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Robin Davis: From Art Licensing To Creating A Magical Wonderland
278 Plays4 months ago
We invite you to take a few minutes to discover why you should become a “playful imperfectionist” like our next guest and friend Robin Davis. She followed heart compass, and it led her to a whimsical wonderland and successful business! Robin’s creative journey began in Visual Merchandising and Graphic Design and Art Licensing. Guided by a playful heart and inspired by her little boy, Robin began creating a miniature up-cycled world with a tiny robot named Pocket. Pocket’s mission is to bring hope and wonder while inspiring creativity using the treasures that surround us. Pocket cheerleads every creature, demonstrating that even the smallest steps can lead to big dreams. Robin Davis Studio invites everyone to rediscover childlike wonder and embrace the magic within our everyday life.
Website: https://www.robindavisstudio.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robindavisstudio
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RobinDavisStudio
Our Podcast is proudly sponsored by Jet Creative and UrbanStems! Jet Creative is a women-owned marketing firm committed to community and empowerment. If you are looking to build a website or start a podcast--visit JetCreative.com/Podcast to kickstart your journey.
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Transcript
Introduction and Purpose
00:00:01
Speaker
Do you have a dream that is a small seed of an idea and it's ready to sprout? Or are you in the workplace, weeds, and you need to bloom in a new creative way? Perhaps you're ready to embrace and grow a more vibrant, joyful, and authentic life. If you answered yes to any of these, you are ready to re-bloom.
00:00:24
Speaker
Welcome to the podcast where we have enlightening chats with nature lovers, makers, and artisans as they share inspiring stories about pivoting to a heart-centered passion. Hello, I'm Lori Siebert, and I am very curious to hear from friends and artisans about the creativity that blooms when you follow your heart.
Guest Journey and Inspiration
00:00:44
Speaker
And I'm Jamie Jamison, and I want to dig deep into the why behind each courageous leap of faith and walk through new heart-centered gardens.
00:00:54
Speaker
Each episode of Rebloom will be an in-depth conversation with guests who, through self-discovery, shifted to share their passions with the world. Get ready to find your creative joy as we plant the seeds for you to Rebloom. Well, hello, everyone, and welcome to another amazing episode of Rebloom. I'm Jamie Jamison. And I'm Lori Siebert.
00:01:21
Speaker
iy how are you tea me We have a really fun guest today who is a friend of mine and I know Robin from my art licensing world. um And actually Robin's been to my home before.
00:01:35
Speaker
almost right when she was on the cusp of making the leap from one kind of path into another. And so I'm so excited because I'm watching her just live in her authenticity and what she loves. And like when I check in with her Instagram, I get so inspired. So I'm so excited to welcome Robin Davis.
Robin's Creative Space and Transition
00:01:59
Speaker
oh ah Thank you. Thank you, Lori. Thank you, Jamie. I'm so excited to talk to you guys. Oh, thank you. Thank you all by myself and my studio.
00:02:11
Speaker
Crash! Crash! Little is the key because I just sent a bunch of things flying. Okay, that is so fun, and I think we need to keep that in there. So, for our listeners, you can't see her beautiful studio, but it is jam-jam packed with just bits and baubles and all kinds of wonderful things, and one just went crashing down. Do you need to stop and get something, or are we okay?
00:02:38
Speaker
No. That is hilarious. but welcome Welcome to real world. when i When I photograph sometimes, Robin, my studio is a little bit cluttered. I wouldn't say cluttered. I would say loved. There's a lot of love in there, but some stuff comes crashing down all over the place. Robin, ware where is home for you? I'm just outside of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
00:03:03
Speaker
You can hear the accent. that's what i You know, we talk on Instagram, but I miss your, I miss your face and I miss your voice. So it's so fun to get to see you on this in your studio. Oh my God, it's magical. No one can see it through, you know, a podcast, but she has, she's been a collector for years of rusty bits.
00:03:24
Speaker
So but let's let's go back to a little bit about your background I want to hear well share with our listeners what your journey has been Okay. Well, I took visual merchandising graphic design. I was a marketing director for a little while then when I had my son in year 2000 I started ah you know thinking more of ways I could be home to be with him and And then I explored art licensing and then, ah you know, slowly made my way into creating a portfolio and learning mentors and then learning my way through art licensing and lucky enough.
00:04:06
Speaker
I was able to be in the studio full-time with my son. ah for I did art licensing for about 16 years, roughly, so it was great. I mean, I learned so much. I feel like you know everything we go through in our creative journey guides us through that you know those whispers that keep calling to your heart. So everything I learned in art licensing, I feel is now you know guiding me still as I build this brand, this little world I'm in
The Creation and Impact of Pocket
00:04:39
Speaker
now.
00:04:39
Speaker
so And it and it wasn't that you were unsuccessful in art licensing because you were very successful. Yes. um But I remember you always you were always drawn to more of this rusty kind of assemblage sort of work. But I love, love, love the video that you have on YouTube. You're quite a filmmaker, too, by the way.
00:05:08
Speaker
of telling the story of how pocket began. So can you share that? Yeah, sure. So I was doing art licensing and in the studio full time. um And painting, doing ink work, a watercolor, a lot of illustrations that way. But something else was calling me more dimensional in my head. Like I i could see, I was seeing more of my illustrations in a dimensional way, specifically like characters. And then, so when my son was around three or four, he got into robots.
00:05:45
Speaker
And then because he, whatever he was into, I was kind of drawing and doodling with him, doing, and then just one day, like he did this little doodle of this little robot and something in me, like sparked. And I looked at it and went, hmm, I'd never thought of a robot like that. His little doodle was so cute and sweet. I had hadn't seen them that way.
00:06:10
Speaker
And then, of course, it was right around the time that other robot type movie, you know, the one with Robin Williams, all of those animated robot things came out. And so and then eventually Wally. So I just I looked at that doodle. That's what, 2004. Oh, my.
00:06:27
Speaker
And that little doodle sparked a little idea in my head to start kind of experimenting with robots and thinking of them. and And I started drawing them and painting them. And I did license some towards into cards for kids. I did calendars. But I still saw this dimensional world.
00:06:48
Speaker
And then eventually using all these other little, I've been antiquing and collecting rusty things for years and years and years. So one day I started kind of building an assemblage robot, a little guy. And then eventually he just kind of sat on my shelf for a long time because I wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with it.
00:07:11
Speaker
but that's kind of how pocket started and I kept looking at him sitting on my bookshelf and I'm like, he just has this face. He has this feeling for me. I just couldn't, I just knew I was supposed to do something with him. And then from there. Well, first of all, how did he get his name pocket?
00:07:29
Speaker
Well, he got his name pocket because, again, inspired by my son, like when he was little, um he, I just, but you know, I just wanted to pick up my son and put him in my pocket just to protect him. And so this whole idea of, you know, I didn't want my son to be afraid or I didn't want him to feel, you know,
00:07:56
Speaker
ah the fear of the outside world. and you know I was battling my own anxiety. So I just was thinking about, oh, I don't want him to feel this way. So a lot of it was just, you know, I wanted to tuck him in my pocket just to protect him from the rest of the world. But at the same time, I thought, oh, this little robot could be my little character that I show him that, you know, he, Pocket will, can do anything. Pocket, whatever obstacles Pocket faces, he, he overcomes them. He'll build a ladder. He'll build a, he uses everything that's around him to build the world he's in.
00:08:33
Speaker
Um, a lot of, of Arquette's world is up cycling. So I, you know, I'm always thinking about the world we're leaving for our children. So that whole environmental aspect really started to hit me hard. And then of course I was in licensing and then ah I was feeling like, Oh no, am I contributing to this throwaway culture? And that was really kind of exploding. And I just.
00:09:01
Speaker
Yeah, it all kind of came crashing in on me. And then I felt like, OK, I have to really turn this into something hopeful and positive. And I want our children to be excited about the future. And little did I know, here I thought I was building a world for kids. I thought that I wasn't. I was building a world or or like for everybody for for people like me. i More of my fans are my age. I just have fans that of all ages.
Focus and Family Support
00:09:34
Speaker
So i just wasn I had no idea that he was going to touch so many people all over the world. It's just been mind blowing. So so you you you birthed Pocket, you created Pocket and he sat on your windowsill and probably you know it just took a bit.
00:09:51
Speaker
What got him off of your windowsill and out into the world? um I started to pull back from art licensing. For a period there, I was probably working with about a dozen American companies, mainly American, a few Canadian, that I was licensing for. And I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. um but i think And again, Lori's right. i I was successful. I was making a great income.
00:10:19
Speaker
but I just felt like I just needed to pull back from some of it. I narrowed down to working with just a few companies in licensing. So I could continue that, but at the same time, give myself permission, give myself the gift of starting to play with pocket now to figure out what it was that kept calling me that whisper that what you have to pay attention to all those whispers. So I kind of took him off the shelf and started putting him into little,
00:10:46
Speaker
story type vignettes and photographing him and then sharing the photos on Instagram. I think I remember too, um you were just about to enter the, was it the One of the Kind show in Chicago? I entered the One of the Kind in Toronto. Yes. In Toronto. So I remember that was one of the kind of initial transitions when you were really, really making a commitment to going this path.
00:11:16
Speaker
Yeah, i i as as far as assemblage, I just started using everything I had and making larger pieces, is making larger robots, larger characters. um And then I thought, well, I'm going to see how people respond to this. So I did three kind of large shows, one in Toronto, one not far from my home, kind and and another two gallery shows.
00:11:40
Speaker
And the success of them was just showed me like, okay, I'm on, this feels good to me. My heart was soaring. I loved it. it I sold all the pieces. It's great. So that that just showed me like, okay, you're heading down the right path.
00:11:57
Speaker
I was scared to death. yeah like I thought people were going to look at me and go like, what is this? it's like What are these? you know I didn't have that reaction. I had a great reaction and then sold all the pieces, which helped continue to um for me to kind of carry on. But again, there was just that other calling like, okay, I don't want to just make pieces.
00:12:21
Speaker
There's something else. I want to tell stories. I want to share some kind of storytelling with my characters. So I have a question about Pocket. Your background in art licensing, you probably knew that you could take Pocket and have him reproduced. And he had an affection. I mean, he was he's adorable. um But you didn't. Yeah, because it's the upcycling that you really wanted to honor that, correct?
00:12:50
Speaker
Yes, that's a thousand percent. I knew I have had I've had offers over the years. I knew I could license him. I just felt like I needed he's definitely close to my heart. So I just wanted to keep exploring where I thought I think I could take him on my own.
00:13:14
Speaker
um i'm I mean, I'm open to, I'm not saying that I'm not open to some things, but ah yeah, the whole environmental impact and um assemblage and the message that Pocket has, even now when I'm designing product,
00:13:33
Speaker
ah because I was in that world, stationary, gift home and gift, like I was in that whole world. But now when I'm designing product but were for Robin Diaz Studio, for Pockets World, it's it's very, very ah planet it conscious. what What are the products? How are they made? What's the production? um And like Lori knows too, we in licensing,
00:13:59
Speaker
We learn all that. We learn about how all of our products are made in our licensing. and mean And some companies do one heck of a job, beautiful products. You learn all that. So I think because, again, of what I learned, um I wanted to try and keep it here in the studio as much as I can.
00:14:24
Speaker
and you're yeah Hi, can I circle back a minute to the storytelling piece? Because even when you were doing licensing, ah storytelling is really a big part of that, especially like the sales force loves a story behind what the artist creates because it helps them to sell more product. But I think you always took it a step further. I'm you always drew characters, your angels, and they always had
00:14:54
Speaker
kind of a personality to them. um And i now I'm seeing you making these beautiful films and I just see books and films and all of those kinds of things emerging out of little pocket. Is that what you're dreaming of? For sure, for sure. I would love to do books and I'm really drawn to the to making videos. I just I mean, and as a kid, i I mean, theater was such a going to the theater was so huge. I'm so nostalgic. So just the whole idea of
00:15:34
Speaker
ah him being more on film or in publication is definitely what I'm drawn to. So that's what I tried. A lot of my focus is is on that as much as i as much as I can. Well, I would love to see Pocket more. Maybe I can almost see it as an Academy Award short film or something. but i ah Along with that though, Robin, I'm drawn to what you said about how you created him somewhat for children, but ah adults are the ones that actually responded to him in in in ah in a greater capacity. Do you think it's because we all have a little, that we want that childlike sense in our heart and we what what are you hearing from people when they reach out to you and talk to you about the robots and and the world you're creating?
00:16:26
Speaker
i It's a lot of um like grandparents and then the grandparents will tell me that they're showing their grandchildren and that they watch the videos together. And again, I just kind of hadn't really thought in it that way. But I'm such a like a kid at heart. I'm such a i'm just I just believe that we all need to find time to play every day. And that is anything like that's playing with your cooking, that's playing with your fabrics, that's playing with your photography, it's playing playing with your kids. it's just if it like We all learn as children in our moments of play.
00:17:04
Speaker
That's when we learn about our imagination. That's when we learn about exploring. That's when we learn like, oh, I just did this. I played with this. And then I learned this or I created this. And from there, I just feel like if we we always have to look for that, you know, giving yourself that time to play with whatever it is. Again, I always feel like everyone's got a calling, some little whisper inside them that they want to try something. They want to play with something. And I say, make the time and do it like you have to do it because yeah I'm in a all other world now because I gave myself time to play.
00:17:45
Speaker
Good for you. So speaking of play and children, um we always love to know a little bit more about each of our guests as a child. And what were they doing when they were kids? Because a lot of times what our guests end up doing when they're living most authentically, it circles back in some way to what they loved when they were young. So what what was little Robin like?
00:18:11
Speaker
Oh, that's that's funny. When I think about it, you're right because I was heading to the forest. I was down by the creek. I was building little houses. I was are like already into doll houses and miniatures and building little worlds and using the moss and the twigs and the I mean, I was always outside. I was climbing trees and every moment I could I was outside doing something. But my sister and I specifically remember, like we always kind of imagine these little fairy tale worlds, especially at our cottage. So we'd be exploring the cottage and picturing little little fairies or whatever down in the down by the lake or down in the trees. Yeah. So like my imagination was pretty wild.
00:19:01
Speaker
and night It still is pretty wild. I love that and i love it reminds me of the fairy gardens or just and I grew up playing outside a lot. and And that's, I love what you said about play because just having the ability to play, when I am creating in my studio, when I create my floor roles, everybody says, oh, who are you doing that for? I'm not doing it for anybody, I'm doing it for me. Because you need that ability to just be creative. And I think when you are when you have that ability, as you said, just to play,
00:19:37
Speaker
then something beautiful evolves out of that because you don't feel forced into creating something. And listen, we all, as Lori has said, we all need to pay the bills. So sometimes we do need to create for someone else. And I understand that. And that's really important. But allowing yourself just a little bit of time just to just let it be, let it go.
00:20:00
Speaker
and see what happens. And yeah and I think when i when I see Pocket and everybody, we'll put a picture of Pocket up too, so everybody can see him when but you just see all the different elements that are part of him that are just everyday elements, but all of a sudden he becomes this person and it's this this character and it's just, he's got a heart, he's got a soul. yeah Yeah, thank you. Well, that makes me, that makes my heart smile. Same.
00:20:26
Speaker
Yeah. So I'm wondering because, you know, you were making a good living. boom And now you're making this transition into something that you don't know where it's going to take you. but sure I'm just curious about your husband, like your family's reaction and like, were they supportive right from the get go? Because I think that's another piece of the puzzle when people do want to pursue something. Having someone to support them in that dream is really important.
00:20:59
Speaker
thousand percent my husband is oh he's my hero he's just he believes in the thing I'm creating or the things I'm creating like he is just incredible my son too like they have cheerleading me the whole way the whole way that all this entire journey like my son is 24 now so I made pocket when he was four And then, you know, ah like I said, he sat on the shelf for years. But I mean, Connor, my son knows and has seen me build this thing, build this brand, build this little world. He knows what the messaging is all about. So if I'm showing him a video I'm working on or ah
00:21:41
Speaker
photo I'm working on both of them. I'll show them and because they know so much about the message I want to convey and the world pocket is building like they both have such great feedback. They give me ideas like crazy the in editing they'll watch and they'll say oh I think you should do this or that like I don't know what I would do without them and and financially yes it was scary because I was literally walking away from pretty good income as I as I pulled back from Licensing there was definitely periods where we a little more craft dinner, but but I mean I was that year Yeah yeah has your play I was going to say that you know, it's one of my joys is when my kids I hear my children talking about the things that i've done or that i'm doing when your son Not only works with you or talks to you about it or speaks to other people i'm curious, you know, is he
00:22:40
Speaker
following it his own creative path, or what are what are you noticing? as is He's now an adult. How has Pocket touched his world and his life? yeah A thousand percent, Jamie. When we are courageous and brave, we show our children that they can be courageous and brave too. like Take a leap of faith and try it. And if you if you do, then you know, okay, it worked, it didn't work, but I tried.
00:23:07
Speaker
I gave it a go. Like, so, yes, he's building his own. He's a little entrepreneur. He has his own business and he's watched my husband and I with our own businesses. So, yeah, he's learned a lot about running your own business and being brave and tea and figuring things out by taking a bit of the faith and, you know, just so like try it and see just like yeah the play. Play is just about give yourself like, look, there's always laundry. There's always a meal to be made. There is always something else, especially those women that call us to say, I should be doing this. And my thing is, like, it you if you give yourself
00:23:55
Speaker
that gift of no I'm going to spend an hour or two just in my wherever that space is whether it's cooking cleaning studio on your kitchen table whatever that thing is that's calling you give yourself that time to explore that thing that keeps calling you because then you are going to be happier and when you're happier then you're able to do all those other things that are calling you that to-do list is always going to be there but when you give yourself time to play and figure that other stuff out then then you know the to to-do list will get done
00:24:32
Speaker
Let's take a quick minute and thank our amazing sponsors. Our podcast is proudly brought to you today by Jet Creative and Urban Stems. Jet Creative is a women owned marketing firm committed to community and empowerment since 2013.
00:24:48
Speaker
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00:25:07
Speaker
And a huge thanks to Urban Stems, your go to and our go to source for fresh, gorgeous bouquets and gifts delivered coast to coast. Use Bloom Big 20 and save 20 percent on your next order. And don't forget to subscribe to this podcast and follow us on Instagram and Facebook at Rebloom podcast.
Opportunities and Values
00:25:29
Speaker
Thanks to our sponsors and thanks to you for joining us today.
00:25:36
Speaker
i'm I'm curious, Robin. So i you always hear that when you find your passion or you follow your heart that the universe responds to that and and opportunities come your way. Do you feel that that's been the case for you? Yes, I believe that wholeheartedly. that's i I say that all the time. You know, universe, tell me if I'm on my the right path. I say it out all the time. I'll just say, am I on the right path?
00:26:04
Speaker
And then something happens. Something shows me that I'm on the right path. Happens every time I say it out loud. Wow. Am I on the right path? Yeah. And then boom, there's an email. Boom, there's a DM. There's, you know, um someone wants to meet like stuff like that. Yeah, for sure. And then it's, again, because I'm at licensing world, I was able to figure out, oh,
00:26:28
Speaker
Do I want to take that meat? Like before in licensing, I said yes to so many things because you think, well, every opportunity that comes to you, you're supposed to say yes to. Now I don't feel that way. good Now, again, because of my experience, and I can look at the opportunities and really see, does this align with what I'm building? Does this align with the direction I'm in? um I've had sponsorship offers, but you know does it align with Pockets World?
00:26:58
Speaker
and and again in ah environmentally friendly way, you know, i and lots of times, well, not lots of times, sometimes it does work, sometimes it doesn't. So I say no to opportunities, even though, yes, sure, I could have used the money. But if it doesn't make sense with what I'm doing in here, then I know I'm not interested in saying yes. So somehow, yeah, the universe finds a way. I think that's fabulous advice because I think sometimes we get a little scattered and sometimes we say yes to too many things and that is brilliant advice for our listeners because I think if you're pretty clear about the direction that you're going,
00:27:37
Speaker
yeah it's easy It's easier to say no. and it's easier and then And then you're able to grow the thing that you do want to grow, which is the world that you're building, in your case, for Pocket. So I'm curious, I love my friend Lori always asks, I'm curious. I'm curious about Pocket's world. He's 20 years old. 20? Oh my gosh. tell me about tell it If you could tell us about, you know, you started, he was sitting on the windowsill.
00:28:08
Speaker
And you've grown this fabulous business how how and what has this what does it look like now and and How are you enjoying the business pockets world? Okay, so I first thought oh I'll make cards so I did the I call them pocket postcards So I just started setting him up in all his little scenes and I was photographed photographing him and um And then I just started with the pocket postcard line, which I sell online. And then that was kind of the beginning of, all right, I will look for a way to ah produce postcards. I try and use environmentally friendly papers. I do my best to, again, that's all with a local printer. So um I do all that. And then from there, it just kind of expand, but I expand it into like,
00:29:05
Speaker
experimenting with the filming. I didn't have any idea what I was doing, like i just but I just started to play. um How does this work? how Do I have fancy equipment? I do not. Everyone thinks I do. I do not have fancy equipment. my cheat I use my phone half the time. i got it you know My tripod is just a cheap little tripod I purchased online. like it's it's just all but It's not really about the equipment and the tools. It's about just the story and the thing you want to convey. yeah so Sometimes it looks a little amateurish.
Expanding Pocket's World
00:29:41
Speaker
I'm okay with that. I think more and more that
00:29:44
Speaker
we are going to be more okay with it looking a little more imperfect because I believe in my imperfect world. I call myself a playful imperfectionist. I'm not interested in it. I'm not interested in it looking perfect. I think when people see my hand in the video or see my face all of a sudden arrive, they see how little pocket it is or when they see when my hand is there like this is a human making this thing.
00:30:12
Speaker
And in this world that we're heading into, AI, and it has it has its pros and cons. I get it. It has its pros and cons. But I think as humans, we're going to gravitate more towards seeing actual humans making you know ah movies and videos and books and things that you can tell it's a real human touch. It's not.
00:30:37
Speaker
So AI generated. And then, I mean, there's some great stuff out there. I'm not, you know, but I just think we will crave more human created things.
00:30:48
Speaker
I love the juxtaposition. This just hit me that a robot is something that is, you know, could be thought of as AI aligned, but you're making these robots out of junk and found bits all by hand. Yes. So I love that, that combination that you're in, you're bringing such heart to something that maybe a robot is not envisioned as something that has a heart.
00:31:17
Speaker
for sure. He is not run by tech. He is run by my heartstrings. It's my heartstrings that make him move, that show his tenderness and his caring and his love and and how he thinks about the planet and the messages he wants people to feel and hopeful. like I just want people to feel hopeful. I want people to feel inspired um and that all things are possible. Pocket believes that all things are possible.
00:31:49
Speaker
And in his crazy, rusty, junk-filled world, he only sees beauty. But I just, yeah. Yeah, and I love that, though, because in his crazy, junk-filled world, all of those crazy pieces of junk were made by someone's hands and someone's heart. That's right. I mean, you think, oh, it's a paperclip, but somebody thought to make a paperclip, and they made the paperclip. And even if it's rusty and junky,
00:32:17
Speaker
it still was made so each and every piece of pocket and the pieces the assemblage pieces that you're doing were made by someone else's heart and then brought together by yours and not forgotten and that's right and i think that's why beautiful feel some kind of emotion with him because it's been touched by humans. It's everything, every part of him, the leather, the vintage leather, his arms and legs are made out of. His body is an old mahjong set I found in an antique store. His head's an old dice. All of that kind of conveys that he is made from humans or humans.
00:33:04
Speaker
Yeah. I feel like pocket is Robin. Oh, lots of people say that. I feel like that too. Kind of like Jim Henson said Kermit was him. Yeah. i'd say I would say I feel the same way. yeah yeah Yeah. I know you always had an affinity for Jim Henson. Did you see the documentary about him? on watched it Probably four or five times. What a brilliant mind. Oh my gosh. He was probably my biggest inspiration as a
00:33:34
Speaker
Yeah, i I remember you talking about him. yeah Yeah, probably my biggest inspiration, especially as a little girl knowing that I was creative, but not knowing what I was supposed to do with that. I knew I was creative. In our all my art classes, my teachers always made a big deal about the things I was making, so I knew there was something there. um bute You know, we're talking in the 70s, a young girl that knows that she's creative. And then then the Muppets come on the TV and all that stuff. And I'm like, oh, wow, OK, you can be creative and do something big and awesome. And so, yeah, I was Jim Henson was a huge influence on my life.
00:34:21
Speaker
Well, then no wonder you were that, uh, three dimensional storytelling characters. No wonder all of that was whispering to you if that's what you were loved when you were young and you've, you've taken that into your world now. And I, I love that. I mean, I could see you having a whole show about pocket and all of his friends.
00:34:45
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, I'd love that. That's kind of what I'm working towards. On the website, I have a whole thing of all the characters, all my all Pockets characters in this world. They're mainly all the vintage toys we rescue. That's a big part of Pockets World, too, because we rescue vintage toys. And we rescue the ones that look like, you know, they've been sitting there a while. They've got dust on them and nobody wants them because they're not pristine. I want the ones that are rusty and missing eyes.
00:35:14
Speaker
and keys and wind up. Yeah, I want the ones that I can kind of fix. And I may have some stuff I could send your way, Robin, because I have some right. I too am a collector. Well, and I I love to use vintage pieces in my florals. I'm always looking like you are um for the things that have a story to tell. for Today's post that I ah have that my my vessel is an old an old lunch pail.
00:35:44
Speaker
Love it. And so I think that those pieces from the past are just, I love the more dented and the dinged up and the rusty and the chippy because it was loved. And I know that they can't tell the story, but maybe by repurposing them, they're telling a new story and that is equally as important. Would you agree?
00:36:09
Speaker
ah thousand per percent. yeah yeah The more rust and chips and the patina is what tells us the human history. The patina of that lunchbox is how many kids held it, how many kids eat their lunch out of it, how many kids sat at the table and giggled together and shared and eat their lunch and went back to class. like That has way more charm than any other vessel you could have picked for your floral arrangement, I would agree. I also think of, did you watch that Rudolph special in the 60s? Oh, all the time. The land of the misfit toys. Misfit toys, yes. They were on this island and nobody loved them, and they but yeah I think you're taking all these misfit pieces and parts and putting them together. and
00:37:01
Speaker
in a beautiful new way, telling beautiful stories. I call myself a magical misfit, because I feel like I live on that island. You know, like, you know, the whole feeling of where do you belong? I mean, I go through that all the time now still. Do you think that Pocket helps people? I know you were, initially he was to protect people, but do you think that he's a connector now in helping people maybe who are misfits to feel like they belong?
00:37:29
Speaker
Oh, for sure. It's again, that because I feel like that so much. Like, where do I belong? have Yeah. And it I'll think like I'll have an emotion and then I'll think, oh, what would Pocket say to me? You know, that sounds crazy. But then I think, oh, because Pocket is so optimistic. And when I'm having those dark days, the rough days, the days that just the studio feels darker and I'm not, you know, I'm i'm not sure.
00:37:58
Speaker
you know, Oh, what do I even have the energy to create today? Uh, I'll just, even if it's a 10 second video, just to send a little bit of love and light with pocket out into the world. And if it makes one person smile, then great. And that's turned my frown upside down. m I love that so much. Yeah, that's hard, right? At times, just the struggle of that our dark days and our bright days. And I think as creatives with creative brains, we battle both.
00:38:28
Speaker
Yes, we do. And I think it's hard creatively sometimes you are alone and you're creating, but you do think that's the beauty of social media. It's also the beauty of I'm sure these shows and things that you're doing that you get feedback from others with some of the lovely feedback you receive from your pocket fans. Oh, like they are pouring of love. I get I mean, you're going to make me cry, but Yeah, I had no idea that people were going to respond like they did. ah You know, there's this little robot and I'm just starting to share some photos with him. And they they just always say like things like, well, he makes me smile. He has some something about him makes them feel like they believe in the possibilities. They say that he gives them hope.
00:39:19
Speaker
oh no Yeah, I'm overwhelmed by some of the comments and the love that they, that most of the time it's, we love Pocket, we love Pocket, we love Pocket. I get emails, letters, people send stuff in the mail. ah Pocket has all kinds of things in the studio that people have sent him. It can be little books, it can be little blankets, it can be pillow, I mean,
00:39:47
Speaker
It's been overwhelming and that's when I know, okay, I'm not sitting here by myself. Those are the days. If I go back and I start reading the comments, I'm like, okay, I'm not sitting here by myself. I have a whole bunch of wonderful fans that I would call friends now that just love what for we're doing here. so i'm but i'm not you know oh we like I'm not doing it for me, I'm doing it for them. Even though I saved Mark, it saved me. Like he did. But yeah.
Creativity and Emotional Processing
00:40:19
Speaker
And what ah what a gift you've given to your son to see that he inspired this ah whole world for you.
00:40:28
Speaker
that is now inspiring the whole world. For sure. He's... that i Pocket's world is a love letter to my son. Oh. Absolutely. It absolutely is. Yeah. No matter what happens to me, he'll always have that. but You've made me tear up like about four times during this conversation. I know. You're just... I am a sentimental, nostalgic, big mushy heart. Yes, you are. And that's why I love you.
00:40:57
Speaker
like But you know it's it's the core things of play and love and creativity and trusting your heart and putting all of that, just mixing that all up together. And you're always going to come out with something that is beautiful. It's a beautiful gift. We may not know what it is, but... And it doesn't have to be perfect. the Be a playful imperfectionist.
00:41:25
Speaker
I love that. Be a playful imperfectionist because yeah just that's how we learn as we keep creating and going and moving forward that's how we learn. I think we all need to be playful imperfectionists because I think when we try um i'm taking a class this summer an encaustic class and I've never done it before And I'm really bad at it. I mean, but that's okay. I've never done it before. But our teacher, like you said, is just encouraging us to just play. I'm like, okay, well, I mean, these aren't going to be sold. So like stamp something or do something or heat it or see what happens. And just by doing that, it's just it's been such a fun class because you get to play. Yeah, I feel that way about hand building my clay class.
00:42:12
Speaker
yeah I love it because i'm nothing I'm making in that class do I want to sell or care to sell. I'm making it just because I want to and right Kenzie's gonna take the next session with me. So and she doesn't always use her hand like she uses the computer mostly. yeah So I think this is really gonna be great for her.
00:42:33
Speaker
Oh, that's so good. I think you open up a whole different world and even by looking at pocket, ah you are teaching people about recycling, you're teaching people that you can be creative with the things that are in our world, whether they be natural or whether they be man-made, but there's just so many shapes and beautiful things out there. We recently interviewed Mary Jo Hoffman who wrote a beautiful new book called Still the Art of Noticing. um And she yeah does these beautiful um photographs of nature. And ah you look at nature differently. I think you look at our world differently. you're creating By you creating Pockets World, you're helping us to look at our world a little differently and more respectfully.
00:43:23
Speaker
For sure. Yeah. Oh, that that's great. You just made my heart compass go. like And that's what I always say, follow your heart compass. Your heart compass is always guiding you. just We just have to kind of take a few deep breaths and get a little still.
00:43:41
Speaker
and then listen to what it's saying. I journal and then I use water to help bring answers to me. And when I say that, I go swimming. Though when I'm in water, either the bathtub or I go in the pool, a lot of ideas come to me in the water and then journaling.
00:44:02
Speaker
I'll just write. i don't I don't edit. I don't stop what's coming. I just write. Just write without even editing yourself. Just write in a journal. Get it out of your head. And then the answers always come. They do it for me anyways. They do it for me. I know Julia Cameron, she calls the but artist pages, or or I think that's what she calls it, where you're supposed to, when you wake up, just write three pages worth of whatever, anything that spills out of you. And I was doing that a while in my thirties when I was kind of hitting a weird spot and it really does help because things just come out that you're like, where did that come from? ye That's how the playful imperfectionist came out of me. I was just journaling. Yeah.
00:44:53
Speaker
And then though those words came. like Well, and life life is not perfect. And and I think anytime you think that it is, we're just fooling ourselves. So I think you're right, taking the time to just let it out. And and sometimes we don't know what's bottled up. And I do this eye journal and I I'll look back and I'll think, did I say that? like just right But but you needed you needed to try, you needed to get it out. um yeah And sometimes you just need to let your hands create. And that that's the beauty of what you're doing and that what I hope others will take away from this too is you know the macaroni necklaces that we all made when we were little kids that we painted. or those I mean, those are simple little things that
00:45:42
Speaker
You know, they that those those are the seeds of inspiration, whether we, but I mean, we may not remember them, but yet if you ask somebody, have you ever made a macaroni necklace? Most everybody has made a macaroni necklace. and and But it's planting those little seeds to let all children know that they can be creative. And then I think what you're finding with these adults who are touched by your work is that they remember those beautiful seeds and want to be reconnected with them.
00:46:10
Speaker
For sure. Oh, you you just hit the nail on the head. For sure. That's exactly it. And don't but like don't grow up. Don't grow up. You have to remember that child-like wonder inside you. It's inside all of us. It's all those things that happen in your life that remind you whether it's all of a sudden you become a grandparent and you're like, oh, I'm a kid again.
00:46:32
Speaker
because our children remind us of the magic inside our hearts. and And then, you know, then if you have grandchildren, it's the same thing. So totally just remember that childlike wonder. It's always been there. It never left us. We all played in the sandbox and built the things and climb the tree. We all that's how we learned. That's how our brain developed. We need more of that.
00:46:59
Speaker
It gets beaten out of us a little bit along the way. yeah It's interesting. I think you created... i Well, I'm not going to put words into your mouth, but you created Pocket to protect to show your son protection, but what you're protecting is our creative heart, all of our creative heart. Pocket pocket actually shows us all that our creative heart is still there, and he's protecting that piece of our heart, and I love that. For sure. For sure. Yeah, absolutely. And again, like I said, like i was really I really struggled with anxiety when my son was younger. And so you know just the whole trying to do it all and how do you how do what do I do with all this stuff that's in my head? And
00:47:43
Speaker
again, just really diving into what my heart was calling helped pull me out ah but of a dark time. I was really struggling. i I love that. Well, Robin, you are incredible. you This has been one amazing quote and sound bite and piece of advice after another. And I hate to even ask, but is there something you'd like? Because you've given us so much. I feel like okay well that's something we could say. like I love it.
00:48:12
Speaker
But anything you'd like to leave our listeners with today, a little piece of advice or something, another piece of advice that you want to leave our our our listeners with. I think my my biggest advice is live with a playful heart, but the second second bit is um you don't need all kinds of fancy equipment and tools to do the thing that might be calling you. like Just use exactly what you have right now and give it a go.
Embracing Imperfection and Reflection
00:48:43
Speaker
Like whatever materials are around you, just start playing. Like I said, most of my movies that you see are all filmed on my my iPhone. I don't have fancy equipment or fancy tools. Most of my tools are old. I just experiment with what I have.
00:49:01
Speaker
So that would be... You know, I so agree with that because I think a lot of times perfectionism stops people yeah because they have this thing in their mind of what it should be or what it should look like or how it should be made and what what you need to to achieve that.
00:49:18
Speaker
yeah instead of like kids they just dive in they just they just do it they don't think about all that stuff and they don't care about what the end result is wow they're just doing it and then every time you do that you learn something and then you next time you do it a little better and the next time you do it a little better for sure yeah you could put i ate eight adults at a table and hand them all three pieces of pipe cleaner. v And ask those eight adults with those three pieces of pipe cleaner, nothing else, no scissors, no net, just make something. What you will see them make will be eight completely different things and they will, um like you will be inspired. yeah yes And that was only three little pieces of pipe cleaner.
00:50:10
Speaker
right So if you if you and it's a party idea for our listeners. Party's across the nation. Oh, you just started something. That's a good idea. Exactly. make Make your napkin rings out of pipe cleaners and lay with them at the dinner table. I bet that they would do that. I bet.
00:50:32
Speaker
Robin, you are a delight. Thank you so much. Thank you for being the best guest and the best playful perfectionist that we know. Imperfectionist. Oh, playful imperfectionist. I got to get it right. Not perfectionist, of course. Playful imperfectionist. And, you know, just to have fun and thank you for bringing us into Pockets World today.
00:50:53
Speaker
Oh, thank you so much, ladies. It was just, it was enchanting to talk to you both. So someday we have to get together in person again. Yes. Yes. And with Paula too. Maybe we'll go visit her in Black Mountain.
00:51:08
Speaker
I know I keep saying that to her too. Who is Paula? Who is Paula? do we know Do we need to go on a road trip, Lori? Yeah, another road trip. Paula Jolene is a friend of ours who um she's amazing and she lives this outside of Asheville.
00:51:24
Speaker
Yeah. i wrote Well, Lori and I are going to do a rebloom road trip. yeah ruageed women yeah in canada Yeah. We're definitely coming. We're definitely coming. Well, thank you so much for inviting us into your beautiful studio. Thank you for sharing the hour with us. And thank you for reblooming. Thank you, ladies. Have a beautiful day. You do the same. Lori, that was incredible. What did you take away from this?
00:51:52
Speaker
I was writing down phrase after phrase because I think Robin is also a writer. I'm sure she was writing as a kid. I meant to ask her that, but the first phrase I wrote down was um being courageous and brave. And i I so love how she's showing her own son, but I think I know she shows that to me, like as I've been watching her over these last few years, um, really focusing on something that she absolutely loves. It's been inspiring me. And that's one of the reasons why I wanted Robin to be on our podcast because I wanted to learn more about how to be a little bit braver myself and maybe, maybe
00:52:40
Speaker
go more towards those things that are you know really drawing me. The other one was the playful imperfectionism. I love that because i you know we said and perfectionism stops people. Perfectionism is fear. And I was just with a friend this weekend who was getting ready for her very first craft show.
00:53:02
Speaker
And she's kind of, she's so scared. And she's so full of fear. And it's kind of taking a little bit of the joy out of the making of the of the pieces for the show. But i i I envision her on the other side after she's done it.
00:53:20
Speaker
and what she'll take away and what she'll learn and so I love that. I love the magical misfit and I love the heart and I love heart compass and I love following your heart compass because I do feel like like again watching Robin doing that and living that and all of the the abundance of goodness and love that's come her way, I think it's been reciprocal about all that she's wanting to share and in love and in serving the world. And I think when you focus on doing that, those two things, you know following your own heart, but also doing it in service of the world or in service of others, that's when the magic really happens.
00:54:09
Speaker
Lori, that is so beautifully said. I don't think I could say it any better, and I hope for all of our listeners today that they will follow their heart compass
00:54:30
Speaker
Life is too short not to follow your passions, so go out there and let your heart plant you where you are meant to be and grow your joy. We will be right here sharing more incredible stories of reinvention with you. Make sure to subscribe to our podcast so you never miss an episode of Rebloom. Until next time, I'm Jamie Jamison. And I'm Lori Siebert. Peace, love, and Rebloom, dear friends.