Our Summer Market FirstBank Scholarship recipients are a pretty awesome bunch! Tessa Crisman of Wool & Hammer is especially inspiring, and we can’t way to tell you all about her! Read below about her process and handmade goods, and come visit her and 120 other amazing vendors at the Summer Horseshoe on July 11th!
Tell us about your art and how you got started creating.
I make both hammered wire jewelry and knitted and crocheted items, ranging from warm winter goodies to beach bags and bikinis– I believe that every season is yarn season! I’ve been making things as long as I can remember out of pretty much whatever (including candy wrappers and my mom’s quilting scraps), but things really clicked for me when my sixth-grade teacher taught our class how to knit. I’ve been knitting pretty obsessively ever since, and it’s always been a very therapeutic activity for me.
After graduating from Ithaca College last spring, I decided I wanted to take my craftiness to the next level and open an Etsy shop, so I whipped up some hats and scarves and started playing around with jewelry making. I’ve always been a jewelry fanatic, and I think in a way wire is like the metal version of yarn, so it makes sense that I automatically gravitated toward that medium.
What is your favorite thing(s) about being an artist/creator working and living in Denver and Colorado?
Denver is booming in a variety of ways right now, and as someone who grew up here it can be a little frustrating to watch that process, to watch the place you’ve always known so well change so rapidly. But I’ve found comfort in the handmade community that’s blooming here, not just because it’s nice to be surrounded by like-minded folks, but also because I think it’s creating an amazing outlet for alternative economies.
Having a concentration of people focused on creating and consuming handmade products means we as a community are choosing to support small, local businesses instead of faceless big-box chains. Usually supporting small and handmade businesses is a vote with your dollar not just to keep money circulating locally, but to ensure that the products you’re buying are good quality and more sustainable. To me, the fact that I can use something I’ve always loved, like knitting, to stage an economic revolution– that’s pretty cool. And it couldn’t happen if the Denver community wasn’t supportive of artsy craftsy endeavors, so I’m very thankful to be here.
What about the Horseshoe Market are you looking forward to, and what will folks find at your booth on July 11th?
Horseshoe will be the biggest market I’ve participated in yet, so I’m just excited to get a taste of a bigger market scene! I’m also always excited to have face time with my customers; selling on Etsy isn’t as personal, and I like that markets allow me to give customers a backstory on the what, how, and why of my crafts. Since it’s a summer market I’ll be selling lots of jewelry, and summer knitwear like bikinis, crop-tops, beach bags, and more!
