I follow a girl on Instagram who is a fibre artist. I use the term girl because she is still a girl. She is a proficient weaver, sewer, and is enrolled in a college fashion design course online. She is enthusiastic about weaving and spinning and fashion. She has articles written about her in magazines, and participates in artisan fairs and other textile events. She has her own business making products from her handwoven fabric, and has purchased a $15,000 loom from proceeds of selling her wears. All of this and she is JUST turned 14. I find it fascinating that she can have it all figured out at such a young age, and I'm not the only one. she has 119k followers on Instagram.
In some of her IG posts she mentions being homeschooled and I wonder if that has given her the edge. Homeschooling certainly gives students some flexibility in their studies. However, how can a child know so definitely what she wants to do? She would have had to learn how to weave and sew and spin years ago. She would have had to have some introduction to textiles at a very young age. Weaving and spinning are not common skills. They are probably a little more common in the US where she lives, but still not common enough for a young girl to find them just anywhere. She would have had to search them out. Learning these skills takes much patience and practice and dedicated time. And now that she has learned the techniques, she seems pretty consistent with her goals. She has not strayed from her dream of becoming a weaver and fashion designer. Last year, she was planning to attend college classes for fashion design, but her family moved to a different state. This did not deter her. She found a compatible course offered online and dove right in. She is enthusiastic and devoted. She has had a she-shed built for her studio and a portable trailer to take to the artisan fairs. She has an Etsy site, a website, a youtube channel, Facebook pg, Pinterest account. I don't know how she has the energy for it all.
In a time when everyone her age is glued to a phone screen making tiktoks videos and snapchats, I am impressed with her tenacity and exuberance when it comes to textiles and learning. I look forward to following her progress over the next few years as an aspiring fashion designer creating her own fabrics.
