Artist Spotlight: Andy Jackson
Every month, we highlight one of the amazing artists in our reuse community. This month, ACR has the privilege of spotlighting Andy Jackson of Dragon’s Nook Creative who is a lifelong crafter with multiple creative passions, including embroidery, cross stitching, sewing, painting, collage, and so much more! You may have seen their booth at last month’s Community Pride Day at ACR, where Andy’s partners Corey and Erin tabled and sold their collective artworks, or at our Spring Reuse Market in March.
Learn more about Andy and how working with secondhand materials inspire their work in this interview!
You dabble in many different art forms! When did you learn your various creative skills and how did you start using recycled materials in your work?
Crafting has always been a presence in my life. My grandmother taught me to sew, and fostered a creative spirit in me by always bringing new projects to the table.
I’ve been fortunate to have been passed down some skills and a lot of materials from people in my family (mostly women). The availability of materials like paints, fabrics, yarns, and tools to use them, made crafting wonderfully accessible to me at a formative age.
Do you have other creative hobbies?
As was mentioned, I dabble in several creative hobbies! My ADHD causes me to focus intently on crafts for up to several weeks, before suddenly becoming consumed with a completely different one. This summer season so far I’ve been having a wonderful time cross stitching, while -around the time of the last market- I was creating a lot of projects with beadwork and a bit of embroidery. I’ve also taken painting classes, and enjoy collage and other paper crafts.
Which aspect of creating is your favorite?
As a maker who has gotten the opportunity to sell my crafts at a market, I must say the creative process now has two solid peaks for me! The first is during the creation process. There’s a point, usually a little after I’m half way done, when I can really see how the craft is coming together, and I get excited and reinvigorated with the work. The second that I’ve now experienced, is hearing folks talk about my work. Some of the pieces I presented at the pride market caused folks to comment on how unique the piece is, or how it made them feel seen. I couldn’t ask for better validation of my craft.
How does reuse play a part in your creativity?
Care for the environment and keeping my community clean is something I am passionate about. I endeavor to use reused/recycled materials as often as possible in my work. Sometimes, I find inspiration from the materials themselves, seeing ideas in piles of beads or half painted canvases. In some other crafts, I specifically use them as a way to eliminate waste. In a few of my stuffed creations, for example, I will use any waste fabric as well as plastic bags to stuff them. In this way, I hope I’ve done a little to keep our environment cleaner.
Do you ever donate materials to ACR? If so, what compels you to donate?
I’ve made a small donation or two to ACR, and I hope that I will continue to be able to do so in the future. Sometimes I come into possession of materials, especially in regards to fibercraft, that I cannot use due to sensory sensitivities. It brings me relief knowing that I have the option to bring such things to a niche reuse store, instead of them ending up in a landfill.
Do you have a favorite ACR find? How did you use it?
I personally love to shop at ACR whenever I find myself in north Austin! Some of the craft paper pads and knitting/crochet materials I’ve gotten there find themselves in regular use in my house. However if any specific item I’ve purchased from ACR is my favorite it has to be this delightful little stamp.
It’s a little gator that says great. I just find it to be adorable and delightful, and try to find as many excuses as possible to use it! Most prominently, I’ve used it on the gift bags we used during our ACR markets.
Where can we find out more about your work?
Some of my work, with additions from my two partners, can be viewed at @dragons.nook.creative on instagram. It’s a very new page with only a handful of posts, but stay tuned! We are also reachable from that page as well as at dragonsnookcreative@gmail.com