my previous writing website. This was originally posted on June 12, 2017. I’ll be reposting some previous work here, including Ruby‘s and Morgan’s 2016 and 2020 features. Danny Allain learned to read using his brothers’ comic books years… Read More Danny Allain: “I’m not the next big guy or anything. It’s just me. I make stuff.”

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Hannah Genevieve Lawrence: “I just really want to connect with friends and family more.”

With the exhibit scheduled for April 3 quickly approaching, Hannah Genevieve Lawrence worked long hours to get her macramé pieces completed. It was an exciting opportunity to collaborate with another local artist, Chris Swasta, and show their combined work at the Thea Foundation. Then the pandemic hit. She creates under Strands Textiles, and she describes… Read More Hannah Genevieve Lawrence: “I just really want to connect with friends and family more.”

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Jessica and Justin Crum: “There’s no sugar coating it. It is hard.”

Jessica discovered she was able to grow her business in small steps, building her team a few hours a week at a time. “I hired my first project manager at five hours a week,” said Jessica. “Which I feel like is very encouraging for anybody out there that wants to start a business. You don’t have to have a full-time job offer for someone to get on board with a mission. And I kept it intentional about only designing for local businesses. I’m not going after corporate or big ticket clients because local businesses need good design work.”

Justin produced Papaw Land in 2018, raising just enough through a Kickstarter, investors, and the contributions he and Jessica provided to finish filming. He hopes to make more. “I want to keep making films,” Justin said. “That’s my main thing for me. I’m hoping to progressively step up in terms of budget with the films. Hopefully, we can make a few and reevaluate at that point. I want to keep making movies. I want to do locally. I’d love to eventually get to the point where we can foster a more creative environment in Conway, specifically.”… Read More Jessica and Justin Crum: “There’s no sugar coating it. It is hard.”

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Donnie Ferneau: “Get your a** kicked every day.”

Welcome to the ninth episode of Sustaining Craft the Podcast, a series that features those in a creative, craft-based field. Listen below to learn or keep scrolling to read about Donnie Ferneau and his restaurant, Cathead’s Diner! — There’s just something about local food for Chef Donnie Ferneau. Early on, growing up in the Chicago… Read More Donnie Ferneau: “Get your a** kicked every day.”