Dear Handmade Life Podcast Debuts Today

Delilah Snell and Nicole Stevenson are crafters on a mission. These ladies are the organizers of The Patchwork Show an indie craft fair that takes place in multiple cities across California, and the organizers of Craftcation a business conference for Makers + Bloggers + DIY enthusiasts.  Delilah and Nicole are big picture thinkers.

In their latest endeavor, they’ve started the Dear Handmade Life Podcast. The first 4 episodes were released today. Representing Pop Shop America, I got to be a part of the Second Episode and I was able to ask Delilah some questions about this new project.

BB: How long has the idea for the Dear Handmade Life podcast been brewing? 

DS: Several months. Nicole listens to them as she drives from Northern CA to Southern CA and has been a big fan. She got me into them and now they are a favorite when I go one my morning walks or am working.

BB: Why did you decide to start a podcast? Tell us about the initial idea.

DS: So Nicole and I don’t live in the same area. I live in Southern California and she in Northern so getting together is often very few and far between….usually when we are doing an event!

Twice a year, wehave a “vacation” together, usually we go to a conference so we can enjoy what we would normally be running and would have a great time learning about different topics and meeting new people. We would often have long discussions on these and other topics after many cocktails and these times and conversations were really the inspiration for the podcast.

We decided to start after one of our weekly gchat meetings- which is another source of inspiration for the podcast.  Every week, for one hour we chat and talk about our daily business plans, check in with work details, discuss issues and business “homework”.  Nicole brought up the idea for a podcast during one of these meetings and I said okay!

BB: Do you think that listening to people talk about craft will change anything? Or to rephrase, will a podcast as an auditory media will make something new or interesting happen?

DS: I think that people who were not into “craft” will enjoy the podcast as much as people who are into craft. Dear Handmade Life will cover a whole umbrella of topics involving the creative life and creative business world.  So maybe we cover business  or technology topics, or trends in food/craft/fashion, perhaps aspects of the creative process or issues like blog/social media burnout….we will even have a few episodes on film and books!  Every episode will cover a “drink” of the show that we will post on our blog and we are beyond excited to hear in the comments any show ideas or topics you would like covered!

BB: Do you have any topics or DHL podcasts that you are particularly excited about?

DS: The great thing about this podcast is that i am excited about all of it! But just to name a few that you can look forward to: our top 5 creative business movies, the art of negotiation, blogging burnout, the culture of “perfection” –  i really love all the trend reports and forecasts….really all of it!

BB: What are your next steps?

DS: Nicole and I just had a REALLY AMAZING mastermind weekend (PS: a future show) in Portland, OR …lots of personal and business growth in such a short amount of time.  The weekend really put a lot of plans and decisions that we have been considering or debating into perspective.  We came out of the weekend with a clear and concise plan of action and strategy of our business. I wont go into details, but the podcast is just the start of a few projects will be launching throughout this year- we are super excited about these new projects!

BB: With all of these big picture projects, it’s hard to image your day to day. Do you get to be creative a lot? Where do you spend most of your time? And what do you spend your time working on in particular?

DS: OH great question!!! It is hard to manage the day-to-day but we figure it out! Nicole and I both have different sets of jobs for our business which make us busy and not as busy different times of the year so creativity and creative times change for each of us. Nicole has Show & Tell Design Studio a design and illustration business as well that she can create logos and branding that really highlights her artwork. I am more creative in the kitchen and with production which i do when the chance comes along…sometimes its over several months.

Both of us work from home.  I used to work from my brick and mortar store that i had for 8 years but closed last March because i needed to take one massive project of an already full plate.  I have an office in the downtown area of where i live (Santa Ana) but i am so in love with being at home after being away from it for so long that i am kind of obsessed with working at home!  I am also lucky that my husband travels sometimes for work and that one of my jobs in our business involves locations and production so i do get to travel. 🙂

As far as work- it really does depend on the time of year.  We run 6 festivals a year, a 4-day conference, a blog and now a podcast in addition to some new projects so our schedules really reflect the planning and approaching dates for all of these items.  We keep detailed personal schedules of our work, monthly goals and seasonal/yearly general deadlines so we can keep on track and have everything in line.  Half the work is the planning of that work! LOL.

Want to listen to Pop Shop America on the Dear Handmade Life Podcast? Click here.

Let’s Stay Friends!

Insta | Pinterest | Enews | TikTok