The first maker I want to introduce is one that only makes sense to begin this collectives story. We begin with Beth Schweigert of The Maplepen. Beth and I met years ago when we both worked at a hair salon in Asheville. We were a part of the same friend group and in a larger sense, cut from the same fabric. Beth and her amazing husband Brett were a part of my life when Tim and I began dating. They knew him previously for his brewery he owns with his two best friends called Burial Beer Co. They has nothing but love to share when expressing to me their excitement for our new love. As time went on and Tim and I got more serious, so did our friendship with Beth and Brett. Brett transitioned into brewing full time so he and Tim would sit and inspire one another, dream, and keep each other sane by finding common ground in a tough business. Both Beth and I were in a similar stance. We both were starting our Asheville businesses and were dreaming of all the what if’s.
My very first market I ever did, I didn’t have business cards for. What would I need business cards for?! Beth encouraged me in that moment to at least write my name and email on paper. So I cut pieces of craft paper, wrote down my information and tried to look as professional as possible. I tried to pretend I had done this a million times and hand written craft cards were part of my shtick. Ha!
There was a day I will never forget as Tim and I were working in the shop, Beth told me she needed to come over to talk with me. I waited anxiously because I’m always so curious what that means when someone said it, and as she walked back into the dusty shop I could see the most beautiful glimmer in her eye. Whatever it was about to be, it was going to be really great news. Beth held it in for only a short time when she excitedly told us she was pregnant! I couldn’t believe it! Two of the most amazing people I know bringing new life into this world. Everything felt as if it was exactly as it should be. Love was deep, friends were embracing everything the others were doing, and everyone was alive and chasing their dreams. Throughout this pregnancy Beth and Brett remained ambitious, hard working, very social, and graceful throughout the entire thing. I watched them as their lives were starting to shift into this new chapter and everything felt so amazing.
Months down the road (as all sweet pregnancies begin) baby Reese Anabel was born. Reese has the most beautiful eyes and most beautiful soul. She looks at you with such curiosity and amazement. A few months into Reese’s sweet new blooming life she had her very first seizure, followed by 2 more in a very short time frame. We were all so worried. So devastated. Beth and Brett remained so confident and alert during this time. So full of unconditional love and hope. It was astounding to see. One night while Tim and I were having dinner, I mentioned that perhaps Burial could host an event to raise money for them with their medical bills and to allow them to have time to not think about any sort of utility or water bill.
Just like that, people were donating kegs of beer, art, there was a raffle for donations, and so much more. Friends, family, strangers, Mother’s, fathers, brewers, and more came out to support. In classic Asheville fashion. Our community showed what it’s all about and it was one of those moments that you breath deep with gratitude.
As Reese has began to grow, she has blossomed into such a sweet, fun, brave little lady. Unfortunately her seizures still seem to come up ever so often. Because of this, it made sense for Beth and Brett to move closer to family in Florida. With our friend Reed they have begun a brewery called Perfect Plain brewing and are continuing to push for their largest dreams. With each purchase of a mug on the spoon + hook collective, this family is supported. It’s about understanding the full circle. Where your money goes and how you cherish what you have.
]]>My sister around this time moved to Asheville, NC with a beautiful boy in a band and they were off to chase the mountains. I had visited a few times and fell in love. She took me to a cupcake shop and I watched a couple dance on cobblestone and as I ate my cupcake, I knew in my heart one day this tiny mountain town would be my home. As I lived in my tiny make shift apartment, I graduated high school and went on to college. I never felt like I knew what to do. Interior design was the only thing that made sense. Making, creating, envisioning something where a blank canvas was..... It called me. Throughout this time, I slowly began to feel like a traveler in my own city. This place I grew up in, no longer felt like home. It felt like a place I hadn't ever been. I was changing. Changing into someone I did not like. My actions, my surroundings, my relationships. It was all toxic and I was so deep in it that I felt trapped but also content. CONTENT! No one should ever feel such. As the toxicity grew and I felt myself becoming a person I never could be proud of, moving made more and more sense. I wish I could tell you I did this on my own and WOMEN POWER. Unfortunately I did not. I moved with a boy. Typical right? More to come on that later.
As the mountains got closer and all of my belongings, sweet senile pekingese (norman), and life were shifting, there was a settling in my soul that my life was only beginning. It took me a few years and a large personal rock to get me into the place I am now. The boy I moved here with unfortunately struggled in the "being faithful" department. As I read the ads he posted on craigslist looking for women, I called my sister and we packed up my things and I left. I mention this because I feel there is a shame women have, that they don't want to talk about surrounding cheating. It is heart breaking. It is confusing. It is so so hard. But it happens to so many. And in some instances, opens a door to the best parts of life. I slept on my sisters couch for months as I sulked, grieved, and tried to figure out where to go from there. You see, this boy and I were together for almost 7 years. I spent my teen years and some of my 20's trying to live a life that was not meant for me. THIS!!! this is where spoon carving came about. Much like most break ups, there are days you feel so alive and want to run a marathon, sing, and wave your finger pistols around like you just won the lottery. Then there are days that you are snot crying, unable to breath, and can't understand why. The days that are high.... CAPITALIZE ON THOSE!
I had a day where I asked myself who I wanted to be. What did it look like to be my dream me? What did it look like to actually live my life for myself? It looked like playing the banjo around a fire with friends. It looked like knowing bourbon well and appreciating a neat drink. It looked like wood working and that innate feeling of creating with my hands. It looked like hand written letters to friends and family. It looked like buying myself flowers once a week. It looked like being a good person to the people who were good to me. It looked like smiling to strangers and trying to make them feel better than I did. It looked like learning chess and playing it well. It looked like running and being able to say miles with an s. It looked like meditating. It looked like seeing the sunrise. It looked like learning my own places. It looked like finding the makers, places, and people that inspired me. So that is what I set out to do. I found a banjo teacher who told me he only played by ear which was great because I did not know how to read music. Once a week, we would meet in an area surrounded by apple trees and blackberry bushes and slowly learn to play "landslide" by Stevie Nicks. Shortly after this time, I began running often as well. I got "Bobby fisher teaches chess" and a chess board at a garage sale and slowly taught myself. I was gifted a set of flexcut carving tools and began to learn to carve. I had no prior knowledge of carving but for the first time in my life, I was not scared to ask questions. I went to local hardware stores and lumberyards and asked as many questions as I knew to ask at the time. I would come home, watch a carving video and replicate what I saw. I would cut my hands, tape them up, and continue on. This was such a vital moment for me. It felt as though it was effortless. Of course there were cuts, there still are. But I loved it. I loved it in the way my dad fell in love with the ocean. It completely took over my thoughts. I would wake from dreams and quickly draw a spoon idea. Nothing felt impossible. I realized this is exactly who I was. I was not a dream, I was not a "one day". I was creating my dream life. Not to be a glamorous one, not to be one of popularity or competition with others. I was competing against myself. To be the person I wanted to be for the first time in my life. Every single day I carved. I told strangers it's what I did for a living. I set it up to where if I did not hold myself accountable, I would be mad at myself. I guess you could say it was a "fake it til you make it" moment for me. That is exactly what I did.
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