Hi there. Nice to meet you. I'm Angel (though people call me Bagel) and I'm today's guest-blogger.  Credentials? Not many, really, as far as writing goes. But as far as making Knots? I make knots with sticks, hooks, needles, string, yarn, and wire. I also do non-knotty things like wood burning, painting, spinning, leather-work, and anything else I can get my hands on. I just plain old love to create, especially when I get to do it with my sister (<shameless plug> together we are "Geeks With Scissors" <end shameless plug>).

I saw Jess's offer for guest-writers, and I thought "What would I write about?" I almost didn't respond. But then a friend of mine posted on her Facebook page about being asked if she was alright with "just being so-so. You know? Never really being successful."

My friend is the single most amazing crochet-artist I've ever met (keep in mind that I've never actually met Jess). She also runs a small shop offering creations by local artists (much like The Treehouse that Knot by Granma is about to be part of). She recently moved into a bigger space (again, much like The Treehouse) and is naturally getting to play with all of the new problems that come along with a new location. But not only does she hold her own, she also raises a beautiful family with special challenges of its own. And someone asks her "Are you alright never being successful?" This post isn't even going to be a question of what you consider to be successful. This post is going to be about why the answer to that question is unequivocally "YES!"

We artists and crafters don't make things to make money. We do, on occasion, get paid for the things that we make. Some of us even get paid rather well for the things that we make. But if it were suddenly completely impossible to sell hand-made things? Do you know what we'd do? We'd just keep on making those things. We'd give them away if we had to. Our houses would be overflowing with what we'd made. Because we can't stop creating. We don't make things to make money. We only make money because we have to make more things. Making makes us happy. Money is just a necessary evil on the quest to "make" more.

Some of us do have day-jobs. I'm one of those people, though I've noticed that all my jobs end up being hands-on things where I even get to "make" at work (printing, sign-making). Even so, I look at my job not as a career, but as a way to keep a roof over my head so that I don't have to crochet in a cardboard box under the overpass. Because if I lost my house, yes - I would collect grocery bags, make plarn, crochet in a cardboard box under the overpass, and sell my plarn creations for enough to buy ramen noodles and real yarn. And yes - I've thought this out. If I lost my job, I would still create. Ramen noodles come second.

Am I rambling yet? Stop me if I ramble, please. I've never done this before and I may be a little nervous.

Plenty of my friends have these "career" things and make lots of money and are perfectly happy with that. But I look at them and realize I never could. A job to me is just that - a job. It's temporary until I can make to make a living. My dream career is to make things to share with you. My highest ambition in life is not to be famous, but to be known amongst my peers as "that person who makes some really nice things". So when someone asks "Are you OK with just being so-so?" I respond "Yes. Yes, in fact, I am. I'm not rich. I'm not famous. I'm not living in a large house or getting that promotion to go to New York. But I'm making things and I am perfectly happy."

Keep calm and Make On.