‘Thoughtful Consumption’ Interview With Crafter’s Box

I love Crafter’s Box, a clever and beautiful subscription box service that ships tools, inspiration and instructions for how to make an artisan craft-based project each month, from a brass mobile to punch needle art. I was honored that they wanted to interview me for their blog and newsletter on “Thoughtful consumption.”

Check out all the meaningful work they are doing with their kits, video tutorials and great podcast, which I listen to a lot when traveling. Crafter’s Box is a maker project that works in collaboration with talented artists “to deliver thoughtfully sourced materials & tools + detailed workshops for the creative soul.”

Check out my recent interview with them below:

We are inspired by Elizabeth’s journey as she shares her insight into the ethical fashion movement of thoughtful consumption. Today, we ask her about her mission in education as well as what’s at the heart of what makes her happy, healthy, and balanced as an author and human being.

What is your favorite handmade creation? A white wool sweater, knitted by a good friend’s mother. The friend, Amy DuFault, works at the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator and is an incredible ethical fashion advocate and human. Her mother, Elly, is a master knitter who works under the name Pickup Stitch. I’ve had the sweater maybe four winters now and it’s perfection. It has a boxy and cropped fit that’s got an 80s vibe, which is my favorite fashion era.

Favorite quote?
“The best things in life are free. The second best are very expensive.” -Coco Chanel

I love this quote. Cheap consumer products are sold to us as some grand achievement of globalization. But they’ve come at the price of middle-class jobs, craftsmanship and stable communities. Beautiful clothes aren’t cheap, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t worth aspiring to own. In a time of growing inequality and stagnating incomes, people often cut their clothing budgets first. They’ll spend money on Netflix, eating out, trips, but not on a well-made garment. These values are just backwards to me.

Share with us one life hack…
This is an easy one! I score luxury and one-of-a-kind designer pieces for very cheap by scouring eBay and online resale sites for treasures. I spend several hours a week on these websites looking for new wardrobe pieces. And when my wardrobe gets too out of control, I flip some items and sell them. It’s sustainable, affordable and fashionable.

If you could offer one piece of advice to the younger you.
Don’t pursue anything in life just to prove to yourself or someone else that you can do it. Approaching things with a chip on your shoulder is such a waste of the short, precious life we have. Do the things in life you are passionate about and you will be so much more content.

Do you have any secret talents?
I play guitar and was a songwriter and guitarist in a metal band for eight years. I left that band last year to focus on my writing and fashion industry advocacy.

Put your music on shuffle: what are the first 3 songs that come up?
I am fully obsessed with my partner’s band, Pallbearer. Joe and I met on the road in my former life as a guitarist in a metal band. My band was opening up for Pallbearer on tour and, even after listening to them play every single night for 30 nights, their music just got more and more beautiful. So, yeah, those 3 songs would be Pallbearer’s “World’s Apart,” “The Ghost I Used to Be,” and “A Plea for Understanding.”

What are you listening to now?
Podcasts! I love Fresh Air, Reveal, and Freakonomics, anything that’s a podcast version of the socio-economic books I love to read. It’s nice to be able to explore such meaty topics as “Can cats be trained” while I’m on the subway, checking emails or working out.

Favorite travel destination?
I have a soft spot for Little Rock, Arkansas. My partner Joe and I are both from the South and love being back. Little Rock has a burgeoning food and drink scene, and we particularly adore this no-frills family pizza shop called Damgoode Pies. They make a customizable stuffed personal pan pizza (picture a calzone but round) that I order with pink sauce (cream and tomato sauce) and stuffed with mozzarella, pineapple and artichokes. I pair it with a $3 pint of Red Ribbon, a golden ale brewed by their own in-house brewery.