This is my Why.

When I first became interested in braiding the resources to learn the craft were extremely limited. I struggled along, like people did back then, with the few bits of information I could decipher from old books, and a few magazine articles I could print off at our local library. From making rawhide and cutting string to making simple projects, it was all largely experimentation. Through a long struggle of trial and error, and no small amount of determination, I eventually learned the ins and outs of the craft.

Later in life when I became a full time braider I had many people reach out asking questions about how they could learn to braid. I enjoy visiting with anyone about braiding but it was clear that people needed a resource for learning where they could watch the process and get instruction. The idea to create such a learning tool was born and so began the journey to film 100s of hours of video to document and explain the details of exactly how the process works. Many times when you see a video online it is shot from several feet away or from an angle where you unfortunately can’t see what the person is doing. This was so frustrating for me starting out and trying to find information and so I started filming from what I call “the braiders eye view” to make the process clearly visible. The result has been an incredible resurgence in braiding with more people taking up the craft than ever before! Seeing people from all over the world and all walks of life start braiding as a hobby or as a business is nothing short of amazing!

I feel it is more important than ever to preserve Handmade Crafts. Items made by hand with traditional skills and techniques are woven into the fabric of humanity. Perfect or imperfect, their artistry and elegance are the very essence of what it is to be human. Just like writing a letter or looking at old photographs, an item made by hand captures a moment in time and a piece of the person who made it. It helps bring meaning to life. And what is life without meaning?

One of my favorite sayings is “time marches on” as the song goes by Tracy Lawrence. It seems to be the one constant in the world. Time also brings so called progress and it’s easy for handmade skills, whether that be braid work or otherwise, to be lost and forgotten. But through creating resources for people to learn these skills, increasing awareness about our particular niche among the general public and creating a worldwide community for makers, we stand a good chance of withstanding the test of time.