Vickie Howell on Creativity

We love Vickie Howell! This Texas-based designer, is an author, on-air personality, founder of the Purple Stitch Project charity initiative, and International Spokesperson for Bernat Yarns. Sounds busy, right?!

Creativity Made Simple is all about finding the time do what you love when life gets busy. As part of the campaign, we asked Vickie to answer the four questions below. Have your own question for Vickie? Share in the comments below, and Vickie will select five to answer. We'll post her answers on March 21!

And check out a free, cute craft project from Vickie, too!

1. How do you make time to craft?

I have the benefit of making my living crafting, so I have to make time for it. Still though, as a work-at-home mother of three, it can still be a challenge. I rely a lot on the  "waiting times" of life. I keep a portable project (like the wee, leg warmers I designed for Joann.com) in my bag, pretty much any time I leave the house. I do a lot of knitting and crocheting in the car line at school, or the waiting room at various appointments, or sidelines of games. You've got to take the time when you can get it!

2. Who/what was your influence to craft?

I've been crafting since I was old enough to hold a glue stick! My mom always had us working on some kinds of project -- it was (and remains still) a source of bonding for us. I still have the first doll quilts and crocheted blankets I made in elementary school. It makes me smile to see them in my own daughter's room, now. For me, crafting is a documentation of history.

3. Name a crafting item you can't live without.

Just one? Oh man, this is like Sophie's choice. Ok, I'll go with the obvious: yarn!

4. Someone says, "I'm not creative." How do you respond?

It's amazing to me how often I hear that phrase. This is a topic that I discussed at length with the designers featured in my book, Craft Corps. So many people think they're not creative because of a negative experience -- usually involving an adult telling them that they did a bad job on an art project -- as a child. Creative expression is essential for our well-being. Everybody has it within them, the trick is finding a medium that clicks. One Christmas when my boys were little, we bought them a knitting machine and a mini-Fender Strat (guitar). I want them to understand that creativity has many faces, so people just need to see which one they can see eye-to-eye with.

Click here for Vickie's Leggypop project!

Vickie Howell is a designer, author, on-air personality, founder of the Purple Stitch Project charity initiative, and International Spokesperson for Bernat Yarns. Her latest knitting book, Step It Up Knits is currently an About.com Reader's Choice Award finalist (vote here!), and her booklet, Top 10 Crochet Hats is available now exclusively at Joann stores. Her co-branded yarn line, Sheep(ish) by Vickie Howell is available online and in stores. Keep an eye out for her newest product, Bernat Cotton-ish by Vickie Howell which will be on end caps of select Jo-Ann Stores in May! For more information on Vickie and all of her projects, go to: www.vickiehowell.com, and www.bernat.com/vickiehowell. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Check out Vickie's pinboard on our page!

Have your own question for Vickie? Share in the comments below, and Vickie will select five to answer. We'll post her answers on March 21!