Saturday Spotlight | Introducing My Kinda Way

 

Happy Saturday guys!! It’s time for me to shine my spotlight on someone new. If you have been following me you know I have been participating in a challenge on Periscope. I had the pleasure of virtually meeting some talented folks.

My Kinda Thing is a handmade brown doll maker that is simply amazing. I am so very happy she allows me to shine my spotlight her way.

 

Introducing My Kinda Thing

Aniqua, I am so excited to feature you on my blog. Your talent blows my mind. I have a few questions that I am sure my readers would ask if they could. 

the interview

How long have you been crocheting and who taught you? I’m a self taught crocheter. I’ve been crocheting for about 16 years. I learned at about 19 years old. My cousin discovered some old books from the 70s teaching loads of domestic skills. She took a special interest in crochet and I followed along with her.

I love that it came from a family member. Let’s talk about your company My Kinda Thing, how long have you been in business? My Kinda Thing was created March 3rd 2013. I initially wanted to do something more creative and free. I was an early childhood teacher mainly, but also  worked with 5th and 6th graders. I wanted to be free artistically. I wanted to just create as often as I could. I didn’t really have a specialty until a few months after I created My Kinda Thing. My first Brown Girl was created/completed May 4th that same year.

Wow!! I love that you are focusing on the young minds, what made you start making dolls? I started making dolls as a result of wanting to challenge myself to create with more intention. I wanted to be less abstract, something I had been doing from the start. I was making crazy hats and humanoid creatures in wild color schemes just because I could. With monsters and aliens, you don’t have to have symmetry or consistency. Everything was so whimsical and funny. When I decided to create my first doll design, I googled “crochet dolls” and found loads of crochet dolls but was surprised to discover that only two designers were creating black dolls/doll with brown skin. What shocked me even more was that both designers were white women. Immediately my whole view shifted. My instinct had me looking for something that was rare, dolls that look like myself, my mother, my nieces, my sisters, etc. The designs that were created by these two very talented artist were mainly just the usual designs, but made with brown yarn used as the skin tone. I myself wear locs and my nieces wear braids and Afro Puffs. We come in so many shades of brown, with so many hair textures! Where was this being reflected? I created what I wanted to see ~ Aniqua Wilkerson Click To TweetI made it my focus, representing underrepresented details and features. Paying close attention to dark skin tones, and carefully executing braided styles and all those things that are culturally familiar to me as an African American woman. I began to shift my focus to self esteem, beyond the early childhood lenses. I began to reflect on things I had never paid attention to. Things I just responded poorly too, not quite understanding why. Why was my nappy hair such a sore spot for me? Why is there such a strong desire for altered beauty over natural beauty? ~Aniqua Wilkerson Click To Tweet What’s the real reason why I’m always tugging and pulling on my clothes in the mirror and contemplating putting on loads of make up before I step out? Who told me I wasn’t quite right? No one told me anything, society just showed me by keeping real realistic depictions of me out of sight! Would you believe that doll making evoked all this thought? I remember starting out with just three skin tones, and the darker of the three would always get the least amount of attention or praise. That was the first red flag. I actually began collecting data and taking notes on it. When I started getting custom orders more frequently I noticed that people NEVER ordered the darker skin tone. Even when I expanded my skin tone choices from the options to nine, it was a rare request for people to order  the darker skin tones, even when they’d send me a photo of a child that matched a darker skin tone perfectly. All of this made me go even harder! This made me feel like I had to bring this to the light. People don’t say these things, they simply respond in a way that shows this is what they’ve grown accustomed to. Beauty means light skin, and long flowing hair. They don’t say it, but that’s what we see EVERYWHERE beauty is being sold. My dolls are my contribution to the contrary. I work with eighteen skin tones and I specialize in creating one of a kind designs with ALL types of hair styles and textures. My dolls represent real diversity, not the commercial definition. That’s what makes my designs special. 

 Ok well damn!! I need a moment to process that response. WHEW! You were talking to me so loud. My skin tone was an issue growing up in the early 70’s. This is why I love you!! How long does it take to complete a doll and how many have you made to date? I create each design stitch by stitch. Even the most basic design (simple hairstyle and one color clothing scheme) can take up to 10 hours to create. More complicated styles like a full head of beaded cornrows or coils can take over 20 hours of work. Hair alone can be a 6-8 hour task. I’m not sure how many dolls I’ve made to date, but in 2016 alone I completed 93 dolls! Amazing how little it feels like work when you absolutely live what you’re doing! AHHHmazing! I am in awe! What are you most proud of when it comes to your dolls? The thing I am most proud of as a Black Doll Maker is being able to use my designs as teaching tools. Each doll is part of a mission to promote pride and confidence in children of color in efforts to combat self hate. While I create a lot of girl designs, I also create boys with the same ideals. I can create dolls that highlight the wonderful and unique qualities we all have. When I make customs, I can make it so personal that the design couldn’t be for anyone, but the person who requested it. This makes EVERY design special, Kinda like us right? Exactly like us! I don’t make duplicates.

Yes!! that part I love it! I know you teach courses on making your dolls, when did that start and how is it going? I started teaching crochet doll making courses because teaching is in fact the thing I’ve always loved and wanted to do. I spent my professional career in education. I love being a part of the learning/discovery process. I realized I had some unique techniques that would be great to share. I’d been asked since I started making dolls to create a pattern, but I recently realized it’d be much more useful if I taught classes. I’d be much more effective if I could teach instead of write out a design. Especially since I don’t actually use patterns. My first series of courses were conducted last month, in April. I received overwhelmingly positive feedback! What made it even cooler was that many of the people who took my courses were able to create their own amazing dolls! I actually began to realize that by doing these courses, I’d be making it so that more people can create dolls of color, thus adding to the store of positive imagery for children of color! 

What? You don’t use patterns? Mind Blown!! Ok ok, what lessons have you learned in business and personally on this journey? I’ve learned so much as a hand made business owner, but I think the most valuable lesson I've learned is to be brave enough to do your thing! Click To TweetDoing “My Kinda Thing” has always been at the root. I just wanted to be creatively free, didn’t wanna be influenced by the opinions of others, especially when I didn’t even know anyone doing what I was tryna do. I’ve learned to plan and execute, then maybe ask questions later! I don’t mind making mistakes as long as I am resilient enough to recover from them! I would hate to make the mistake of missing out on a wonderful opportunity because of poor advice from someone who doesn’t have a clue about my vision. I’ve learned to respect and protect my vision. My Kinda Thing is the epitome of being proud enough and brave enough to be me! ~Aniqua Wilkerson Click To Tweet

What’s next for My Kinda Thing? I have quite a few things on the My Kinda Thing agenda! I am currently tightening up my project designs, wanting to do art pieces that make important statements. I also have a few surprises in the works for My Kinda Thing as a brand. I will be starting my next series of classes in June, teaching the unique hair techniques I use to create some of the most realistic looking hairstyles on a crochet doll! I intend to go as far as my vision will require me to go! I feel like this is finally just the beginning 😂

 

WOW! Are you all worn out? This was a fabulous interview! Thanks you so much for taking the time to spend with me. You can find My Kninda Thing on Instagram and Facebook.

Knit on my fiber friends….knit on

GG