I feel naked and, quite frankly, a little uneasy.
No lie, this is the first time I have sat at a coffee shop in more than 15 months. No mask, outside, and this place is bustling. Like everyone else on the planet, I have been itching to escape the 4 walls of my home, and be around people even if it is to just sit amongst them, drinking coffee, not really talking to anyone, working on my iPad.
And despite the feeling naked thing (is naked really so bad?) I am enjoying myself immensely.
I have no doubt, I am not the only one with all the feels right now. It has been a rough 15 months. Not because of any personal loss or anything super tragic, for which I am also extremely grateful (again… all the feels). Some would say Bruce and I beat the odds with a new career and a promotion during lockdown. Attempting to launch a new career in real estate during a pandemic much less navigating getting licensed was a challenge. It still is.
And like many of you, fiber art has been my saving grace. It has been how I processed my fear. It allowed me to drop into the rhythms of slow stitching or wonder at the beautiful unexpected results of hand dyeing, or the meditative motions of hand spinning.
Fiberista, I wish I had been in the headspace of sharing and connecting with you guys during such a difficult time. I know many of you had found my videos through the lockdown and reached out. I think I answered all the emails(lord I hope I did…it was my intention to). And I am profoundly grateful to how algorithms kept that content current for those needing help finding your visual language to make art during the lockdown. I even intended to post just simple updates just on my fiber stuff.
I totally underestimated my overwhelm. But honestly, the overwhelm was pretty high around the Fall of 2019. I posted a video about it and my shift in focus here.
In a nutshell, that Fall 2019, I realized I needed to go back to a grown-up job to support the artwork I really wanted to make. I had a couple of group gallery shows under my belt and knew this is what I wanted to do. It was what I always wanted to do. I loved the fiber art biz I had built at that point, but making art was where my heart was. Hell, I had been making videos about doing just that, but really was I spending more time preaching and not doing. At 50+ years old, I still needed to be funding my future. With time to make art… getting my real estate license was the answer. But this was before Covid changed everything, Before the pandemic overwhelm, where it too 10 months, not 5 to get my license. when I naively thought I could keep doing alongside getting said license.
So here I am 15 months later, a licensed agent, having survived a global pandemic, vaccinated, just waiting on the clay studio to open back up so I can resume my current body of work. I have been exploring sustainable clothing, and working my way through my obscenely large fleece stash as well as experimenting with plant fiber cloth and fiber reactive dyes. I still intend to finish building the art weaving class series, it’s just gonna be a while.
As I remember how to incorporate art into this new career focus and day job, I kind of feel like I would be lost without reconnection with the community I have made with all of you. I am not totally sure what that really means going forward. Today it means posting this blog post to say, “Hey, you! Can you believe the last year? We did it. We are going to be ok. What are you working on?”
Fiber artist Stacey Budge-Kamison AKA UrbanGypZ lives and works in Cary NC. She can also be found knitting in public, hammering out her latest e-course at local cafés and spinning yarns in her booth at her favorite arts festivals. A designer at heart, Stacey has decided that her mission is to help fellow knitters, crocheters, weavers and felters embrace their own style and creativity by exploring fiber art as it is a part of their everyday life and helping them embrace the title of artist no matter where they are in their journey. 
So great to hear your voice again. I’m about to buy a floor loom from an old friend who can’t use it anymore. I plan to squeeze it in, tightly, with all the my other projects. These projects have multiplied as well as my spinning wheels. I have four of them now! But one is a tiny thing for travel — Louet hatbox.
Your vision of color and texture stays with me. Thank you!
Hi Stacy! I was just lamenting that you have not made a fiber arts video in a long time! You have a gift of sharing your love of fiber with others and are quite talented. I miss your colorful and fun videos! I wish you all the best, and please do update when you can!
I found you by searching for a stash busting sweater pattern. I loved reading that post. You are so like me not wanting to drop $200 For 9 skeins of the same yarn!!! I DO so want to try all the yarns! The only time I bought a lot of one kind is from Little Knits where I can get a BAG for a great price! Still oddly the yardage was never enough for the pattern I was looking at. Congratulations on your real estate license. You are in a great position for the current times. Cant tell you how many times I get calls of people wanting to sell my house. I retired last November after after being in the work force for 50 years. I do love retirement but find I’m knitting more and more. I am currently making a loop scarf that has taught me a couple new to me techniques. I am also waiting on magic loop needles to be delivered and am all ready to try my hand at socks with an online KAL. Love following you!
Dear Stacey, I have retired from my grown-up job! Mostly. I can’t afford health insurance without a job so I work 3.5 hours per day from home doing the same job I retired from. My next career is production assistant to Lillis. Her list of projects is YUGE and my eyesight still allows me to thread a needle. I’m very proud of you and Bruce! Carry on you talented fiber whisperer! XO from the ‘ham!
LEEEEE!!! Congrats on Semi retirement. Maybe Lillis will hire us all. She is doing such amazing things, Love watching her Social media posts. I get it, Bruce landed a coveted university job with insanely good benefits. We are now spoiled.
Way to go Stacey… navigating these uncharted waters with grace, if not so much ease! Thank God for all things fiber… without it, those of us who are so inclined would have not fared so well! Here’s to things opening up and bright fibery days ahead!!! Remember everyone: the dates for On Higher Ground IV in Taos, NM are definite 09/25- 09/29/2022, piggy backing on the famous Taos Wool Fest! urbangypz.com/on-higher-ground-IV-taos-nm/ Stacy will be there sharing her Art Journaling magic. Registration opens up again in Jan 2022
Hello from the UK. I am a felter and recently learned to spin, and then a few weeks later bought an Ashford SampleIt 16″ loom which I immediately made a scarf on with one skein of yarn. I came across your youtube channel while trying to find information and was so inspired by the way you use your art yarn, so I am slowly working my way through the videos. So thank you for making those. Please don’t apologise for getting on with your life. You don’t owe anyone anything. I think it is great that you went for your real estate license and didn’t make videos. If I could make felt, spin yarn or weave every day I would, but I have to work and fit those things in. Covid lockdown has been good for me so that I can focus on those things and improve myself. Now we have to get back to work until we can retire or make money from what we love to do. Being creative can also be exhausting, so give yourself a break. You have provided a lot of content for people to get motivated, so now you need to take care of yourself. All the best to you.
Thank you so much for this perfectly timed comment. So glad my videos were there to help you find new inspiration.
Stacey,
This year was a very long strange trip and it still isn’t completely over. I am glad you and your family found their way to the other side safely.
Artists need money too, there are only a very few who are able to make art their full time gig. It looks like you have found a good balance with life, art, and work.
I came to your blog today because I am dying wool with the mason jar technique. I wanted to check on if you wet the fiber before putting into the jars. I have 4 jars simmering right now.
I have been spinning art yarn and weaving pieces with the wool. I have also been experimenting with eco printing on fabric. That has been super fun too. I really enjoy reading about your journey, thanks so much for sharing. You are inspiring !!
Thank you Ann! Glad my posts have been helpful. I do not wet the fiber before cramming into the jars. Although, I think you could wet it first. I am not sure if it will affect the dye(maybe…maybe… it will soften the transition between the colors).
I am so happy to find you again!!!! I could write you a novel — I semi
– retired in May 2021, love all things fiber and found you and binged so many of your videos last one was you pulling out of Asheville moving to Raleigh. Was so excited as I had recently moved to the Sandhills of NC and I was trying to figure out spinning — and your videos helped me embrace and love my homespun yarn!! I weave, knit, quilt etc etc etc and have found spinning fiber (especially this last year) extremely relaxing and satisfying. I am so glad you are still out there and well — you feel like a long lost soul (friend).