Someday I hope you get paid to be who you are. It will likely be the most important thing that could happen to you.
Friday, November 21, 2008 7:05
I went to NPR today to record a segment for Weekend Edition Sunday with Liane Hansen.
I was really afraid because the focus of the piece was making holiday gifts and I quickly realized that while I am well versed in the world of indie craft, I am more interested in the business of craft. I so heart buying and marketing and building an indie business more than the actual making, which made me kinda laugh.
But I got through it. Beth (Tigerflight) was nice enough to meet my on the corner in Columbia Height with a bag of her owls, some vintage buttons (thanks to Cori for the buttons, too!) and some thread, all things that I needed for my video and audio taping. I even asked her to explain felting to me as my cab pulled away. This all made me realize that I don’t spend enough time actually making. Dabbling, really. I make lots of stuff, especially right now with the demand for ornaments in which zombies attack santa pretty high, but I don’t dabble. When I get more time, I need to do this so that next time I am asked to craft on video, my hands don’t shake.
There was this moment, sitting there in the darkened studio when the host did her outro: “I’m Liane Hansen and we’ve been talking to Tina Seamonster. Tina is a crafter, a podcaster and a blogger.” Hearing myself in these terms by this stranger with a familiar voice was completely startling. I know that I am and do all of those things. But in that one instant, it felt completely for real, important. I thought, heavens, I am who I want to be when I grow up. I might not really get paid for it, but I am here and I am me and this matters. And I thought of that line in the song “My Rollercoster” by Kimya Dawson where she sings, “And my mom would say, I hope someday you get paid for being Kimya Dawson” And for that one instant I felt how it must feel to be paid to be Tina Seamonster. Someday I hope you get paid to be who you are. It will likely be the most important thing that could happen to you.
All of that said, I should be on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday this Sunday (11/23). You can find out what time via your local NPR Station as each station plays the show at a different time. Locally in DC, WAMU plays it from 8 to 10. I will also be doing a live chat online at either 1 or 1:30 EST at http://www.npr.org/gifts. You will have to register to chat. You can also upload photos of your projects to their holiday community page while you are in there. Please stop by and ask me a nice or funny question.
Image is Yellow Spotted Loch Ness Monster on Wheels by PearsonMaron
This was reposted from I Like Seamonsters.com.
About tina seamonster
Tina is a blogger, podcaster, crafter, mom to three year old twins and overall superstar. She believes that you should do as much as you can each day. She has blogged her life and craft for 5 years! at I Like Seamonsters.com and is a regular contributor to both the Crafty Bastards Blog and the Etsy Storque.
4 Responses to “Someday I hope you get paid to be who you are. It will likely be the most important thing that could happen to you.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
thischickadee says:
November 21st, 2008 at 11:27 am
aw, teasea, this is a lovely article. a testament to your hard work and many talents, and inspiration for those of us trying to make a living doing what we love. can’t wait to listen to you on sunday!
Washington City Paper: City Paper - Crafty Bastards Blog - Tina Seamonster Talks Handmade on NPR Weekend Edition Sunday says:
November 21st, 2008 at 4:37 pm
[...] Tina was asked to discuss making gifts for the holidays and provided a couple simple how-to’s for listeners to try on their own. The piece has already been recorded and you can read about Tina’s experience in the entry she posted on HelloCraft.com. [...]
Ouissi says:
November 25th, 2008 at 4:21 am
This is such a lovely inspiring article! I have never thought about it in those terms and it is actually quite a fabulous thought, being paid to be me
thedevilmademedoit says:
November 25th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Tina, It was so great to hear your spot on NPR. I was so proud…of you, of the craft scene, of this whole movement to make and buy handmade. And proud, too, of course, to be part of that movement.
I was also really moved by your frankness in this posting about your hopes, dreams, fears…and successes. It’s a pretty strange feeling to look around yourself and suddenly realize that people think of you as an “expert” of sorts in your field. Especially when what you “do” is something that just naturally flows out of who you are. I know when this happens to me my initial reaction can be: “Me, an expert?. But I’m just doing what I do.” Which is precisely your point, of course. Being thought of as an “expert” and even being PAID for who we are is surely one of the sweetest of feelings. Thank you for making me think about how important (and rare) that really is. I’ve got to say that it made me pretty grateful (and “Thankful” appropriately to the time of year) to be paid for who I am. It made me realize that by making my living “making” things that are like little parts of me that go out into the world and have lives of their own feels so much more real, honest, and POWERFUL than anything else I’ve ever done (except maybe being a mom). And of course I’d like to think that “who I am” is doing some good in some way. I guess the being paid for it part is just what allows me to keep on doing it. Anyway, thanks for sharing this experience with us. It really made me appreciate where I am.