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An assigning editor often sends a few notes to a writer to help them understand the direction an article should take, which I refer to as "background."
At Craftrends, background is rarely set in stone, allowing the writer to explore all angles of an assignment. My assignment: interview Carol Duvall for a feature article.
Background given for this assignment: Carol has a new book filling stores. Find out her secret for having such a successful broad-spectrum career with longevity not often seen in our industry. The entire industry can learn from someone like Duvall who has evolved and adapted to industry ebbs and flows, so make sure you get her to share some advice that will help all members of the art, craft, and hobby industry.
THE INTERVIEW
Maria Nerius: Your book, Paper Crafting with Carol Duvall, published by DRG, is now available to the consumer. Did you enjoy writing it? Why did you select papercrafting as a focus? And will we be seeing more books by Carol Duvall?
Carol Duvall: My first book was Wanna Make Something Out of It? self-published in 1964. My son took all the pictures and we sent it off to a printer. I sold it for $2 to people who placed orders from my local TV show in Detroit. Writing this book was a very different experience I'll tell you. I did enjoy the writing process and creating the book. It reminded me of just how difficult it is to write instructions! It also reminded me how lucky this industry is to have designers. Designers work very hard and really don't get all the credit they deserve.
DRG approached me to write the book. At first I thought 'I'm too much of a general crafter to write a book on papercrafting.' But you know, when I reflected back on my design work and TV segments; I realized I had been in love with papercrafting from the very beginning. I started with construction paper back in the day and now ... we have so much more to craft with.
Scrapbooking really brought in beautiful papers, tools, and embellishments. I felt I could use this passion for paper to write a book.
I'd love to write more books. I have learned so much about the process that I'd hate to waste that experience. I've taken the wait-and-see approach. Hopefully if this book is a success, there will be more to come.
MN: It seems like you've always had a creative presence in our homes. What is currently on TV? What other projects are you tackling?
CD: I started in TV in 1951 by auditioning for 5-minute live segments available on our local TV station and by the end of the year was doing 17 live segments a week. I loved it. My next big milestone was the HOME show, which I did for seven years. The day the HOME show ended, I was already preparing for The Carol Duvall Show on HGTV. The show is now aired in segments on DIY. I'm currently not working on a TV show, but will be the host of a DVD series produced by Suzanne Lamar of Page Sage. I'll be interviewing some of the best talent in our industry. I'm really looking forward to it.
MN: But Carol, you have to be on TV! What are we going to do with no new Carol Duvall on TV?
CD (with a little laughter): I've never really gone out and tried to get a show. Well, I did when I auditioned for those 5-minute live segments in 1951 and I've not really thought about doing another TV show. My viewers are the best and have remained loyal. I feel I've learned so much more from them than I ever showed or taught them. I've seen so many changes.
When I started, you really made the crafts, and today so many things are just assembled, meaning the crafter isn't really crafting. My favorite craft has always been the one I'm working on at the moment. I put all my focus on it and see all the possibilities. I get totally involved. I love papercrafts, knitting, true decoupage, and so many more activities.
MN: Oh, you are such a crafter: What a joy. It's so nice to hear the common threads that make a crafter a crafter: What do you think some of the biggest changes have been in crafting? Let's say in the past five or 10 years.
CD: In the past 10 years I must say tools.
MN: Are you a tool junky, too?
CD (more laughter): Oh, yes. I have to have tools I don't even know how to use, but I know I need them and one day I'll use them. I mean just think about the tools we now have to make crafting easier and more fun. Paper punches, die-cut and laminating machines, paper drills, and even the ability to print off a design on magnetic sheets with your home printer.
Within individual crafts we now have fast-drying finishes for decoupage, glue guns for floral work, and rubberstamps that make everyone an artist. I always promote the basics, too, since not everyone has a big budget for crafting.
Scissors are such a universal tool! I can do anything a specialized tool can do with my scissors. I like presenting new ways and the old ways. When I first started, crafts definitely looked homemade, today there is a polish and quality we just couldn't achieve back then, yet it is still hand crafted with love.
MN: Have crafters changed?
CD: Everyone is a doctor; everyone wants to specialize. We have stampers, scrappers, beaders, knitters; everyone in a niche. I wish we promoted more exposure to crafters showing them all the possibilities. They might not end up taking up a craft for life, but they will find it fascinating. They may end up hooked or they may learn a technique that can help them with their favored craft. The key is promoting creativity and exposing more people to a variety of arts and crafts.
MN: How call retailers better serve the crafter? How can a retailer attract more customers?
CD: I know retailers hear this all the time, but show finished projects. Show as many different projects as you can with a product. Show the versatility and value of buying the product. Its important that your staff make time to help the customer. Pay attention to the customers in your store.
The most important thing above all else is to love what you do. If you don't love your work it really is time to find something you do love and make that into a job. The customer knows. When you don't love working in your store, the customer will take on the same attitude.
Share, share, share. Take every opportunity to share information, new products, new projects, new ways to use older products, and how to make your life better by crafting. Your shop is not a storage closet of craft supplies: it should be a warm welcoming table for your customers to feast on.
MN: What is your secret to success and career longevity?
CD: I started in TV, not in crafting. I was never intimidated by the camera, but saw it as my tool to reach one person about something I loved. I was always talking to my viewers, never at them. I made contact and the viewers responded. If I made a mistake on camera, that mistake was left in the segment, not edited out. Mistakes were okay and the viewers felt a little bit better knowing that it was okay not to be perfect and that mistakes were just learning experiences. I have tried to deal with every part of the craft industry with this kind of respect. And while
you are asking:
- Neatness counts in everything. No matter what you are doing finish it with a neat, clean touch.
- Score before folding! Always!
- Designers should be very dear to this industry. Never underestimate them, and stop under appreciating them.
- And finally ... Love what you do or learn to love it. That's the critical component.
THE REFLECTION
Believe it or not, writers don't just pump out an article or story and forget about it. We often reflect while, and after, we are writing about the subject. We think of one more thing that would have made the writing perfect or we pray the editor will be kind, and the hate-mail minimum. After my interview with Carol Duvall, I thought back to a day in 1988 that changed my life and led me to be more active in the craft industry.
I turned on the TV and watched a segment about people who made crafts and sold them for a living. I sat and stared at the blank screen for a long time after I had turned the TV off. I suddenly knew I was no longer alone in my studio making crafts to sell at craft fairs to earn income for my family. A nice, friendly lady on TV had told me that my occupation was valuable, important, and an asset to others. For the first time I wasn't embarrassed that I didn't have a 9-to-5 job and wasn't on my way to curing cancer.
I watched her every day she was on the HOME Show and then switched to HGTV. Years later, I got to thank her in person for all her advice and wisdom that I just knew she was sending directly to me as I watched the TV. I've had the joy of talking to her many limes since those early years, but nothing made me prouder than interviewing her for this feature.
Carol Duvall is one of the reasons I write, design, demonstrate, teach, and consult in the craft industry. She's helped so many people have long successful careers while living her own life.
What Carol would never think of mentioning is that she is humble, gracious, and always ready to listen and learn. She appreciates everyone she comes into contact with on an assignment, and has a sense of humor that makes even the most serious break into a smile. Part of Carol's success is that she is open to new ideas and often spots trends before the industry does. She shares, shares, shares. The craft industry got very lucky the day Carol won her first live TV audition.
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