I was recently very fortunate to be able to sit down with Dana Sibilsky, a woman whose work I admire very much. Dana has a website that I have been following for quite some time now, and the quality and originality of her creations has made quite an impression on me. I have only recently taken up crafting and DIY, but Dana’s tips have been an immense help and I feel that I have progressed significantly because of the information she provides through her lovely site.
The following interview took place at my home in Utah, where Dana and I ended up spending our afternoon working in my garden and rearranging my flower beds after we finished with the prepared questions. The following is a lightly edited excerpt of our very unstructured interview:
How long have you been involved with crafting and DIY projects?
All of my life, it seems. I started out learning how to do projects from my mother and my grandmother, and they were just astonishingly good teachers. I don’t think I will ever be as skilled as either of them, and I feel like I can be of help to a lot of people if I possess just a quarter of their teaching ability.
How has crafting changed your life?
That’s hard to say, because I don’t have a basis for comparison! All kidding aside, I cannot imagine a more enriching or rewarding activity, and I feel that I have learned a lot about myself and others because of my interest in crafting and DIY. When I was growing up, I really felt like I knew my mother and my grandmother very well because we spent so much time together just chatting, and not everyone has that kind of relationship with their family members. Whenever I work on a project, it is a creative endeavor, but I also try to make it a social event as well.
What is your advice for beginners like me?
I would say to you, Jody Rookstool, that it is important to remember that struggling is a part of the process and that it is an important part. A lot of people give up at the first sign of a struggle, but if you endure and remain committed, you will find that there is a great deal of reward for your continued efforts. Progress takes time, so trust that every mistake you make along the way is going to benefit you in some way.