Kim Fox // Worker Bird

This is the second interview in our, "Behind the Scenes of Handmade Arcade" series where you learn more about the talented and prolific artists vending at Handmade Arcade 2014. This is your opportunity to dig deeper into the working habits of the folks that make beautiful handcrafted objects that you will purchase and gift to loved ones this holiday season!

Kim Fox is the force behind Worker Bird describing her process as "hardcore quilting". She searches through estate sales and graciously accepts donations of decorative tins for materials. You will hear how she's developed the keenest eye for what tableaus will yield the best pieces for her handmade puzzles. "98 percent of tins are Christmas themed," she says and my mind goes to the one I have in a closet, ready to hand over to her, with a snowman on it. So many others have nutritional information and ingredients listed on the side and that's not useful when looking for a piece big enough to carve out the silhouette of Texas.

During our talk we wander through her history as a printmaker, into the design world, and on to her own establishment as Worker Bird. Each artist I've met that has forged out on their own, leaving behind their day job, has a strikingly similar mind set. In the way that an alcoholic needs to hit rock bottom, the artist gets to the point where staying at the day job has interfered with their daily art like enough and they need to come to terms with the fact that they must make the leap. Kim relays the story of how she and her husband decided to go after their passions and turn them into their day job. I'm constantly inspired by each person I meet for this project and Kim was no different.

Kim Fox on the Internet

• workerbird.com


• @workerbird on Instagram


• @theworkerbird on Twitter


• Worker Bird on Facebook