Introduce yourself and your business.
Hi! My name is Claire Goodale, and I'm the designer and maker behind E'Claire Makery! I first learned how to crochet when I was 7 years old when my Grandma sat all of the grandkids on the couch, and told us she was going to teach us all how to chain. As soon as I picked up the hook and yarn, I was totally hooked! From that point on I learned how to crochet, knit, weave, sew, embroider, cross stitch, etc. If you name a fiber art I've probably either done it or want to learn it. My business is all based around the idea of helping people have no fear in making so that they can make the handmade items of their dreams. On my blog I have crochet tutorials, free crochet patterns, and most recently I've started a collection of business tips through my video podcast the E'Claire Makery Video Podcast.
How did you launch your business & what made you want to start a small business?
Since I was 13 years old, I wanted to be a crochet designer and share my crochet patterns with the world. I first started designing amigurumi, and fell in love with the process of designing. I've always been entrepreneurial, so the idea of starting my own business sounded like a great idea! I let the dream go for awhile, and then when I met my now husband he started encouraging me to start pursuing my dreams. He encouraged me to go for it, and here I am now with my own small business!
What are some struggles you had starting your business and how did you over come them?
One of the biggest struggles I’ve had in my business is learning how to work around my chronic pain. I have central sensitization syndrome, which is similar to fibermialga. Essentially my nerves are 10 times more sensitive than other people’s, so a lot of times my body thinks everything is painful. One of the big reasons I started my business was because working outside of the home was too hard to do with my chronic pain. Being able to be my own boss, set my own hours, and go at my own pace has been amazing. I love that I get to do what I love, and if I’m in pain I can stop working. It’s been hard to figure out the right balance in terms of how much I blog, but I am learning to focus on the things that bring me joy and the rest will follow.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from pretty much anywhere. I could be going shopping, see someone wearing a cute sweater, and try to figure out how it was made as the person walks by. Or I could be watching tv and love a character’s outfit, which sparks a design idea in my head. Pinterest is another’s huge inspiration hub for me, and I could spend hours looking at other people’s patterns and outfits to figure out my next design. Yarn can be a source of inspiration too as sometimes yarn talks to you and tells you what it wants to be made into. Haha, just kidding, yarn doesn’t talk. It does spark design ideas though!
What motivates you as a maker?
My desire to help others is the biggest motivator for me as a maker. I’ve always been the one who hasn’t volunteered when someone needs help, or love sharing how to do something. On my blog I love to share tutorials to help make crocheting as simple as possible, so that they don’t have any fear in making. Crochet might seem intimidating, but it’s super easy once you do it! Making all of those handmade items that you see is totally doable. Helping people be able to make the handmade items of their dreams is my big motivation in my business, and seeing the excitement when people’s do make something they love brings me so much joy.
What is a goal you set for yourself as a maker/artist and how did you achieve it?
One of my goals was to start a maker podcast on my Youtube channel where I would have other makers share their experience and expertise. Through the sharing of their advice, my goal was that it could help people grow in their business or hobby. It's so hard to know how to navigate growing your business, and often times it feels like there is no way that you can get to the point that you see other makers at. It's totally achievable though! As I was thinking about this desire to help others, I decided to reach out to some of the makers that I love, and to my great surprise they wanted to come on my podcast! I would have never thought that they'd want to be on a podcast from someone with a smaller following, but they wanted to help makers too. Now through interviewing these different makers, I've developed such great friendships and am so excited that people have found it to be so helpful. So if there is something that you have been feeling a desire to try and are afraid to do it, I say go for it! Your dreams will only stay dreams if you never try them, and if you go for it you never know what amazing path it takes you down.
What is your favorite part of being a maker?
I'd have to say that the friendships I've built throughout the maker community would be my favorite part. Getting to meet people from all walks of life, age, personality, etc has been such an amazing experience. Knowing that we all love the same crafts and want to support each other has been instrumental in me getting to where I am today. When you find your tribe it is such an amazing feeling, and I wouldn't trade my friendships for anything.
Do you have any tips for new makers/ small business owners?
It's ok if it takes time. This is something that I have to remind myself all the time. I have a tendency to come up with a ton of ideas, want them to be able to be completed immediately, and not give myself grace when it takes longer. Sometimes it just takes time for your business to get going, and it's ok if it does! Often taking your time on something will help you produce the best product/service that you possibly can, and you'll end up succeeding more in the long run. Don't get me wrong, having a quick success is awesome, but if that doesn't happen just know that it doesn't mean your business is bad. You're gonna do great!
What are some hobbies or interests you have outside of your small business?
I absolutely love to bake and cook, which has inspired a lot of my patterns! Having food allergies I had to learn how to create food that worked around my allergies, and brought a deep love of food into my heart. I love experimenting with new recipes, and getting to perfect a certain dish. Making bread is one of my favorite things to make, because there's something about working with the dough and smelling it baking that I just absolutely love!
Share a fun fact about yourself.
My superpower is being able to tell how much time has passed. I can set a time for 15 minutes while something is baking, and almost every time I'll walk into the kitchen with a feeling that it will go off soon and there is just 5 seconds remaining. I also almost always wake up before my alarm, because if I tell my body I want to be up by 8am then it will wake me up 5 minutes before. It's crazy!
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