The World of Women Create Podcast

In this episode of FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, Leslie Tucker Jenison joins Jo Packham on the mic. The two discuss Leslie's variety of different careers that finally led her down a path of being able to fully embrace a studio practice and her work with surface design on cloth.

Leslie is an artist who makes contemporary quilts. Surface design using dye and paint are integral components of her work and photography frequently informs her designs, literally or by way of inspiration. She has been a guest on numerous television and online shows. Leslie’s work has been the recipient of numerous awards and featured in magazines and books. Her work has been shown internationally and is part of corporate and private collections and she is a fabric designer for WishWell, a division of Robert Kaufman Fabrics. Outside of her studio, Leslie loves to travel, cook, garden, and paint, and she has recently become a novice beekeeper Living in both San Antonio and a ranch in the southern foot of the Hill Country, she is a happy member of a rather eccentric family of artists and nerds. What could be better?!

Learn more about Leslie Tucker Jenison:

Website

Instagram

In this episode of From My Kitchen Table, Jo Packham and Krifka Steffey, the director of merchandise at Barnes & Noble, join forces to discuss finding inspiration and ways to invigorate your every life! Krifka explains how she looks for influence and vision in her day-to-day life, and provides resources and suggestions for those looking to get started in the world of magazines.

As Director of Merchandise at Barnes & Noble, Krifka has direct responsibility for all things related to the Barnes & Noble Newsstand and the Entertainment businesses. This includes buying activities such as determining what magazines and vinyl will be carried at the over 600 retail locations and creating and developing new products. The Newsstand department has even dabbled a bit in the creation of their own products including a 3-part series called “For the Love of Paper” which just reached over $1m in sales in partnership with Sterling Publishing (now known as Union Square & Co.), as well as a brand new magazine with A360 media called “The Ultimate Guide to Vinyl”.

Learn more about Krifka Steffey and Barnes & Noble:

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

TikTok

In this episode of FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, Jo Packham and Donna Watson discuss how to find your own true, deep, personal, unique artistic voice in your artwork and bring it to a more conscious level of focus, thinking, and creating.

Donna Watson is a mixed media artist for 40 years. Her mediums include painting, collage, assemblage, textile and handmade books. Her paintings have been accepted into many juried international and national exhibitions and she has received numerous awards. Donna has extensive experience as a juror and workshop instructor all over the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Her artwork and studio have been published in magazines like American Artist, The Artist Magazine, and Where Women Create. Her art has also been published in numerous books including MASTERS COLLAGE. More recently, her paintings have been included in the book COLD WAX MEDIUM and her collages are included in the book FRAGMENTATION AND REPAIR. She has also published a number of her own books at Blurb.com.

In addition to discussing her paintings and handmade books, in a later conversation, Donna shared a beautiful story on collaging for the first time that she'd like to share with you all:

"I was painting with acrylics and a friend returned home from Japan and gave me some Japanese papers and bags and I was so excited to get anything from Japan because at that time I did not have much … that I collaged these papers right into my painting. It was the first time I had used collage ever."

Learn more about Donna Watson: 

Website

Instagram 

Facebook

—

Perry and Carlson Gallery - Mt. Vernon, WA

Donna is the one and only featured artist at the Perry and Carlson Gallery. The theme of her show is The Beauty of Nothingness. The reception opening is August 6, 2-5pm PDT.

—

Handmade Book Club by Ali Manning

Donna mentions this book club in her podcast: This is where Donna learned how to stitch the Coptic stitch and other types of handmade books.

In this episode of our podcast, FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, Cathe Holden, a licensed designer working in the quilt and craft industries, joins Jo Packham to discuss her journey to designing fabric collections and gift items for Moda Fabrics, papercraft products for Spellbinders PaperArts, and craft stencils for iStencils.com. Cathe works and creates from her large and eclectic mercantile-style studio, which is featured in our Summer issue of WHERE Women Create. Listen now for insight from Cathe on not relying on traditional protocols when creating business partnerships — and more!

Learn more about Cathe Holden:

In this episode of FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, Kenzie Elston joins Jo Packham for a second time, to discuss finding your voice as an artist, forming her own personal creative voice separate from her mom’s, who she works with at her parents' small design firm, Olika, advice for other artists, and much more!

Kenzie Elston is a born creative who loves color, whimsy and all things floral. With a degree in graphic design, she works for her parents’ small design Kenzie has licensed art to a variety of companies. Outside of illustrating, Kenzie is a notorious collector of sketchbooks, antique tchotchkes, and novels and she lives for daily dance parties with her 2 young sons.

Learn more about Kenzie Elston:

Instagram

Website

In this episode of FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, Sammi Thomas, the Content and Marketing Associate for Women Create joins Jo Packham for a discussion on growing up with creative influences and translating those learned creative skills to the corporate world. 

As a young creative and professional, Sammi’s goal in her career, and life, is to always be implementing creativity. At Madavor Media, Sammi is the behind-the-scenes of our Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts, produces our FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE podcast, manages and participates in our Maker Moments webinars, and much more. In her free time, Sammi frequents art museums, especially those in the Boston Area, enjoys fashion and thrifting, is a lover of the outdoors, including hiking, snowboarding, and camping, and most of all, enjoys time with family, friends, and her adorable dog, Jax.

Resources Mentioned by Sammi

The Dollar Eighty Strategy 

Commenting is one of the key tools to increase engagement on all the most popular social media platforms. Lucky for you, this means you can implement the Dollar Eighty Strategy across these platforms to really catapult your engagement. Dollar Eighty is supported on: Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Dribble, Facebook and LinkedIn.

In order to get the most out of the strategy, it is imperative that all your social media profiles are optimized for the objective that you’re trying to achieve. Remember – It’s called Social Media for a reason!

Access more information and sign-up to start using the Dollar Eighty Strategy here!

More About Sammi ...

Sammi is a huge advocate for community service … working with nonprofits such as Fresh Truck, Toys for Tots, The Greater Boston Food Bank, and more.

One organization that she would like to bring more awareness is to Artists for Humanity (AFH). AFH provides under-resourced teens the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in art and design. AFH is built on the philosophy that engagement in the creative process is a powerful force for social change, and that creative entrepreneurship is a productive and life-changing opportunity for young people.

Learn more: https://www.afhboston.org/

Please consider donating to or looking into the opportunities of this amazing organization. Or do some research to find an organization in your local area that supports providing opportunities for creativity to those who may not have creative influences and opportunities in their lives.

In this episode of FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, longtime supporter of WOMEN CREATE Seth Apter joins Jo Packham for a second time to discuss developing collaborative projects with other artists, his experience teaching art, upcoming workshop opportunities and more! Seth carries a strong belief in the power of art to bring people together and strengthen our communities. Whether it is a one-day workshop at a craft store or a nine-day international cultural adventure – Seth’s events going forward will be filled with so much more than just technique and projects. He has also published two books of his own, The Pulse of Mixed Media and The Mixed-Media Artist.

Seth's Upcoming In-Person Workshops:

JUNE - A Case of Curiosities

A Case of Curiosities. "Twice a year I travel to the magical Mabel Luhan Dodge House in Taos, New Mexico to hold a retreat in collaboration with Roxanne Evans Stout. This June, beginning on the night of Sunday June 12th with a welcome reception and ending on Saturday morning June 18 with our final breakfast together, we finally reconvene after missing 5 straight retreats due to the Pandemic. Together Roxanne and I will lead you through 5 full days of creative workshops, incredible meals, and some very special events and adventures. You start with a case/container of your own choosing and during the week we work together to paint, collage, stitch, weave, connect, construct, book bind, build, sketch and write to create multiple projects that fill your case and fill your creative mind. Email me at [email protected] for specifics. Event is filled. Please contact me at [email protected] if you would like to be on the list to be among the first to hear about our 2023 dates."

JULY - Found and Gathered

Found and Gathered. "At the one and only Ephemera Paducah in Paducah, Kentucky - one of only nine UNESCO designated Creative Cities in the USA and home to the National Quilt Museum and annual Quilt Show - this is an all-new three-day workshop event that is so much more than just a class. We will gather together, both within the workshop space at Ephemera Paducah and at several surprise locations in the area, and spend time transforming materials into a series of what might loosely be called artist books. Some will be stitched and bound, some will be loose and some will simply be scraps floating in between. The instruction offered throughout, for the group as a whole as well as one-to-one, will cover the range of techniques used in mixed media: surface design, using paints and inks, hand stitching, bookbinding, mark-making, gel printing, collage, creative layering, and more. The workshop is designed to alternate between focused instructional demonstrations and uninterrupted art-making. Click here for all the details. Event is filled."

Listen to Jo Packham and Carrie Schmitt, WHO IS a full-time artist, author of THREE books, and runs an online shop with her paintings and products. JO AND CARRIE chat about THE IMPORTANCE OF listening to signs around you and surrendering to those creative forces/spirits. Carrie also talks about her upcoming project, painting her house pink ... yes, you heard correctly: PINK! You won't want to miss this emotional, encouraging, and ENGAGING episode.

Carrie also has an online monthly subscription class called Flower Painting Club, and she is opening an art retreat space in her home called House of Miracles for people to come and stay with her to reconnect with and romance their creativity.

Learn more about Carrie Schmitt:

Website

Patreon

Instagram

Facebook

Listen to the latest FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE episode as Jo Packham and collector and designer, Jill Schwartz, chat about knowing your why and staying Consistent with that, and your brand identity over the long haul. Jill, the creator behind Elements by Jill Schwartz, discusses representing yourself and your brand at events and conferences, how to refresh your brand without letting go of your true self, how growing up creatively inspired her love of collecting, and much more! 

"I am a maximalist at heart and am so in love with all the little things that I collect. They are my treasures! I cannot help myself from falling in love with all the little bits and bobs of trims, vintage ribbons, sequins, metal stampings and semiprecious stones, tiny glass pieces, rhinestones, and vintage buttons and colors and…. that I use to create my work."

Looking for the perfect Mother's Day gift? Explore Jill Schwartz's unique, antiques-inspired jewelry line ... Elements!

Learn more about Jill Schwartz

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Listen in to our latest FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE episode as Jenn Bakos, a full-time freelance photographer residing in the seacoast area of New Hampshire, joins Jo Packham on the mic. Jenn’s focus is food, product, small business, editorial, and lifestyle photography with a few weddings on the side, as well as being a longtime supporter and photographer for WOMEN CREATE.

In this episode, Jenn provides background on her photography education, shares wonderful and funny shoot stories, and provides advice for those looking to begin, or improve their photography skills and career.

Learn more about Jenn Bakos:

Instagram

Website