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April 10, 2024

Stitching Rhythms: The Craft of Crochet and Hip-Hop Dolls with Adwoa Cooper

Stitching Rhythms: The Craft of Crochet and Hip-Hop Dolls with Adwoa Cooper
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 In today's episode, we sit down with Adwoa Cooper from Adwoa Designs.  She details her journey from using crochet for stress relief to developing a successful business, illustrating that the path to achievement can be as unexpected as it is rewarding.


Adwoa brings a fresh vibe to crochet, merging hip-hop influences with her unique doll designs that echo a whole culture's beat. We delve into how her dolls bring fresh perspectives to both the hip-hop world and the diverse community of doll enthusiasts. Adwoa's creations are not just dolls; they're narratives spun from her life's fabric, paying tribute to the mentors and the Amigurumi tradition that have shaped her path to prominence in doll crafting circles.


She also shares her wonderful stories about meeting her hip-hop idols, to her winning the of two won two top prizes in the California State Fair’s craft competition.


Wrapping up, Adwoa opens up about the intricacies of valuing her work, the supportive crochet community, and how she inspires the next generation to continue the crochet legacy. This conversation goes beyond crochet's technicalities—it's about life's intertwined paths, our passions, aspirations, and the happiness we infuse into our creations. Tune in for an episode that's as touching as it is thought-provoking, as we explore the art and heart of crochet dolls with Adwoa.

To learn more about Adowa Design please visit 

#Crochet #HipHopDolls #DollArtistry #Amigurumi #InTheDollWorldPodcast #GeorgetteTaylorITDW  #CrochetCulture #HipHopArt #DollCollectors #AdwoaCooper #AdwoaDesign #ITDW


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We look forward to bringing you more amazing doll creators and creatives within the Doll Community. Until next time, add a little joy into your world by collecting a doll, sharing a doll or giving a doll a home.

Chapters

00:04 - The Doll World

09:48 - Crochet Dolls Inspire by Hip Hop

21:05 - Passion for Crochet Dolls and Hip-Hop

26:45 - Challenges in Pricing and Art Appreciation

34:29 - Collaboration and Future Business Expansion

41:34 - Doll Making and Inspiring Youth

49:22 - Following Your Passion and Dreams

57:36 - Doll World Podcast Promotion

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:04.786 --> 00:00:16.413
Hello everybody and welcome to In the Doll World, a show spotlighting the passion and the people of the doll community With your host, georgette Taylor, former vice president and co-founder of Big Beautiful Dolls.

00:00:16.413 --> 00:00:34.847
Join her as she talks to fascinating doll artists, customizers, avid collectors, redesigners, authors and all the people in between, as they share their journeys, give us glimpses into their processes and what propels their passion and drive that help to keep the doll world moving and shaking.

00:00:34.847 --> 00:00:40.963
Welcome to the show, hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of In the Doll World.

00:00:40.963 --> 00:00:42.384
I'm your host, georgette Taylor.

00:00:42.384 --> 00:00:44.627
My amazing guest today is Adwoa Cooper.

00:00:44.627 --> 00:00:50.776
She is also the owner of Adwoa Designs and she is also an award-winning crochet doll artist.

00:00:50.776 --> 00:00:56.555
She was the first place winner of the California State Fair Craft Competition in 2023.

00:00:56.555 --> 00:01:02.091
And so I would love to be talking to her about that as well, but I just want to welcome her on In the Doll World.

00:01:02.091 --> 00:01:05.349
Thank you so much, adwoa, for being a guest on the show.

00:01:05.349 --> 00:01:06.484
I'm so excited to have you.

00:01:07.460 --> 00:01:08.846
I am honored.

00:01:08.846 --> 00:01:11.287
I did not know I was your first guest of the year.

00:01:11.287 --> 00:01:14.087
Yeah, so thank you so much.

00:01:14.087 --> 00:01:17.670
As I was telling you I never thought I'd see the day.

00:01:17.670 --> 00:01:19.021
Thank you for having me.

00:01:19.462 --> 00:01:21.465
Oh, you're so welcome and I'm honored.

00:01:21.465 --> 00:01:23.528
I'm so honored to have you on the show Now.

00:01:23.528 --> 00:01:34.421
I love your creations and I can't wait for you to share a little bit with our audience about what it is that you do, why you got started.

00:01:34.421 --> 00:01:35.343
So maybe we can get started with that.

00:01:35.343 --> 00:01:42.566
Could you share a little bit about yourself, where you're from and also what inspired you to create Crochet Dolls, and also how did your journey with Adewa Designs begin?

00:01:43.408 --> 00:01:45.111
Wow, thank you again.

00:01:45.111 --> 00:01:50.031
Well, I'm from the Bay Area, so hello to all my Bay Area people.

00:01:50.031 --> 00:01:52.841
Hello everybody from Hayward Gosh.

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Where do I start Growing up?

00:01:54.682 --> 00:01:55.222
Out here?

00:01:55.222 --> 00:01:59.433
I'm glad my parents picked a diverse area to raise me in.

00:01:59.433 --> 00:02:01.528
I'm from Hayward, california originally.

00:02:01.528 --> 00:02:06.331
I was about 18 when I left the area and moved to Texas.

00:02:06.531 --> 00:02:16.040
I served in the Air Force for a very brief period of time Well, 10 years but it was a calm era in the nation.

00:02:16.040 --> 00:02:18.085
There wasn't really much going on.

00:02:18.085 --> 00:02:23.143
This was a period after Desert Storm and right before 9-11.

00:02:23.143 --> 00:02:25.250
So I was very fortunate to serve during that time.

00:02:25.250 --> 00:02:33.001
After that, came back to California, went into nursing and with nursing it can be quite stressful.

00:02:33.001 --> 00:02:35.284
So I found an outlet.

00:02:35.284 --> 00:02:37.870
That's really the premise.

00:02:37.889 --> 00:02:39.794
How I got into knitting and crocheting.

00:02:39.794 --> 00:02:42.621
I'm very thankful for my coworkers.

00:02:42.621 --> 00:02:49.346
Just one day I was walking around and looked in this room and there were all these therapists.

00:02:49.346 --> 00:02:51.586
They were having their break.

00:02:51.586 --> 00:03:01.693
Some of them were knitting, some of them were crocheting, some of them were probably doing embroidery, if I remember correctly, and it was just a vibe in the room.

00:03:01.693 --> 00:03:04.055
I was like, wow, I want to learn.

00:03:04.055 --> 00:03:12.342
So I went in and I happened to sit next to a lady who was knitting and she said well, you don't know how to knit and I explained to her.

00:03:12.342 --> 00:03:14.330
You know, my mother wanted to teach me.

00:03:14.330 --> 00:03:15.485
My mother was a knitter.

00:03:15.485 --> 00:03:18.407
I have other relatives that are stitchers.

00:03:18.741 --> 00:03:23.905
They made more quilts and were into sewing, but my mother knitted.

00:03:23.905 --> 00:03:27.889
I remember that and she tried to show me, but I was just too busy.

00:03:27.889 --> 00:03:34.425
I wanted to run around with my older brother and play with the boys and ride bikes, but she would try and try.

00:03:34.425 --> 00:03:38.688
She just wanted the little girl to learn, but I didn't have the capacity.

00:03:38.688 --> 00:03:42.786
I probably didn't have the motor skills yet, because I remember I was very young.

00:03:42.786 --> 00:03:53.324
So when she told me that I like, yeah, let's start knitting.

00:03:53.324 --> 00:03:54.225
So she showed me the basics, um, I got started.

00:03:54.225 --> 00:03:55.389
I did maybe two rows and I thought, yeah, I got it.

00:03:55.389 --> 00:03:57.294
But no, I went home that night and forgot everything she showed me.

00:03:57.855 --> 00:04:06.352
But at the time I think this was, uh, 2009 um, I started learning about the power of youtube.

00:04:06.352 --> 00:04:13.438
So I went on youtube and you know there's a plethora of things to learn and I was like, oh, wow, here's some knitting stuff.

00:04:13.438 --> 00:04:14.802
So I went down that rabbit hole.

00:04:14.802 --> 00:04:17.711
So that was my start with stitching.

00:04:17.711 --> 00:04:19.014
It started with knitting.

00:04:19.014 --> 00:04:24.588
Then someone told me oh, did you know, if you crochet, it's's a lot faster?

00:04:24.588 --> 00:04:27.093
And I was like, what, really?

00:04:27.093 --> 00:04:32.350
Then I started crocheting and, like any beginner, you want to gift everyone.

00:04:34.144 --> 00:04:35.369
Any moment, anything.

00:04:35.369 --> 00:04:35.548
What?

00:04:36.600 --> 00:04:38.348
Here's a hat and a scarf A scarf yes.

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So I drove my family bananas and they finally got to the point and said we have enough hats and scarves.

00:04:44.889 --> 00:04:46.495
Thank you, we love you Can of my family bananas.

00:04:46.495 --> 00:04:48.000
And they finally got to the point and said we have enough hats and scarves.

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Thank you, we love you.

00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:53.702
Can you please sell this?

00:04:53.702 --> 00:04:54.423
And I had an amazing coworker.

00:04:54.423 --> 00:04:54.665
I would not.

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I have to say something about him, nolan, I would not be at this level if it was not for him.

00:04:58.572 --> 00:05:06.146
This man would come to work and he would see me on every break trying to stitch stuff and he just was so inspiring.

00:05:06.146 --> 00:05:08.187
He'd say, well, can you make this, can you make that?

00:05:08.187 --> 00:05:11.310
And if it wasn't for him, he helped me build up my confidence.

00:05:11.310 --> 00:05:16.053
And the next thing you know, other coworkers were saying, oh, can you make this for me, can you make me a hat?

00:05:16.053 --> 00:05:19.055
And I'm like, oh, people want to buy this stuff.

00:05:19.055 --> 00:05:20.036
This is interesting.

00:05:20.036 --> 00:05:22.963
So that was my foundation.

00:05:22.983 --> 00:05:27.901
Then one day I was on, I was learning about Instagram, so this was a while ago.

00:05:27.901 --> 00:05:37.166
I started learning about Instagram and I scrolled on this page and I saw this lady making dolls of look-alike people.

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I have to say something through.

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She's my crochet just mentor and she never even knew it.

00:05:42.901 --> 00:05:53.000
Allison Hoff, she wrote the book Amigurumi and that's how I learned how to make the crochet dolls of people, and I saw the people she was making.

00:05:53.000 --> 00:06:00.201
But I noticed, you know, I think I saw a Quest Love doll that she made and you know he's.

00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:05.213
African-American and I noticed she used certain yarn to make like the texture of his hair.

00:06:05.213 --> 00:06:16.750
But I remember seeing that I was like, oh my gosh, I want to do this, you know, because a lot of hip hop artists, a lot of R&B artists, I thought I would think they would want a doll of themselves, you know.

00:06:16.750 --> 00:06:20.024
So, as I said, I went down that rabbit hole.

00:06:20.024 --> 00:06:32.069
I got her book, started stitching and folks loved it and that was how I got started between that, and also my children at this time.

00:06:32.069 --> 00:06:39.293
At that era, the star Wars was being rebooted with all the prequels, and they loved that.

00:06:39.459 --> 00:06:46.125
I grew up on episode four and up, so you know I'm Gen Xer, so that was how I started, but it's interesting to see them enjoying all these prequels on episode four and up.

00:06:46.125 --> 00:06:49.757
So you know I'm Gen Xer, so, um, that was how I started, but it's interesting to see them enjoying all these prequels.

00:06:49.757 --> 00:06:54.310
So I taught them, you know, you start with episode four and go up, right, right they.

00:06:54.310 --> 00:07:00.783
They started learning the main characters and my oldest son, isaiah, said mama, please make me a Yoda.

00:07:00.783 --> 00:07:04.370
I love Yoda, you know, please make me a Yoda.

00:07:04.370 --> 00:07:17.043
And I thought, oh my gosh, can I do this and I tried, I gave it an honest try.

00:07:17.043 --> 00:07:17.384
It was horrible.

00:07:17.384 --> 00:07:18.670
He's such a wonderful child and just a kind hearted child.

00:07:18.670 --> 00:07:22.363
He took it from me and he looked at it and he said thank you, mom, but I know you can do better.

00:07:22.363 --> 00:07:25.351
And he walked out of the room and it just stuck with me.

00:07:25.351 --> 00:07:32.971
I was like, oh, my baby, just well, he was my first legitimate critic.

00:07:32.971 --> 00:07:36.843
This is okay, but you gotta, you know, tighten up those skills.

00:07:37.024 --> 00:07:39.250
But you know you can do better it's probably what you would say to him.

00:07:39.250 --> 00:07:42.987
Right, when you bring home a, c or b, you're like right right, you know.

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I know you could do better.

00:07:44.572 --> 00:07:45.312
I guess he did.

00:07:46.021 --> 00:07:54.023
He mirrored, I guess, what I had said to him and it lit a fire under me and I was like I'm gonna redeem myself, you know.

00:07:54.023 --> 00:07:57.288
So then I got introduced to other crochet designers.

00:07:57.288 --> 00:08:14.492
Um, another idol of mine, uh, lucy Ravenscar she's way, um, I believe she lives in London, she specializes in fantasy figures, so she gave me a good foundation to kind of model and I practiced on a lot of her designs.

00:08:14.492 --> 00:08:16.223
I can do this.

00:08:16.223 --> 00:08:20.391
So, between my coworkers, I will always be grateful for them.

00:08:20.391 --> 00:08:24.024
My children, my youngest son, israel.

00:08:24.024 --> 00:08:32.908
He got my Etsy shop shut down because he liked the characters from I think the game was called Angry Birds.

00:08:32.989 --> 00:08:34.412
That was a big deal.

00:08:34.491 --> 00:08:37.544
Yes, so he said oh, mama, I want Angry Birds.

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Make me Angry Birds.

00:08:38.548 --> 00:08:45.226
So I made the Angry Birds and I learned everything there is to know about copyright infringement.

00:08:45.226 --> 00:08:51.227
After posting those in my Etsy shop, within one hour my shop was shut down.

00:08:51.227 --> 00:08:54.681
Wow, I had a cease and desist letter from um.

00:08:54.681 --> 00:08:57.025
I believe the company is called Rovio.

00:08:57.025 --> 00:08:57.966
Who owns them?

00:08:57.966 --> 00:09:07.721
Wow, they said you know, it was just very blunt, just hey this is ours right, stop it even etsy wrote me, because it happens a lot.

00:09:07.761 --> 00:09:11.490
They even wrote me and said you know, hey you know, take it down.

00:09:11.490 --> 00:09:17.371
We'll open you back up, but please, you know, respect you know this copy, so I learned so much.

00:09:17.572 --> 00:09:19.385
Yeah, and that's, that is a good lesson.

00:09:19.385 --> 00:09:25.951
That's what oh, it's not a good lesson to be shut down, but it definitely is a good lesson to learn you know what you can do and can't do, because it is a fine line.

00:09:25.951 --> 00:09:28.206
And you really do have to know that.

00:09:28.942 --> 00:09:29.946
You have to respect that.

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And respect everybody's art, you know.

00:09:31.392 --> 00:09:32.080
So that's right.

00:09:32.460 --> 00:09:36.683
So I you know, and that was a wake up call, some of those lessons.

00:09:36.683 --> 00:09:40.086
You never forget lessons like that, and it sticks with me to this day.

00:09:40.086 --> 00:09:48.445
So now, if I get a request like that it's like well, do you realize what you're asking me to do?

00:09:48.445 --> 00:09:48.565
Right?

00:09:48.565 --> 00:10:02.505
It expanded, though, um, it got to the point where, uh, I grew up listening to a lot of hip-hop music that that's just like the soundtrack of my formative years my teenage years, you know I listen to a song.

00:10:02.546 --> 00:10:03.328
I get this memory.

00:10:03.328 --> 00:10:17.546
One day my cousin and I were chatting online and I believe the artist Rick Ross was trending at the time and I was just joking around and I said, oh, I should make some hip hop dolls.

00:10:17.546 --> 00:10:20.969
And she goes really, crochet and hip hop, those two don't go together.

00:10:20.969 --> 00:10:24.168
And I said, you know, it was like a challenge to me.

00:10:24.220 --> 00:10:25.157
I was like, really, you don't go together and I said, you know, it was like a challenge to me.

00:10:25.157 --> 00:10:26.610
I was like, really, you don't think the two go together.

00:10:26.630 --> 00:10:27.350
They go together.

00:10:27.350 --> 00:10:38.900
Yeah, I like both, so you know, and for some reason it was a Rick Ross doll that just inspired me because his features were so unique and the image I was looking at.

00:10:38.900 --> 00:10:41.544
I was like maybe I could do that.

00:10:41.544 --> 00:10:46.955
I ended up making a doll similar to him, posting it again.

00:10:46.955 --> 00:10:57.508
And then the next thing I knew I was getting all of these orders for this doll and I just put rap artists, whatever I knew, to tread lightly.

00:10:57.508 --> 00:11:00.693
I just kept getting these orders and orders.

00:11:00.693 --> 00:11:02.244
What is going on?

00:11:02.244 --> 00:11:10.714
And then I realized a blogger I can't remember the name of the blog right now, but she posted.

00:11:10.714 --> 00:11:15.847
She, I didn't even know she posted it and that's where it was generating all these orders.

00:11:15.847 --> 00:11:16.669
I couldn't believe it.

00:11:16.669 --> 00:11:23.403
People from all over the country, people overseas, were ordering them and I thought there's something to this, you know.

00:11:23.403 --> 00:11:25.208
So I just kept going.

00:11:26.220 --> 00:11:28.369
Friends would say, hey, can you make my daughter?

00:11:28.369 --> 00:11:31.366
Because, as I grew up, there weren't a lot of dolls.

00:11:31.366 --> 00:11:34.924
As you know, that looked like me and I'm very thankful.

00:11:34.924 --> 00:11:38.288
The youngsters nowadays call it being woke.

00:11:38.288 --> 00:11:42.082
I had very woke parents, actually.

00:11:42.082 --> 00:11:44.517
They read the doll study, yes, and were very aware that you know she needs dolls.

00:11:44.517 --> 00:11:50.254
Read the doll study, yes, and were very aware that you know she needs dolls that look like her Presentation is important.

00:11:50.274 --> 00:11:51.740
Yeah, exactly Very important.

00:11:51.860 --> 00:11:54.830
I'm so thankful for that because it stuck with me all these years.

00:11:54.830 --> 00:12:02.869
So parents would reach out to me saying I need a doll that looks like my daughter, you know, and not just African-American children.

00:12:02.869 --> 00:12:05.909
A lot of people from the Latino community reached out to me.

00:12:05.909 --> 00:12:10.626
They wanted a doll that represented their child Gosh, this is still an issue.

00:12:10.626 --> 00:12:13.990
I was in my 40s and this is still an issue.

00:12:13.990 --> 00:12:15.907
So I started doing that.

00:12:15.907 --> 00:12:20.130
But I always kept the hip hop in my back pocket.

00:12:20.130 --> 00:12:22.802
I would sneak a hip hop doll in, I would sneak a hip hop doll in.

00:12:22.802 --> 00:12:30.450
And then one day I donated some dolls to an organization, for I believe it was the legends of hip hop.

00:12:30.450 --> 00:12:50.187
The wives of hip hop legends were trying to get started with a show about their story and they needed gifts and items from the genre for their press release, and so I jumped on that.

00:12:50.187 --> 00:12:51.009
Um, I felt very fortunate they.

00:12:51.029 --> 00:12:53.177
I sent an image like oh yeah, we need this so as luck would have it.

00:12:53.498 --> 00:13:02.400
Um, I sent a set of run dmc dolls with the little turntable and it was really so cool and I thought nothing of it.

00:13:02.441 --> 00:13:05.650
I'm like yeah you know I'm like, yeah, you know, I'm like I got to get started somewhere.

00:13:05.650 --> 00:13:17.904
So I donated these dolls A DJ that I had been listening to all my life and I didn't even realize that DJ Scratch saw them and he said, whoa, I want those who made that.

00:13:17.904 --> 00:13:22.331
And the organizer told him about me.

00:13:22.331 --> 00:13:26.650
Her name is Dana and I'm so thankful for her.

00:13:26.650 --> 00:13:29.601
She told him you know, yeah, you can have them.

00:13:29.601 --> 00:13:31.265
You know, told him about me.

00:13:31.265 --> 00:13:33.090
So that was.

00:13:33.090 --> 00:13:36.325
I thought that was the end of that.

00:13:36.325 --> 00:13:45.929
I'm on social media I think it was Instagram and you know how you follow someone and you get the little alert that they're going live and I thought, oh well, let's check him out.

00:13:45.990 --> 00:13:46.571
He's going live.

00:13:46.571 --> 00:13:47.572
What is he talking about?

00:13:47.572 --> 00:14:02.192
So I click the button and you know it comes on and I'm watching and I see him looking at the phone and he's talking to his audience and he's looking closer and he points and he says hey, you made those dolls.

00:14:02.192 --> 00:14:03.866
I need you to make a doll of me.

00:14:03.866 --> 00:14:09.767
I dropped my phone when he said I said could he be talking to me?

00:14:09.767 --> 00:14:22.528
And I you know scrambles picked it up and he goes yeah, I don't want to mess up your name, but yeah, I need you to reach out and I just text back whatever you want you know so, and then that's how that started.

00:14:22.628 --> 00:14:25.091
He wanted his doll.

00:14:25.091 --> 00:14:34.440
I made it in his likeness, and it just kind of snowballed from there um so crazy I went to high school with um spice one.

00:14:34.580 --> 00:14:40.932
He's our bay area legend in hip-hop and he honored me with making his doll and he loved it.

00:14:40.932 --> 00:14:45.572
I had to make him two and his mother, uh rest in peace to her, because she passed.

00:14:45.572 --> 00:14:53.725
But his mother liked it so much she took it from him and I've been meaning to make him another one, but it's just been crazy.

00:14:53.725 --> 00:15:00.663
But I was like there's something to this, you know, and when you think about it, hip hop culture you know it's a lot of.

00:15:00.663 --> 00:15:03.186
The foundation of it was during that Gen X.

00:15:03.186 --> 00:15:10.153
We were into collecting things, especially now that we're older and we have the money to buy what our parents did yes, exactly, that's so true.

00:15:10.614 --> 00:15:20.869
They're into action figures, they're into comic books, so it's fitting they enjoy having a doll in their likeness and it's really just snowballed from there.

00:15:20.869 --> 00:15:30.225
It's amazing, but when the fair competition started started, I would always go to the fair with my family, mainly my grandparents.

00:15:30.225 --> 00:15:38.268
They would take us every year and we'd go through the gallery and look and I never saw a doll that looked like me.

00:15:38.268 --> 00:15:41.413
Um, it just was a fact.

00:15:41.413 --> 00:15:44.943
Um, but the doll competition has grown tremendously.

00:15:44.943 --> 00:15:51.335
But back then we're talking the early 80s it was more dresses and sweaters and blankets.

00:15:54.299 --> 00:15:55.524
But as years went on, there was there were more dolls.

00:15:55.524 --> 00:16:00.743
So of course, when I got started making dolls I was like you know, why not, why not enter some?

00:16:00.743 --> 00:16:11.690
So the first time I entered I believe it was um the golden girls I made again Alison Hoffman had a, a pattern it is the cutest thing.

00:16:11.690 --> 00:16:15.019
Um, I entered, I think, just Dorothy and Sophia.

00:16:15.019 --> 00:16:17.951
I ran out of time so those were the two figures I had made.

00:16:17.951 --> 00:16:24.072
So I entered those and I got an honorable mention and I thought what you know, I couldn't believe it.

00:16:24.072 --> 00:16:25.518
But I also kind of messed up.

00:16:25.518 --> 00:16:27.384
I entered it under crochet.

00:16:27.384 --> 00:16:31.961
What I should have done was entered it in dolls and toys so that was a learning experience.

00:16:32.001 --> 00:16:34.812
Okay, all right so the next year I learned my lesson.

00:16:34.812 --> 00:16:35.956
I entered um.

00:16:35.956 --> 00:16:45.591
I can't remember what was trending that year um uh, uh, deadpool okay, okay, know the comic book figure.

00:16:45.591 --> 00:16:50.761
I entered that and little did I know, gosh, it leaves me.

00:16:50.761 --> 00:17:02.072
But the company, his movie started trending and their company reached out to me and I thought, well, okay, and they were just saying we need it right away.

00:17:02.072 --> 00:17:08.190
And I thought, well, you know, this is crochet, this isn't mass produced, this takes time this takes days.

00:17:08.230 --> 00:17:11.064
And they said oh no, we have confidence in you, you can get this done.

00:17:11.064 --> 00:17:12.791
And I thought, okay.

00:17:12.791 --> 00:17:17.707
And they said don't worry about rush shipping, we'll send it, we'll send you, you know, everything you need.

00:17:17.707 --> 00:17:18.468
Okay.

00:17:18.468 --> 00:17:20.031
So that made me get the let out.

00:17:20.413 --> 00:17:23.887
Then the next day, I get another message from them.

00:17:23.887 --> 00:17:26.521
They're like oh, and, by the way, throw in a set of girls, and girls too.

00:17:26.521 --> 00:17:29.730
I'm thinking, sir or ma'am, I didn't know who I was talking to.

00:17:29.730 --> 00:17:31.723
I'm like this takes time.

00:17:31.723 --> 00:17:34.434
And they said well, you don't understand, we have a deadline to meet.

00:17:34.434 --> 00:17:36.682
And I'm thinking well, who is this?

00:17:36.682 --> 00:17:38.766
You know I let it go.

00:17:38.766 --> 00:17:40.730
I'm like, okay, let me just get this done.

00:17:41.050 --> 00:17:42.653
I focused matter of fact.

00:17:42.653 --> 00:17:43.523
You know I have a full-time job.

00:17:43.523 --> 00:17:44.932
I think I called in sick a day or two just to get this done.

00:17:44.932 --> 00:17:45.433
I focused matter of fact.

00:17:45.433 --> 00:17:46.057
You know I have a full-time job.

00:17:46.057 --> 00:17:48.585
I think I called in sick a day or two just to get this order done.

00:17:48.585 --> 00:17:56.146
And I, you know maybe, oh, I don't work for them anymore, but yeah, so I went ahead.

00:17:56.146 --> 00:18:05.070
I knocked it out, got the information, went to FedEx because it had to be there the next day, and the technician I'll never forget this.

00:18:05.070 --> 00:18:11.923
They entered the address and they looked at me and they looked at the address and they said who do you know from Fox Studios?

00:18:11.923 --> 00:18:17.134
And I said I'm sorry and they said you do know, this is going to Fox Studios.

00:18:17.134 --> 00:18:19.061
And my mind was blown.

00:18:19.061 --> 00:18:22.346
I was like what in the world is this request for?

00:18:22.346 --> 00:18:31.868
Because I thought it was kind of just like a very I don't know interesting person, like they want a dead doll and they want Golden Girls.

00:18:31.868 --> 00:18:32.190
What?

00:18:32.329 --> 00:18:33.152
in the world.

00:18:33.152 --> 00:18:35.008
You know, little did I know.

00:18:35.750 --> 00:18:52.576
Fox Studios was doing a promotion it was the Golden Girls, I believe 20th, 20th, 30th anniversary, I can't remember now and Deadpool movie release 20th, 20th, 30th anniversary, I can't remember now and did pool movie release and I didn't know the character had this um thing, I don't know bond with b author, I think, his sword.

00:18:52.576 --> 00:19:00.676
He named b it my son is gonna kill me for not memorizing this, but um, I didn't know the connection, so sure enough.

00:19:01.403 --> 00:19:05.960
I wake up the next day and a friend of mine she sends me this message.

00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:08.288
She goes hey, are these your dolls?

00:19:08.288 --> 00:19:09.963
And I click on it.

00:19:09.963 --> 00:19:11.750
It was on Facebook, it was on Instagram.

00:19:11.750 --> 00:19:13.606
They put the doll.

00:19:13.606 --> 00:19:15.746
I'll send you an image of this.

00:19:15.746 --> 00:19:17.987
They put the doll, both sets of dolls.

00:19:17.987 --> 00:19:19.150
It was very neat.

00:19:19.150 --> 00:19:24.028
They had like a CGI baton and I thought oh, my God.

00:19:24.401 --> 00:19:26.926
Even, even the designer, um Allison.

00:19:26.926 --> 00:19:30.924
I remember she went on her page and said, hey, who's making these dolls?

00:19:30.924 --> 00:19:32.067
That's my pattern.

00:19:32.067 --> 00:19:35.364
You know it was amazing, but it just made me realize.

00:19:35.364 --> 00:19:40.520
You know people are mocking me and saying, really, you crocheted, you sit in a rocking chair, right.

00:19:40.520 --> 00:19:48.561
But if Fox Studios, if hip-hop artists, if they, you know, yeah, so that gave me the, the proof that I needed.

00:19:48.602 --> 00:19:56.329
There's something to this yeah, you know something to it, but the things, too, about that is that you just never know who's watching you never ever know.

00:19:56.349 --> 00:19:57.760
You know, it's so funny when you said that.

00:19:57.760 --> 00:20:20.631
It reminds me when, when we were doing the big, beautiful dolls we had, we had a conversation with monique a while back you know, years ago, because I mean I was just when we first started, which is so long ago, 20 something years ago but and we had a conversation with her and her brother and we thought we were going to do some dolls for them, you know, because we really wanted to expand the company and so those.

00:20:20.631 --> 00:20:21.853
That didn't pan out.

00:20:21.853 --> 00:20:30.310
But probably about two, three months later my mom calls me and she's like oh my God, turn the TV on.

00:20:30.310 --> 00:20:31.511
So I turn the TV on.

00:20:31.511 --> 00:20:32.614
It was Entertainment Tonight.

00:20:32.614 --> 00:20:45.844
I never forget this Entertainment Tonight and Monique had one of our dolls on Entertainment Tonight Amazing, it was the Dina doll and she was talking about the doll and she was like, oh my God, isn't she beautiful and doesn't she look like me?

00:20:45.923 --> 00:20:46.424
And blah, blah.

00:20:46.424 --> 00:20:48.048
And we were just like stunned.

00:20:48.048 --> 00:20:51.063
I was, I bet I was totally stunned.

00:20:51.063 --> 00:21:01.243
I mean now she didn't reference us, but I don't know if that has something to do with, you know, entertainment tonight or whatever it was saying that you know, the reference us or anything like that Cause.

00:21:01.243 --> 00:21:05.189
Obviously that's an endorsement per se, but it was just so interesting.

00:21:05.249 --> 00:21:14.612
You know, you never know and you just never know, never know who's looking at you don't know where your things show up at, but your uh competition you won for the rap dolls, didn't you?

00:21:14.612 --> 00:21:16.462
Wasn't that I did I?

00:21:17.203 --> 00:21:21.931
waited um the year before I did um.

00:21:22.412 --> 00:21:22.952
Was it black?

00:21:22.952 --> 00:21:23.993
Yes, black panther.

00:21:23.993 --> 00:21:27.000
When the movie was trending, I won first place for that.

00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:30.911
And then I thought, my goodness, what in the world am I gonna do this year?

00:21:30.911 --> 00:21:34.066
Because, you know, my little ego got involved.

00:21:34.066 --> 00:21:38.780
I'm like I'm the crochet champion, I have to follow up, you know, and so.

00:21:38.780 --> 00:21:43.347
But it just really motivated me and I thought, duh, you're turning 50.

00:21:43.628 --> 00:21:44.890
Hip-hop's turning 50.

00:21:44.890 --> 00:21:47.054
Make a tribute to hip-hop.

00:21:47.054 --> 00:21:49.041
And that's exactly what I did.

00:21:49.041 --> 00:21:52.008
Nice and the patrons loved it.

00:21:52.008 --> 00:21:57.045
I I don't want to get emotional about it, but it's just priceless seeing people react to them.

00:21:57.045 --> 00:21:59.109
The patrons at the fair loved it.

00:21:59.109 --> 00:22:00.113
Little did I know.

00:22:00.113 --> 00:22:02.565
Like you said, you never know who's watching.

00:22:02.565 --> 00:22:04.088
The community loved it.

00:22:04.088 --> 00:22:07.515
Um, channel five reached out to me.

00:22:07.515 --> 00:22:09.519
Our local news reached out to me.

00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:14.800
Our local black newspaper, the um, they're out of sacramento, california, the observer.

00:22:14.800 --> 00:22:16.165
I couldn't believe it.

00:22:16.165 --> 00:22:19.153
They did articles about it and folks loved it.

00:22:19.153 --> 00:22:22.300
They loved it and it just further reinforced.

00:22:22.300 --> 00:22:23.103
Keep going.

00:22:23.103 --> 00:22:25.273
Look, the people like what you do.

00:22:25.273 --> 00:22:27.558
It brings so much joy as dolls do.

00:22:27.558 --> 00:22:37.057
Yeah, that's, that's the first toy I remember, a baby doll and I remember that joy and that's just what I do now.

00:22:37.358 --> 00:23:07.915
It just brings joy to people, yeah, but um, that was priceless, though, to see um the dolls recognized yeah and um I don't mean to creep people out, but I like going to the, to the pavilion, and I just kind of sit and I just watch and just seeing the children come, especially african-american children, and they look and like they they're recognizing the dolls and they're identifying with the dolls and it's just very rewarding.

00:23:07.915 --> 00:23:17.586
Yes, the accolades are nice, yes, the awards are nice, but that is, it's just so addictive to see people's response, whether it's good, bad or indifferent.

00:23:17.586 --> 00:23:19.832
I love that because it gives me feedback.

00:23:19.832 --> 00:23:23.640
Um, it's telling me it either way.

00:23:23.700 --> 00:23:29.451
It's telling me to keep going right, yeah, um what you do is a passion that you have and you love doing it.

00:23:29.451 --> 00:23:36.717
So you want to know that people respond to that, you know, and that they receive your work, because you do put a lot into that.

00:23:36.717 --> 00:23:41.381
So walk me through a little bit of your creative process, like how did you even think of this?

00:23:41.401 --> 00:23:54.195
but really music is just so influential over me, I.

00:23:54.195 --> 00:24:08.157
But I always have music playing, whether I'm in my office, whether I call my little workshop my stitch lab it's in another room in the house, but I always have music playing and, you know, music can bring back a memory.

00:24:08.157 --> 00:24:16.178
Or if I've seen this person live, or sometimes I'll be watching an award show and I'll be inspired from that, or even a movie.

00:24:16.178 --> 00:24:24.906
Okay, um, speaking of movies, I don't know if, uh, you saw the dolls I made from, uh, the christmas movie jingle jangle.

00:24:24.906 --> 00:24:28.738
That movie inspired me so much.

00:24:28.738 --> 00:24:35.076
I'm I'm watching the movie and my son you know I was the annoying mom, I'm like we're all gonna watch this movie.

00:24:35.076 --> 00:24:40.859
So my sons are sitting there watching with me and my oldest looked at me and he said mom, can you just watch the movie?

00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:46.615
I can tell your brain is thinking about and I'm like I'm sorry you know so I gotta present.

00:24:46.615 --> 00:24:55.685
But to answer your question, music, the visuals I get from different movies I like, even memories, childhood memories.

00:24:55.685 --> 00:24:59.037
I'm very nostalgic of memory.

00:24:59.037 --> 00:25:02.084
I'll pop up and I just get that inspiration.

00:25:03.590 --> 00:25:09.390
One of my favorite craft fairs that I did, I made a Rick James doll.

00:25:09.390 --> 00:25:12.038
I think it was the Street Song album cover.

00:25:12.038 --> 00:25:13.773
I just remember as a little girl seeing him.

00:25:13.773 --> 00:25:14.896
I thought he was so cool.

00:25:14.896 --> 00:25:17.590
My mom was very like you, like Rick James.

00:25:17.590 --> 00:25:21.981
No, but I just remember his braids, because I had little braids too.

00:25:21.981 --> 00:25:23.371
I'm like, oh, he's so cool.

00:25:23.371 --> 00:25:29.520
And I remember the thigh high boots and one day I was like I'm going to make a Rickick james doll.

00:25:29.520 --> 00:25:35.037
And, like you said, you never know who's looking on etsy, who's following you on social media.

00:25:35.037 --> 00:25:38.633
You know his bass player, one of his original bass.

00:25:38.633 --> 00:25:47.661
Uh, girlfriend saw the doll, bought it for him, gave it to him for christmas, and his only critique was I really wish you made a little bass guitar to go with it.

00:25:47.661 --> 00:25:55.319
And I thought, oh, why didn't I think of that you know but then, you know, I started thinking more collaboratively.

00:25:55.569 --> 00:26:00.479
Hey, maybe they play the bass, make a bass If they play the trumpet, the trumpet to go with them.

00:26:00.479 --> 00:26:05.957
But music really inspires me, it really does, wow.

00:26:07.272 --> 00:26:15.936
Now you know you've been in the crochet business for a while now, so what has been some of your biggest challenges that you have faced Just in the doll making journey?

00:26:16.740 --> 00:26:18.856
Oh, yes, there are definitely challenges.

00:26:18.856 --> 00:26:25.982
You know, when you have a passion for something, some people assume that, oh, you like doing it, just give it to me.

00:26:25.982 --> 00:26:31.461
And I'm like no, I mean, there was a time when I would do that.

00:26:31.461 --> 00:26:37.351
But when you finally get yourself together and say you know what, this is going to be a legitimate business.

00:26:37.351 --> 00:26:39.194
I need to value my work.

00:26:39.194 --> 00:26:43.230
I need to price accordingly, because you don't want to insult the industry.

00:26:43.230 --> 00:26:44.574
I learned that the hard way.

00:26:44.574 --> 00:26:48.542
I still have emails saying, girl, what are you doing?

00:26:48.542 --> 00:26:49.335
You're giving your work away.

00:26:49.335 --> 00:26:50.222
And I thought, oh my girl, what are you doing?

00:26:50.222 --> 00:26:50.990
You're giving your work away, you know?

00:26:50.990 --> 00:26:53.719
And I thought, oh, my goodness, what am I doing?

00:26:53.719 --> 00:26:59.134
So I would have to say my biggest challenge you see this person.

00:26:59.134 --> 00:27:02.798
They like your work, they adore your work and they want it.

00:27:02.798 --> 00:27:06.621
And perhaps they're telling you they can't afford it.

00:27:06.621 --> 00:27:10.756
But one thing I've learned is people can afford what they want to afford.

00:27:11.351 --> 00:27:13.016
That's what I say all the time.

00:27:13.016 --> 00:27:14.359
Yes, ma'am.

00:27:15.451 --> 00:27:18.557
It's interesting and I had to learn this.

00:27:18.557 --> 00:27:24.998
I had to get thick skin because I used to let people intimidate me Like how long does it take you to make that?

00:27:24.998 --> 00:27:26.000
How much are your supplies?

00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:27.215
I'm like whoa, wait a minute.

00:27:27.215 --> 00:27:30.912
And I learned this analogy from a mentor.

00:27:30.951 --> 00:27:33.394
They don't know they're my mentor, but they told me.

00:27:33.394 --> 00:27:40.219
They said you know, have you ever gone to a Mercedes Benz parking lot, or even a Bentley parking lot?

00:27:40.219 --> 00:27:44.060
Do you walk in there and say, oh, no, no, this is not in my budget.

00:27:44.060 --> 00:27:48.683
No, they will kindly walk you to the door and say see that over there, that's CarMax.

00:27:48.683 --> 00:27:50.605
You need to go over there, right?

00:27:50.605 --> 00:27:54.948
So they taught me you are making one of ones.

00:27:54.948 --> 00:27:59.055
You have a skill that other people don't have, right.

00:27:59.055 --> 00:28:02.001
They need to pay you for that and they need to respect what you do.

00:28:02.001 --> 00:28:09.256
And if they don't tell them, the nearest Walmart is 5.5 miles away and you can get something within your budget.

00:28:09.256 --> 00:28:17.493
You know, know, I wouldn't tell someone that, but I've learned to have an educational moment with them yes, yes and yeah because it's you know it.

00:28:18.035 --> 00:28:29.884
I wish I could mass produce these, but then for me it would take away from it, because I put my heart and soul into these dolls and people that are loyal to me.

00:28:29.884 --> 00:28:44.019
There's a lady every year she orders a doll for me, whether it's a graduation, a wedding or just a special friend, that she wants them to have a unique gift, and I love that and she appreciates what I do.

00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:49.815
She never haggles me about oh well, I'm getting two, can you give me a good deal?

00:28:49.815 --> 00:28:51.253
And she respects that.

00:28:51.253 --> 00:28:53.259
I'm not a big box store, right.

00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:59.281
So for me, pricing well, I shouldn't say it.

00:28:59.281 --> 00:29:01.217
Still, it used to be an issue for me.

00:29:01.217 --> 00:29:02.674
Now I'm very unapologetic.

00:29:02.674 --> 00:29:03.638
This is my fee.

00:29:03.638 --> 00:29:04.835
This is what you want.

00:29:04.835 --> 00:29:06.315
This is going to be my fee.

00:29:06.315 --> 00:29:09.365
If you want to go with that, here's our contract, right, this is going to be my fee.

00:29:09.365 --> 00:29:10.429
If you want to go with that, here's our contract, right.

00:29:10.429 --> 00:29:10.694
You need to come back?

00:29:10.694 --> 00:29:12.357
Great, but this is my fee.

00:29:12.357 --> 00:29:17.112
Um, and it's taken years for me to be able to say that yeah, I can imagine that.

00:29:17.172 --> 00:29:19.900
I mean you know it's so funny, like I all the people that I interviewed.

00:29:19.900 --> 00:29:39.785
That is definitely one of the challenges is about you know, pricing their no start just learning how to price their, their uh, their uh, their art, because you know, a lot of times you're creative and you know that you could do it and sometimes it comes easy to somebody or you've learned it to the point where it does come easy to you now and sometimes you don't.

00:29:39.785 --> 00:29:46.451
Like you said, if you don't respect the work that you put into it, then you can't expect other people to respect that, and sometimes you do.

00:29:46.451 --> 00:29:55.179
Some people still, like you said, challenge you and they want to know why is it cost this much or why is it do that, and I don't think that you need to really have an explanation about that.

00:29:55.179 --> 00:29:55.881
It's your art.

00:29:56.349 --> 00:30:02.842
You know, it's something that you do and you spend time on, and that's what this is the reason that they're reaching out to you, because they love what you do.

00:30:02.842 --> 00:30:05.113
So then they pay for what you do.

00:30:05.113 --> 00:30:22.054
I mean, I think that's a big challenge, you know, in this, in the doll creative space, but it's your time and it's your hours, you know, and it's your creativity and your knowledge you know to create those things.

00:30:22.054 --> 00:30:23.220
So I totally understand that that is a big challenge.

00:30:23.220 --> 00:30:25.048
I think in the art world in general, you know what I mean In the artist world.

00:30:25.088 --> 00:30:29.477
So, yes, yeah, Because you always hear about the starving artists.

00:30:29.477 --> 00:30:34.173
But, yes, no, it shouldn't be that way and we need art.

00:30:34.173 --> 00:30:35.675
Art makes us happy.

00:30:35.675 --> 00:30:51.664
Um, I have a friend who he's, uh, into collecting art pieces and, um, he saw, I couldn't believe, my job put the article and the links to me winning at the state fair, at work and my.

00:30:51.664 --> 00:30:53.791
So now my both worlds are colliding.

00:30:53.791 --> 00:31:00.112
My co-workers are like, hey, I saw you and I you know and it was kind of nice having it separated.

00:31:00.212 --> 00:31:11.832
It's kind of nice now to mesh them but, um, I, he had mentioned to me he was an art collector and um, he told me, he said you know, people are calling your dolls toys, they're calling it crochet.

00:31:11.832 --> 00:31:15.278
He goes, you do realize what you're doing is art.

00:31:15.278 --> 00:31:25.151
And for him to say that, my heart just skipped a beat and I thought thank you so much, you know, because so many people minimize what I do.

00:31:25.151 --> 00:31:33.354
Yeah, like, that's made out of yarn, that yarn really, and you know, like all by the yarn, will you make it for the cost of the yarn?

00:31:33.413 --> 00:31:37.982
I'm like absolutely not and they don't.

00:31:37.982 --> 00:31:38.692
But that's the thing.

00:31:38.692 --> 00:31:40.637
They don't realize how insulting that is.

00:31:40.637 --> 00:31:44.699
They don't know, they don't know and don't realize the work that goes into it Really.

00:31:44.699 --> 00:31:47.212
You know, you have to learn how to create those things.

00:31:47.252 --> 00:31:53.744
You know, and because you, and just because you think about it, you still have to learn how to get it out of your head into that doll.

00:31:53.744 --> 00:31:58.101
And once it does, you know that doll has to speak for itself.

00:31:58.101 --> 00:31:58.911
That's.

00:31:58.911 --> 00:32:02.141
It's not just about oh, let me just put these needles into the yarn.

00:32:02.141 --> 00:32:04.337
I mean it's a lot of things that go with that.

00:32:04.730 --> 00:32:11.032
It's definitely a technique and other crocheters they'll say like hey, I make blankets, like how did you start doing that?

00:32:11.032 --> 00:32:12.317
And what they don't understand.

00:32:12.317 --> 00:32:15.153
I'm like, well, if you could make a blanket, you can do this.

00:32:15.153 --> 00:32:16.537
I'm just not doing it.

00:32:16.537 --> 00:32:18.200
We're doing the same stitches.

00:32:18.200 --> 00:32:20.111
These dolls are literally.

00:32:20.111 --> 00:32:27.044
Maybe, depending on how complicated are, maybe four to five different stitches, okay, okay.

00:32:27.044 --> 00:32:35.944
And if you can, and you're just doing it in a circle instead of at length but every crocheter I talk to that doesn't make dolls.

00:32:35.984 --> 00:32:44.590
They're like oh no, I, I couldn't do that and I'm like no, you make these elaborate, detailed blankets you can't, oh, no, no no, so it's just one of those things.

00:32:44.990 --> 00:32:49.594
It's just one of those things yeah, yeah, it is a required practice, isn't it Right?

00:32:50.674 --> 00:32:56.739
And you have to be in the right state of mind too, because I can make blankets, but it's not for me.

00:32:56.739 --> 00:33:00.201
I'll have people that will write to me, and I find it interesting.

00:33:00.201 --> 00:33:07.306
I've been doing this for over five years now as a business, and I'll still get requests like oh, your dolls are crocheted.

00:33:07.306 --> 00:33:08.987
Well, I have a baby shower to go to.

00:33:08.987 --> 00:33:10.432
Can you make me a blanket too?

00:33:10.432 --> 00:33:16.611
And when what I do, I reach out to my friends who specialize in blankets and booties and hat.

00:33:16.711 --> 00:33:17.472
I could do it.

00:33:17.472 --> 00:33:20.239
But they can do it and it's beautiful.

00:33:20.239 --> 00:33:24.855
And they always ask me girl, you could do this yourself, what you're sending me customers.

00:33:24.855 --> 00:33:28.773
I'm like, yeah, because this is what you do and it's very nice.

00:33:28.773 --> 00:33:31.173
When they get the dollar request, they send me the dollar.

00:33:31.173 --> 00:33:34.342
It's a beautiful thing, it's beautiful.

00:33:34.869 --> 00:33:45.430
Speaking of that, yeah, let me ask you so you mentioned it before about you know how you share the information with other artists to maybe create blankets and vice versa.

00:33:45.430 --> 00:33:46.471
They'll share stuff with you.

00:33:46.471 --> 00:33:51.420
Do you do collaborations and partnerships with other people with the type of what you do?

00:33:51.420 --> 00:33:53.463
Absolutely what would they?

00:33:53.463 --> 00:33:54.445
What would they be on my sharing?

00:33:54.445 --> 00:33:56.173
Can you share one of them with us?

00:33:56.394 --> 00:34:08.782
or, um, you know how did, how did you know it's been a minute, but, um, unfortunately, after the uh, george floyd, um, uh, murder a lot of people.

00:34:08.782 --> 00:34:15.353
What's a nice way of saying this?

00:34:15.353 --> 00:34:18.786
In the past, black doll artists, we were there, but were we getting the likes and shares?

00:34:19.570 --> 00:34:22.340
Not really I'm like, yeah, that's nice what you're doing, right.

00:34:22.990 --> 00:34:28.523
But after that it was very interesting how relevant we became, Wow.

00:34:29.130 --> 00:34:49.023
So, I had so many people reach out to me after that terrible incident and I picked up on a vibe that was quite disingenuous, so I had to let a few go, but people that knew me before, who were promoting me before, who were supporting me before, of course I would collaborate with them.

00:34:49.023 --> 00:34:51.597
There were a lot of people online.

00:34:51.597 --> 00:35:04.715
They would do giveaways, they would do promotions and they would highlight me on their page and I appreciated that so much because I made connections that I still have to this day, so that was very nice.

00:35:04.715 --> 00:35:06.697
These are people I never even met before.

00:35:06.697 --> 00:35:11.581
We're online friends and the maker community is vast.

00:35:11.750 --> 00:35:14.036
Yes, it is huge, it's huge.

00:35:14.137 --> 00:35:22.420
And then when you get more local and then we're like, oh, there are other knitters and crocheters, you know you start linking up and it's amazing what word of mouth can do.

00:35:22.420 --> 00:35:27.418
But there was a lot of online because you know we had to deal with COVID.

00:35:27.418 --> 00:35:32.273
You know so a lot of remote things of online because you know we had to deal with covid.

00:35:32.273 --> 00:35:33.436
You know so a lot of remote things.

00:35:33.436 --> 00:35:33.916
Um, I haven't had folks.

00:35:33.916 --> 00:35:50.121
Um, oh, she's gonna get me I can't think of the name of the school right now, but, um, with a lot of the online schools and whatnot, um, she reached out to me and wanted me to just, you know, do a presentation about crochet, it's origins, why I do it.

00:35:50.121 --> 00:35:53.998
And I thought, sure, and I thought, you know, I'll volunteer to do it.

00:35:53.998 --> 00:36:00.539
No, she was going to cut me a check for this and I was like what, you're going to pay me money to talk about my passion.

00:36:00.539 --> 00:36:02.291
That's mind blown.

00:36:02.391 --> 00:36:04.614
That's good, that's beautiful, that's what you want.

00:36:04.614 --> 00:36:05.635
That's what people want.

00:36:06.235 --> 00:36:16.106
Yeah, and I was so naive, I'm so naive, I'm like I don't even know what to ask for, you know for feet and it just things just got really real all of a sudden.

00:36:20.550 --> 00:36:22.014
But I learned the power of collaborating in that way.

00:36:22.014 --> 00:36:30.411
And you know, you have your followers, they have followers that never even heard of you and you just start fusing together and the next thing it's just growth and bigger and bigger.

00:36:30.411 --> 00:36:38.748
But the best collaboration is joining the american black beauty doll association.

00:36:38.748 --> 00:36:41.333
Those, yes, those are my doll sisters.

00:36:41.333 --> 00:36:46.603
Um I I have to give you the background, though it still blows my mind.

00:36:46.750 --> 00:36:52.913
I'm a part of this organization I was doing a show in jack london square in oakland.

00:36:52.913 --> 00:36:54.335
It's a beautiful area.

00:36:54.335 --> 00:36:58.003
Um, don't, don't listen to the hype about oakland right now.

00:36:58.003 --> 00:37:00.836
There are still some very nice areas.

00:37:00.836 --> 00:37:06.150
Um, one of my favorite um shows was done in jack london square.

00:37:06.150 --> 00:37:10.036
Um, because I'm originally from oakland, so any excuse I have to go back to Oakland.

00:37:10.036 --> 00:37:18.557
I love doing that and I remember being number one, the only doll vendor, number two, the only, of course, black doll vendor.

00:37:18.557 --> 00:37:20.543
I kind of stood out um.

00:37:20.704 --> 00:37:22.108
A lady came into my booth.

00:37:22.108 --> 00:37:26.778
She admired everything I do and she goes are you part of the Black Doll Association?

00:37:26.778 --> 00:37:31.353
I'm like Black Doll Association, I didn't know there was a black doll association.

00:37:31.353 --> 00:37:33.257
She goes yeah, they're right here in oakland.

00:37:33.257 --> 00:37:34.201
You aren't a part of them?

00:37:34.201 --> 00:37:35.413
I said tell me.

00:37:35.413 --> 00:37:37.396
Well, I need more information.

00:37:37.396 --> 00:37:39.501
She goes well, I'm sure you can look it up online.

00:37:39.501 --> 00:37:46.251
So I go home, of course I I couldn't find them and, knowing what I know now, it's because I wasn't searching correctly.

00:37:46.251 --> 00:37:52.798
Our seo is a little interesting and we're working on that, so we're a lot more discoverable now.

00:37:52.798 --> 00:37:54.916
So I'm not joking.

00:37:54.916 --> 00:37:57.661
What, almost four years later?

00:37:57.661 --> 00:38:05.744
Wow, four years later, the president of the organization, ms Faith Elena Monique, reached out to me mind blown.

00:38:05.744 --> 00:38:08.739
I'm just mind my own business, la la la online.

00:38:08.739 --> 00:38:10.398
I get a DM from her.

00:38:10.398 --> 00:38:10.782
Her I was.

00:38:10.782 --> 00:38:13.112
I've been looking for you guys.

00:38:13.112 --> 00:38:14.795
It was so beautiful.

00:38:14.795 --> 00:38:20.552
So there's a process you apply, they interview you and I was just a mess.

00:38:20.552 --> 00:38:23.983
I'm like I really want to do this and they are the sweetest.

00:38:24.163 --> 00:38:36.313
Yes, they are kindness, most generous, understanding group of women and so creative yeah so creative and I'm how I'm so proud to say I'm a member of that.

00:38:36.313 --> 00:38:43.391
Um, I just I'm just notified, I'm part of the social media team now.

00:38:43.391 --> 00:38:50.141
So that's um, that's wonderful, it's beautiful and um, every year now I did my first event.

00:38:50.141 --> 00:38:50.983
Let me back up.

00:38:50.983 --> 00:38:55.016
I did an event with them and, um, I was hooked.

00:38:55.016 --> 00:38:57.563
I was like, oh yeah, I need to be a part of this.

00:38:57.563 --> 00:39:02.675
So, um, every year we do our show, but we do other things throughout the year.

00:39:02.675 --> 00:39:04.460
This year, it's so many plans.

00:39:04.460 --> 00:39:06.432
We're going to be knocking y'all socks off.

00:39:06.432 --> 00:39:08.097
That's so beautiful.

00:39:08.097 --> 00:39:09.318
I'm, I'm so excited.

00:39:09.378 --> 00:39:10.943
Yeah, it's so funny.

00:39:10.943 --> 00:39:16.324
I got the call on my end right To ask me to participate and to do a show.

00:39:16.324 --> 00:39:27.280
They were able to bring together for me a lot of the artists, a lot of the people there that established the American Black Doll Beauty Association and their show and it was just beautiful, it was so funny.

00:39:27.280 --> 00:39:30.675
I remember thinking, oh my gosh, I got like six or seven, eight women on this.

00:39:30.675 --> 00:39:32.159
How, how is this going to happen?

00:39:32.159 --> 00:39:32.480
You know?

00:39:32.659 --> 00:39:48.681
um, I was a little a little stressed, but I really wanted to do it and I'm just so honored that they reached out to me, as you know, um, um, you know some person that could, you know, showcase what it is that they did, and I really appreciated that.

00:39:48.681 --> 00:39:49.543
So much, you know.

00:39:49.543 --> 00:39:51.164
So I want to thank them again.

00:39:51.164 --> 00:40:05.661
Thank you to the American Beauty Doll Association for doing that for me too, you know, because it gave me an opportunity to just see what's happening in Oakland and in different parts of California and to find other people out there to showcase.

00:40:05.661 --> 00:40:07.237
Well, we appreciate you so much.

00:40:07.237 --> 00:40:13.496
So, yeah, what kind of future projects and expansions are you considering for, you know, for Adwa Designs?

00:40:13.496 --> 00:40:15.521
Like, how do you plan on going with this?

00:40:16.150 --> 00:40:20.978
You know, five years now actually, I actually got my DBA.

00:40:20.978 --> 00:40:24.485
I became a legitimate business.

00:40:24.485 --> 00:40:26.610
It takes so much discipline.

00:40:26.610 --> 00:40:30.574
Yes, it does, yeah, yeah.

00:40:30.574 --> 00:40:33.596
The one year my tax guy was like we're not doing this again.

00:40:33.596 --> 00:40:38.059
I had to go through my other bank accounts to figure he goes no, you use your business account.

00:40:38.159 --> 00:40:39.561
I had to grow up real quick.

00:40:39.561 --> 00:40:41.981
Grow up be a business woman, right.

00:40:41.981 --> 00:40:48.027
So legitimate business started in 2015.

00:40:48.027 --> 00:40:50.148
I'm sorry, 2016.

00:40:50.148 --> 00:40:55.271
Okay, all right.

00:40:55.271 --> 00:40:58.177
So it's been going good some years, better than others, but I do work full-time, right.

00:40:58.177 --> 00:40:59.619
I still have my career in nursing.

00:41:00.001 --> 00:41:08.878
So that's you know, I'm a mom, that's that's my real job, mom, um, and then I'm a nurse, so my job's getting in my way.

00:41:08.878 --> 00:41:13.445
So I'm looking forward to the next four and a half years.

00:41:13.445 --> 00:41:14.306
Tell me about it.

00:41:14.306 --> 00:41:20.262
I'm making my moves now to get to when I retire.

00:41:20.262 --> 00:41:24.338
I'm going full time into this, right, so I'm.

00:41:24.338 --> 00:41:25.762
I'm doing my homework now.

00:41:25.762 --> 00:41:27.434
I have a lot of great mentors.

00:41:27.434 --> 00:41:29.710
People out there don't even know they're my mentors.

00:41:29.710 --> 00:41:34.501
I'm learning from them the steps I need to take to get where I need to be right.

00:41:34.501 --> 00:41:45.306
Um, ultimately, I already have my eye on the shop downtown fairfield, california, where I'm gonna be setting up shop um a lot of people tell me I'll just do it out of your house.

00:41:45.726 --> 00:41:51.532
I'm not comfortable doing that um so I'd like to have a designated space for designated space.

00:41:51.532 --> 00:42:01.036
So it's building up to that okay um, but just lessons yeah um group sessions, um, every show I do it's wonderful.

00:42:01.295 --> 00:42:09.079
Um, I'll have, there'll be a teacher attending a doll show or a craft fair and they'll say my students this they need their enrichment.

00:42:09.079 --> 00:42:11.503
And we'll exchange contact info.

00:42:11.503 --> 00:42:14.157
Some follow up, some don't.

00:42:14.157 --> 00:42:20.193
Right, a lot of parents will say my daughter needs to learn, or my son, you know he wants to learn.

00:42:20.193 --> 00:42:24.034
You know there there's a lot to be done, a lot of work to be done.

00:42:24.034 --> 00:42:25.619
I'm taking the baby steps now.

00:42:26.190 --> 00:42:26.771
And it's just you.

00:42:26.771 --> 00:42:27.775
I get that.

00:42:27.775 --> 00:42:29.280
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:42:31.469 --> 00:42:41.637
I look forward to when I can dedicate fully to this, but now, after I get off work, this is what I do, you know, and then I do the mama first, and then I do this when they get situated.

00:42:41.637 --> 00:42:47.958
But, um, um, being a member of the American black beauty doll association, this is what I've needed.

00:42:47.958 --> 00:42:49.782
We're going to be so busy this year.

00:42:49.782 --> 00:42:51.597
We're more organized this year.

00:42:51.597 --> 00:42:56.474
In the past, we would start promoting more right before the doll show.

00:42:56.474 --> 00:42:57.757
We've learned nothing.

00:42:57.757 --> 00:43:00.637
No, no, throughout the year we need to be doing that.

00:43:00.637 --> 00:43:06.559
We're going to have a plethora of workshops and all of us have our own medium.

00:43:06.791 --> 00:43:20.523
I'm the only one that crochets or does the Amigurumi dolls right, right um, we have porcelain dolls uh, resin dolls and resin um and, and we're always learning and learning new methods, but it's all based in making dolls.

00:43:20.523 --> 00:43:22.248
Yeah, um, a lot of associations.

00:43:22.248 --> 00:43:23.652
They're more like collectors.

00:43:23.652 --> 00:43:30.376
I mean, we collect too, yeah, but we're really into the making part and we want to teach the youth.

00:43:30.376 --> 00:43:32.699
They need this because the skill is fading.

00:43:33.994 --> 00:43:35.338
You need younger people coming up.

00:43:35.338 --> 00:43:37.757
So, that way it passes on.

00:43:37.958 --> 00:43:41.659
And I have boys, so they're not really interested.

00:43:41.659 --> 00:43:43.235
I have a great niece.

00:43:43.235 --> 00:43:48.817
I'm hoping I can inspire her, but the need is there and we're ready to fulfill it.

00:43:48.817 --> 00:43:50.230
And, ultimately, doll shows coming this fall.

00:43:50.230 --> 00:43:50.802
But the need is there and we're ready to fulfill it.

00:43:50.802 --> 00:43:53.056
And, ultimately, doll shows coming this fall.

00:43:53.056 --> 00:43:56.563
I'll be competing again.

00:43:56.563 --> 00:44:00.032
I'm the reigning champ in the state fair.

00:44:00.414 --> 00:44:04.596
So I gotta figure out how to knock everybody's socks off again this year.

00:44:04.596 --> 00:44:09.230
I have several ideas, but I haven't narrowed them down.

00:44:09.230 --> 00:44:12.235
I have three different ideas, so I still.

00:44:12.235 --> 00:44:18.679
You know, we have to present our doll sets in April, so I got to get the lead out for that.

00:44:19.061 --> 00:44:25.199
But for me personally, for Audrey Design, in the spring I'm going to release my doll collection.

00:44:25.199 --> 00:44:31.019
I don't want to tear up about this, but my dad saved a drawing that I did when I was in kindergarten.

00:44:31.019 --> 00:44:34.398
You couldn't ask me what I had for lunch yesterday, but I remember this.

00:44:34.398 --> 00:44:43.016
Over 33 years ago now, our kindergarten teacher, mrs Oliver, she told me, she told the whole class draw a picture of yourself.

00:44:43.016 --> 00:44:45.952
We're doing self-portraits today and I thought, oh, wow.

00:44:45.952 --> 00:44:48.077
And you know I didn't know.

00:44:48.077 --> 00:44:49.922
Even then I was pretty creative.

00:44:49.922 --> 00:44:52.012
Art skills were a little limited.

00:44:52.012 --> 00:45:00.144
But instead of just drawing a picture of myself, I asked for a long sheet of paper and she just went with it.

00:45:00.144 --> 00:45:02.213
She had different construction paper out.

00:45:02.213 --> 00:45:11.221
I got this rectangular long sheet of paper and I ended up drawing pictures of myself with different hairstyles because my mom loved to do my hair, okay.

00:45:11.240 --> 00:45:14.657
So I just, and she asked me, why do you want that?

00:45:14.657 --> 00:45:17.471
And I said, well, because my hair doesn't look like this every day.

00:45:17.471 --> 00:45:18.916
I wear it like this and I wear it like that.

00:45:18.916 --> 00:45:20.440
And she said, okay, go ahead.

00:45:20.440 --> 00:45:26.496
I didn't know she was entering that drawing into a local art competition for the school.

00:45:26.496 --> 00:45:32.054
I don't think I won an award, but I still have it and you could see the stamp of the art show.

00:45:32.054 --> 00:45:34.639
So I know it was, uh, displayed.

00:45:35.460 --> 00:45:37.373
So my dad gives this back to me.

00:45:37.373 --> 00:45:38.820
You know I'm 50 now.

00:45:38.820 --> 00:45:40.951
He hands this to me, goes, oh, remember this.

00:45:40.951 --> 00:45:43.559
And I thought, dad, you saved that.

00:45:43.559 --> 00:45:45.844
And you say, yeah, why would I throw this away?

00:45:45.844 --> 00:45:51.778
I had it framed, I put it in my stitch lab and it just hit me one day.

00:45:51.778 --> 00:45:53.849
It's like there's your doll collection right there.

00:45:53.849 --> 00:45:54.871
Yeah, that's you know.

00:45:54.871 --> 00:45:58.898
So that is it, and I'm trying to figure out.

00:45:58.898 --> 00:46:02.324
I don't design my own doll pattern yet.

00:46:02.324 --> 00:46:16.150
Okay, because, as I said, I don't want to infringe on anyone and I use all these wonderful designers, right, but I use bits from this one and bits from this one, but I need to just focus and center and do my own.

00:46:16.530 --> 00:46:20.280
But in the meantime, when I do that, do users.

00:46:20.280 --> 00:46:25.177
I have their permission to use theirs and I obviously disclose that.

00:46:25.177 --> 00:46:27.842
Um, so that's my baby right now.

00:46:27.922 --> 00:46:31.000
Oh, that's gonna be really really beautiful I can't wait to see.

00:46:31.000 --> 00:46:34.251
That, did you how did you play with dolls a lot when you were younger?

00:46:34.592 --> 00:46:41.351
oh, absolutely my parents um, as I mentioned, they, um, my dad was a lot more vocal about it than my mom.

00:46:41.351 --> 00:46:43.735
I remember a lot of birthdays would come and go.

00:46:43.735 --> 00:46:54.070
I'd want a specific doll and if it wasn't brown texture to the hair my dad wasn't having it, and I appreciate that now it just instilled a lot in me.

00:46:54.070 --> 00:46:55.634
Um, but I did.

00:46:55.634 --> 00:46:58.842
I remember one of my first toys was a doll behind me.

00:46:58.842 --> 00:47:02.512
Um, yeah, this is my first cabbage patch kid.

00:47:02.512 --> 00:47:03.715
Um, she's still.

00:47:03.715 --> 00:47:05.978
She stays in here and inspires me.

00:47:05.978 --> 00:47:07.422
I remember her.

00:47:07.422 --> 00:47:21.818
Some of my favorite dolls were just the typical uh, baby alive, baby, this and that, yes, um, when strawberry, I was so happy when strawberry shortcake had a little brown friend I think it's peach blossom I was like, finally I can get a strawberry shortcake.

00:47:21.818 --> 00:47:25.137
I'm telling you my dad just wasn't having it, wasn't having it.

00:47:25.157 --> 00:47:26.322
Yeah, I get that yeah.

00:47:26.630 --> 00:47:38.786
And some of my earliest memories of playing with these, taking them everywhere with me, putting them in the car, and I just remember the joy that they gave me when I was upset or when I was in trouble.

00:47:38.786 --> 00:47:40.958
I just remember the joy that they gave me when I was upset or when I was in trouble.

00:47:40.958 --> 00:47:51.615
I had my dog telling my dog, I'm going to run away and you know, it was just you learn to play, and that was one of my formative memories just having them, whether I sat them on the bed.

00:47:51.989 --> 00:47:56.581
it was to the point where I think I was maybe 12.

00:47:56.581 --> 00:47:59.818
My grandmother pulled me to the side and she was you know what?

00:47:59.818 --> 00:48:05.179
You're too old for this, you know, and I remember her taking several of my dolls and I hid this one.

00:48:06.010 --> 00:48:08.340
I was like you're not taking Lolita, You're not getting this one, yeah.

00:48:09.614 --> 00:48:16.016
So yeah, and in here, you know, of course, my grandmother's passed on now She'd probably be like you do what now.

00:48:16.016 --> 00:48:21.172
You know, yeah, probably be like you do what now.

00:48:21.172 --> 00:48:24.344
You know, yeah, even my dad, he, he didn't get it what I was doing with the doll making and he said, wait a minute, wait a minute.

00:48:24.344 --> 00:48:27.594
You went to nursing school and you want to make dolls?

00:48:27.594 --> 00:48:30.980
I said, dad, you know, yes, it's what I want to do.

00:48:30.980 --> 00:48:34.536
Until the day he came over, I had something to do.

00:48:34.536 --> 00:48:36.601
He had to ship some dolls for me.

00:48:36.601 --> 00:48:49.217
So he came over and I was trying to get it ready and he happened to look and he saw the invoice and he said, I'm sorry, um, what, what is this for?

00:48:49.217 --> 00:48:51.121
I said, dad, this is what I need you to ship.

00:48:51.121 --> 00:48:54.532
He said, wait a minute, they paid that much for that doll.

00:48:54.532 --> 00:48:56.014
I said, yes, dad.

00:48:56.777 --> 00:49:03.795
Then it was a different story oh yeah, can you take a leave of absence from your job and do, and I'm like, oh, now you get it.

00:49:03.795 --> 00:49:07.742
Now, that's the way it is yeah, you know, I get that.

00:49:07.844 --> 00:49:14.693
I mean, I understand that because they have a different perspective on, oh yeah, you making sure that you have a livelihood.

00:49:14.693 --> 00:49:20.664
You have to think back to their way of life, how they were raised, that kind of thing.

00:49:20.664 --> 00:49:22.032
It was so funny.

00:49:22.032 --> 00:49:24.197
I had a friend that I spoke to recently.

00:49:24.197 --> 00:49:27.994
He mentioned that he was saying, oh, my son's friends.

00:49:27.994 --> 00:49:30.621
They were talking about their dreams and what they want to do.

00:49:30.621 --> 00:49:32.034
And I'm like, well, they're going to be broke.

00:49:32.034 --> 00:49:34.139
And I said to myself, did you say that to them?

00:49:34.139 --> 00:49:39.840
I mean, because he's thinking it has to be something concrete that he could see that you're making money.

00:49:39.840 --> 00:49:46.521
You know, sometimes people think, oh, this is my dream to do that, and it's like, yeah, your dream is probably not going to lead you to actually making money.

00:49:46.521 --> 00:49:49.115
So he was afraid of that for his child.

00:49:49.115 --> 00:49:51.181
But I said, but you know, I, I would.

00:49:51.181 --> 00:49:53.333
I would have done it differently, you know.

00:49:53.333 --> 00:49:57.960
But I've done had that conversation differently, you know, because I think it.

00:49:58.161 --> 00:49:59.523
I think it's not very.

00:49:59.523 --> 00:50:04.141
I don't think it's very helpful to just squash somebody's dreams or passions.

00:50:04.141 --> 00:50:08.425
You know, I need to just show them, you know, that you can still do both.

00:50:08.425 --> 00:50:11.434
You know you can have a career and something else to earn that income.

00:50:11.434 --> 00:50:13.802
But you can always still build your passion and your dream.

00:50:13.802 --> 00:50:15.253
You know to.

00:50:15.253 --> 00:50:20.494
You know, replace that income and for some people they don't care if it replaces it, they just happy to do it.

00:50:20.494 --> 00:50:23.161
It just depends on how you see that for yourself, you know.

00:50:23.489 --> 00:50:32.838
Well, and it depends on what you want, because we have this term in the maker community called a jobbius right when you like doing it.

00:50:32.838 --> 00:50:34.402
If you make a little money, great.

00:50:34.402 --> 00:50:44.597
But then you have the legitimate maker, entrepreneur, pushing it and I get a lot of calls and I'm sorry, not calls a lot of direct messages.

00:50:44.597 --> 00:50:46.722
People say, hey, I want to do what you do.

00:50:46.722 --> 00:50:47.871
How do I get started?

00:50:47.871 --> 00:50:53.882
And I appreciate that, that you think enough of me to ask, but I've learned to.

00:50:53.882 --> 00:51:01.981
You know that takes a lot of energy and a lot of time, because a lot of people want to know how to do it and I tell them this is what I did, this is how you do it.

00:51:02.563 --> 00:51:10.673
Very few people will actually do it because it's work, exactly Because it's work, and they realize, oh, now, this is really like another job in a way.

00:51:10.673 --> 00:51:21.134
Right, not just like, hey, you know, even when it comes to broadcasting, oh, you're a podcaster or whatever, that's a lot of work.

00:51:21.134 --> 00:51:22.036
Oh, my goodness, it is a lot of work, you know.

00:51:22.036 --> 00:51:28.380
And and at some point you know, like you said, if you're just not, if you're not doing it as a hobby, you want to be able to transition and monetize, you know.

00:51:28.380 --> 00:51:29.711
So it is a lot of work.

00:51:29.711 --> 00:51:36.563
It's something that you have to be, you have to be aware of and figure out how you're going to do that for yourself, just like in any art form, you know.

00:51:36.664 --> 00:51:43.800
So, yeah, but we appreciate your work, we appreciate what you do and you know the amazing dolls that you crochet and show.

00:51:43.800 --> 00:51:49.961
You know, and and and and bring in your culture and who you are as a person and the things that you loved in your life.

00:51:49.961 --> 00:51:52.059
You know, and you represent that through your dolls.

00:51:52.059 --> 00:51:58.262
Now, I know your dolls are like your babies, and we don't we don't ask this of people but do you have favorite dolls?

00:51:58.262 --> 00:52:02.135
Oh, wow, and you know what?

00:52:02.135 --> 00:52:03.699
What makes it really special to you?

00:52:04.382 --> 00:52:05.103
you said it.

00:52:05.103 --> 00:52:10.557
Um, they're like your babies and I would never say, oh, you're my favorite child, you know right.

00:52:10.557 --> 00:52:21.503
But I would have to say there's actually maybe two that I would have to say are absolutely my favorites.

00:52:21.503 --> 00:52:27.780
Um, and there's a reason why, um, I mentioned hip-hop and I'm just so just ingrained with hip-hop.

00:52:27.780 --> 00:52:31.317
There was a time when I actually wanted to be a rapper.

00:52:32.019 --> 00:52:35.753
A lot of people are going to hear that and be like oh, really, do I have the skill?

00:52:35.753 --> 00:52:39.001
No, and I'm glad I was self-aware enough to say you know what?

00:52:39.001 --> 00:52:41.873
No, do not do that, do not embarrass yourself.

00:52:41.873 --> 00:52:46.804
But the, the artist that inspired me to do that, was Slick Rick.

00:52:46.804 --> 00:53:09.581
He is still doing his thing and, um, I made a smaller version doll of him and the, the promoter that I mentioned earlier, dana, I didn't realize she was connected to him and I'm so thankful she was able to hand him that doll and I have an image of him holding it and I was like he has the doll and he liked it.

00:53:09.581 --> 00:53:15.146
She sent him a picture of it and he said oh, it's dead on Dead on me and I adore that.

00:53:20.530 --> 00:53:22.235
So that will always be one of my favorites.

00:53:22.235 --> 00:53:28.777
Just because you know the man, I heard his album, I knew every word of the song and I, you know, in my room I want to be a rapper and then, like I said, that went by the wayside.

00:53:28.777 --> 00:53:31.097
Thankfully, trust me on that.

00:53:31.097 --> 00:53:45.014
So, besides his, I would also have to say giving dolls to DJ Scratch and DJ Jazzy Jeff, that was mind blowing.

00:53:45.034 --> 00:53:45.697
That's so cool.

00:53:46.329 --> 00:53:48.036
And to be able to hand them to them.

00:53:48.036 --> 00:53:54.201
They were doing a tour and they came to San Jose, california.

00:53:54.201 --> 00:53:55.684
I was so nervous.

00:53:55.684 --> 00:53:59.215
I was driving there, my hands were shaking all the way.

00:53:59.215 --> 00:54:01.021
I got to the venue.

00:54:01.021 --> 00:54:02.994
I sent him a text.

00:54:02.994 --> 00:54:03.896
You know I'm here.

00:54:03.896 --> 00:54:04.878
Where should I meet you?

00:54:04.878 --> 00:54:05.722
Oh, come on up.

00:54:05.722 --> 00:54:08.153
You know, I felt like such a VIP.

00:54:08.393 --> 00:54:21.585
I went up and he found me in the crowd, which blew my mind, and I remember him opening his doll and looking at it and in that moment I was like this is what I want to do the rest of my life.

00:54:21.585 --> 00:54:22.795
I can't believe this.

00:54:22.795 --> 00:54:33.579
And you know he's from New York, you know they don't smile, but he gave me a Brooklyn smile, just that, so it like he said this is amazing.

00:54:33.579 --> 00:54:36.655
And then he said let's go find Jeff.

00:54:36.655 --> 00:54:41.914
And I was like wait a minute, jeff, just as in Jazzy, jeff, like Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, are you kidding me?

00:54:41.914 --> 00:54:42.998
And he just said it.

00:54:42.998 --> 00:54:44.717
So he goes, come on, relax.

00:54:44.717 --> 00:54:49.621
And I was like so we go to give Jeff his doll.

00:54:49.990 --> 00:54:55.516
And in my mind I'm screaming and if you see the image, I look very calm, just you know.

00:54:55.516 --> 00:55:12.052
We walk up to him and he says, hey, jeff, and he turns around and it's like we're in a night of music is booming, and he turns around and he does that smile and just he looks at me, the man.

00:55:12.052 --> 00:55:18.581
I just couldn't believe it and I handed him his doll and just his smile when he saw it.

00:55:18.581 --> 00:55:20.914
And I handed him his doll and just his smile when he saw it.

00:55:20.914 --> 00:55:24.382
So those two moments just will stick with me forever and ever.

00:55:24.382 --> 00:55:32.996
But everyone that sees the pictures, I'm like, oh my gosh, and I'm like, no, you don't understand my mind at that moment.

00:55:32.996 --> 00:55:44.456
It's just etched in my brain and just making them for them and seeing images of them and just trying to capture their details and you know this is crochet yeah, it's in their image.

00:55:44.530 --> 00:55:52.918
It's not a dead ringer, but in their image, and just the fact that it brought them joy, it was just a win-win.

00:55:52.918 --> 00:55:54.414
I couldn't believe it.

00:55:54.414 --> 00:55:58.298
So those two moments were just mind blowing.

00:55:58.378 --> 00:56:01.456
Yeah, I can see how those would really really really be special to you.

00:56:01.456 --> 00:56:02.702
So that's beautiful, thank you.

00:56:02.702 --> 00:56:15.972
I'm so excited, I'm so excited for you, I'm so excited for your expansion and the you know future things that you have coming up and uh, can you just share with everybody how they can find out about you and where they could buy your beautiful dolls at?

00:56:16.974 --> 00:56:22.724
wonderful and I'm lucky enough to be Audua Design on every platform.

00:56:22.724 --> 00:56:26.300
I'm always on Instagram, usually on Facebook.

00:56:26.300 --> 00:56:31.554
That's where most of the people that like what I do are at my website.

00:56:31.554 --> 00:56:32.918
Same thing Audua Design.

00:56:32.918 --> 00:56:37.297
A lot of people put an S on the end, but it's actually auduadesigncom.

00:56:37.297 --> 00:56:38.481
You can find me on there.

00:56:38.481 --> 00:56:41.331
This year I'm getting my newsletter out.

00:56:41.331 --> 00:56:42.996
This year I'm getting my email list.

00:56:42.996 --> 00:56:44.559
With some consistency.

00:56:44.559 --> 00:56:47.313
It's been there, but it's time right.

00:56:47.313 --> 00:56:55.856
So if you want to know what I'm doing next, my next move, my plans, if you want to give me your input, what I should make, definitely get on my email list.

00:56:55.856 --> 00:56:58.860
I'm on Audra Design, everywhere you can find me.

00:56:59.380 --> 00:57:03.266
Well, thank you so much, Adwo, for being a guest on In the Doll World.

00:57:03.266 --> 00:57:15.525
Again, I am just thrilled that you decided you said yes, and I'm so excited that people get to see what you do, why you do it, why you're passionate about it, and get to explore your journey with you.

00:57:15.525 --> 00:57:17.693
So I'm just really thrilled, thank you.

00:57:17.693 --> 00:57:19.518
Thank you again so much You're so welcome.

00:57:19.838 --> 00:57:21.722
My honor was being here, thank you.

00:57:26.289 --> 00:57:28.355
Again, thank you guys, so much for watching In the Doll World and we will see you on the next episode.

00:57:28.355 --> 00:57:30.739
Hello everybody, thank you so much for listening to In the Doll World.

00:57:30.739 --> 00:57:32.003
I hope you enjoyed the show.

00:57:32.003 --> 00:57:38.822
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00:57:38.822 --> 00:57:40.590
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00:57:40.590 --> 00:57:44.699
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00:57:44.699 --> 00:57:49.422
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00:57:49.422 --> 00:57:52.619
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00:57:52.619 --> 00:57:55.239
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00:57:55.239 --> 00:57:58.920
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00:57:58.920 --> 00:58:02.077
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00:58:02.077 --> 00:58:15.516
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00:58:15.516 --> 00:58:19.541
And again, thank you for listening to In the Dollar World.