I did some scrolling last night and I really need to applaud this community for your very real vulnerability. You all are taking this seriously and I appreciate the honesty and realness that I’m seeing! You give me hope.
Sunday is my favorite day for making. This afternoon I’m going to be sitting on the porch at the Neill-Cochran House Museum in Austin, Texas teaching anyone who wants to learn how to stitch. If you happen to be in Austin and want to see Rita’s Quilt or hang with me I’ll be there from 1-4ish.
Now let’s talk about one of my favorite topics…TOOLS!
Shannon Brags on Emily:
I met Emily a dozen years ago. We were dumpster diving for wood in order to build a block-long dinner table from found materials in order to host a community dinner in Chicago. That’s the kind of fun that Emily brings to the world. She is a supreme badass who I stand in awe of. She is rebuilding this world one power tool wielding young person at a time and y’all should know about and support the work she and her team are doing!
About Emily (formal edition):
Emily Pilloton is the Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Girls Garage. A designer, builder, educator, and author, she has taught thousands of young girls how to use power tools, weld, and build projects for their communities. She has presented her work and ideas on the TED stage, The Colbert Report, and in the documentary film If You Build It. She is currently a lecturer in the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley, and lives in Oakland with her partner, step-kiddos, and multiple dogs.
Today’s Inspiration:
As a builder and educator, I use tools every day. I think about power tools as just that: a tool to amplify power. When I teach a young girl how to use a drill or chop saw or hammer the first time, I see her eyes light up as her physical power in the world is multiplied by its torque, strike, or slice.
What are the physical tools in your everyday life that make you feel powerful?
What objects to you rely upon to give you agency and control in the world?
What is your favorite tool and what does it allow you to do?
What do tools and useful objects represent to you?
Connect with Emily:
http://www.instagram.com/_GirlsGarage
Read about her book:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90512278/to-remake-the-world-give-girls-all-the-power-tools
Get a copy here:
When I was young, my job around the house was to follow my dad with the tool box as he fixed things. I learned how to use a hammer, the difference between types of pliers, when to use a vice to hold things together, etc. (My brother's idea, to this day, of a screw driver is OJ and vodka.) As I grew up and moved into my own places, I had a toolbox of my own. Fixed things around the apartment instead of calling the landlord (even got a reduction in the month's rent a few times because of it); helped friends who used a butter knife as a screwdriver. One even gave me rhinestone-covered pins shaped like a wrench and a screwdriver. I still fix things myself, though I do know my limitations and when to call a professional.
As for now, my tool of choice is a crochet hook or a needle to do cross-stitch. I can create something as beautiful with these as I could when I was helping dad with repairing furniture, etc. It sometimes amazes me to know I can make something with a crooked piece of metal and some yarn.