I’m not exactly sure where it began, but I have been an intermediate DIY-er for several years. Perhaps it began when I was given my first Bratz doll head in 2002, and I learned how to do hairstyles on Yasmin so I could recreate them on my own hair. Or maybe it was the bin of 1001 Legos, with the special edition silver block, that I used to build things from my imagination. Or maybe the PBS afterschool show Zoom that told me to turn off the TV and do it if I liked what I saw. (Which I definitely did.) Whatever the spark, a fire definitely began and has continued to burn. Like the snowball effect, I pick up a new craft and/or skill every year. I’ve become fairly skilled at some and still a novice at most. (I can’t draw, and I’ve made peace with that.)

I began this specific journey with the fiber arts. I found a ball of yarn and a set of knitting needles amongst some of my grandmother’s things, and decided to relearn what she taught me years ago. I enrolled in YouTube University to relearn how to knit and crochet. From there I created 38|eleven, a “business” to share the final products of my hobby. (By “share” I mean get rid of, because what was I going to do with 17 hats and scarves?) The first year was fun, until it wasn’t. After 38|eleven’s first birthday, I took a hiatus. While I learned a lot from the experience, it was a slippery slope that quickly slid me away from being the hobbyist I am, to the businesswoman I don’t care to be. I felt as though I limited myself by focusing on one of my hobbies. I also felt it in my wrist as symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome began to surface.

I took a hiatus, but my creativity never did. This is my attempt to get it right and let it be what I want. I’m back as 17 + Taylor,


-Brittney
A Jack, or a Jackeé, if you will, of all Trades, Master of None.