Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Thompson.
Hi Kristen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in SW Minnesota in a tiny town of 1,200 people. Our hardware store had a small craft section and I tried everything in it! I used to crochet clothes for all of my Barbies, sculpt with clay, draw and color endlessly–I loved it all. I continued to be a creative kid and as I grew up I fell in love with art classes and different mediums I was able to try in high school. I chose to go to MSU Moorhead and majored in Communications with a minor in Business. However, I never stopped creating! Christmas gifts were always handmade, but back then I didn’t know I would get to make it my career. someday I met my husband, Keith, in college and he was in a program to become an officer in the Navy. Shortly after graduation, we moved to Charleston, S.C. and would continue to move every 2-3 years for the next 20 years. I worked a few different jobs before I decided to take the plunge and learn photography. I was a professional photographer for 10 years-weddings, babies, families-both on location as well as in my home studio spaces.
During this time we had our two kids who are now 14 and 10 so working my own business allowed me to schedule around my kids. I really loved it, but I was getting frustrated out as the market became so saturated with new photographers charging so little. In 2018 I saw a friend post about a woven wall hanging she had made and I loved it! I quickly began searching the internet and by the end of the day I had made a loom out of cardboard and raided my very full craft closet for yarn. I instantly fell in love and felt that I had found something I didn’t know I was missing. The tactile nature of weaving was so comforting and soothing. Something I didn’t get from photography.
I continued to practice and learn and within a few months, I was selling at local art fairs, in a boutique shop in Annapolis, and began teaching group lessons six months later. This all happened while we were living in the D.C. area. My husband retired from the Navy in September 2020 and we decided to put our household items in storage and live and travel in our RV for a year! I brought looms and yarn with me, of course. Traveling during the pandemic was tricky at times, but we loved every minute of it. Nature was my biggest inspiration for creating my pieces on the road. We ended our travels in July 2021 and settled here in Minnesota where I continue to grow my business.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Getting started and growing my business happened pretty quickly, so I had to learn how to manage the time it takes to create these pieces and complete orders on time. There were a lot of 2 a.m. bedtimes in the beginning. I grew my business on Instagram and by selling at local art fairs. There is a wonderful online community of other fiber artists I have met through Instagram. We all cheer each other on and share resources. I even met a few in person while we were traveling. When the pandemic hit and people were home, there was a surprise boom in people wanting to learn weaving. I continued to sell my wall hangings but also started selling fiber kits–bundles of different yarns and fibers so people learning to weave could try different materials before investing. I was welcomed into the community when I first started and try to do the same for new weavers. A recent challenge has been Instagram-the same platform that I grew my business on keeps changing, Artists are now encouraged to make reels and still pictures are no longer a priority. It has been frustrating for many, but I remind myself it is a free platform and I need to focus on other ways to engage my audience and clients.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a fiber artist that specializes in woven wall hangings. I create on my looms using high quality and ethically sourced yarn, string, cotton, recycled silk and other fibers. My style is full of texture and sometimes unexpected color palettes. I rarely make the same piece twice (unless requested) and I do not use patterns. My style is very organic and I weave until it feels right. I am proud of how many people I’ve reached and the wonderful messages I have received about how my work makes them feel. Resonating with someone in that way is so touching and makes me feel an instant connection with a person I’ve never met. I think that is the hope of every artist who sends their work out into the world. I am also very proud that I will have one of my pieces on display at the Inez Greenberg Gallery for the month of June!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The first step is to reach out via email kristen@therovingkind.com and let me know what type of project we are looking at. Is it creating something totally new or a piece inspired by my previous work? I love collaborating with people and figuring out the palette, size, where it’s going to go, etc. The excitement is always there from the first communication! I would love to start working with commercial spaces and interior designers as well as keep creating for people’s homes.
Contact Info:
- Email: kristen@therovingkind.com
- Website: www.therovingkind.com
- Instagram: the.roving.kind
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheRovingKindShop
