We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Corinne McCallum. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Corinne below.
Corinne, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Work Ethic
I think my high school experience introduced me to working hard. I went to an all girls academic school in Northern Ireland, where we were expected to give our best at all times. There was a lot of studying, many tests and exams twice a year.
I also got a hard work ethic, accountability and responsibility from my parents. My dad was a high school vice principal and my mum worked in the local health clinic. They both fostered hard work in me and my sister from early on.
This all continued in college where I completed a five year honors degree – 4 years in college and 1 year abroad in Paris, France working as an assistant language teacher in a high school. This degree qualified me to teach in the UK school system.
Now I work alone, so all those years of continual striving have stood me in good stead. I learned to crochet and knit when I was 10 in my last year of elementary school, knit occasionally in my twenties, but didn’t take crochet up again until I was laid off from my last job in March 2020.
I was really a beginner then, and knew the basic stitches, so decided that I needed to improve if I was to expect other people to wear my pieces. I became a tester for crochet designers and learned so much that I started to feel confident in this field.
After persevering in the craft and always striving to improve and take on new challenges, I opened my Etsy shop, EweCraftyThing60, where I sell all kinds of crocheted items, including blankets and wearables.
I also make sweaters for an awesome store called Jeaniushop. These sometimes complicated sweaters often take 5-8 hours to complete, so again hard work is required, but I always love the end result. As my mum says, “Corinne, you do love challenges, and you do stick at something until you figure it out.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
After graduation from college I worked as a teacher in France, Hong Kong and north London, England.
After London, and a one year training period in Miami, Florida, my husband and I moved to Germany, where we stayed for almost four years. I taught English language there. We then had the opportunity to apply for citizenship to the USA, and eventually moved to Chicago, and then the Bay Area, California. We have been in CA for 31 years.
I learned to knit and crochet in elementary school and knit for several years, but I picked up crochet again when lock down started in March 2020.
I wanted to make crocheted pieces for people that they would enjoy, so I set up a store on Etsy and eBay, as well as other local outlets in my area.
I have made custom pieces for clients, and am currently making sweaters for an online vintage jeans shop.
So I would say my main focus is crocheting items for my customers to wear and enjoy. That is what I feel is most exciting and special about what I do.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities I consider most impactful on my journey are adaptability, honesty and persistence.
Adaptability – having lived and worked in so many different countries, it was essential that I adapt to those cultures, the people and their way of life. Having a background in languages probably allowed me to adapt more easily than those who didn’t know another language.
Honesty – I’m very honest, say it like it is and don’t sugar coat things. I would tell a newcomer to stay true to yourself and keep on the path you wish to follow.
Persistence – since lock down when I started crocheting again, there have been many ups and downs in the creative world and retail business, so a determined level of persistence is needed to continue progressing in your field.
I would say to those early in their journey to be persistent, develop your skills over time and don’t expect immediate success. Stick with it, improve and you will start to see results.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
My husband has been my sounding board for many years. After a forty year career in software development, I think he has nearly all the answers with regard to building and developing skills, and knowing what is needed in order to become successful, so I would say he has been the most helpful in helping me overcome challenges.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ewe_crafty_thing
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ewecraftything77
- Other: https://ewecraftything60.etsy.com/
