Lisa Whitfield was our Woman of the Week in February 2020, nominated for her work as a musician. She wrote: "I have been transitioning between careers and, as I find my way, it leaves me with more time than I'm sometimes comfortable with, so I have fallen out of a regular routine. I do make lists of things to do, and I recently started working with a planner that is helping me set goals and complete tasks. Aside from the obvious chores of dishes and laundry (my hubby does most of the cooking these days), I knit A LOT! Currently, I spend a lot of time cultivating a social media presence on Facebook and Instagram to promote my fledgling idea of opening an inclusive fiber community and maker space in the college town where I live. I want to create a space where everyone is welcome regardless of race, gender identity, sexual preference, socio-economic position, political affiliation, etc. As a teacher by nature, I want to help folks learn how to do the craft they’ve always wanted to do. I want to be around folks who love to craft as much as I do. Also, I just want to control my own professional destiny. Being a freelance musician for over 30 years has left me wanting to be my own boss.”
We were curious about how her career change was going, so we asked her to give us an update:
“Back then -– I love the way they say this in the South — I was feeling some kind of way about the music business for various reasons. So, I decided that I wanted to use my work as a diversity, equity, and inclusion advocate, and the dedication I've had to that work since I was still a student at Juilliard, in a different way that excited me and that tied into what we're called to do as Christians.
“I get really upset when I hear people say that God wouldn't want this, that, or the other. I recall from my study of the Bible that Jesus was including everybody. He included the people that we think were the least worthy. I wanted to do that work, and I wanted to have the people who were marginalized. There are people who ask, ‘Do you have to make everything about inclusion? Can't you just be quiet and knit? Can't my knitting be free of politics?’ I just want to say, ‘I didn't make politics.’ It was intentional to not only be a black woman creating this community where everybody was welcome with a big old smile and a big old hug and lots of love and dignity and respect, but also to source products from dyers and small business owners from marginalized communities – to be able to say, ‘There are gay yarn dyers, Black yarn dyers, Asian yarn dyers, yarn dyers of every creed, color, orientation, and identity you can possibly think of. And here they are here, and aren't those yarns pretty? And don't you wanna make stuff with them?’ So far it's been working,
“I have a lot of students as customers, who help make this a community. It's a combination of local folks not affiliated with the College, who are from either Oberlin or the surrounding towns. Some of them are people of color, some of them are older white people. Others are from the college community. They might be kids that are away from home for the first time, or they're gay, or non-binary, or trans, and they come to the shop and feel loved and appreciated. They don't get looked at funny when they talk about their top surgery or they say, ‘I'm questioning right now,’ or ‘This is my partner,’ and it's been wonderful to have these kids. They come all year, and at the end of the year they bring their parents. They say, ‘This is Lisa, this is the person I've been telling you about. She's the one who gave me this safe space to just create and talk and be myself.’ That's meant the world to me.
“I see what I do as a ministry. This is what I believe God's work is. This is what I believe Jesus has called me to do. Oh my goodness, these children need love. What has surprised me is some of the older people who come in, that don’t seem like folks who would want to be part of this kind of community. Eventually, I hear them saying, ‘I'm sorry, sweetie! I messed up your pronouns again!’ They're working on it, changing, and growing. When the kids see these older people making this effort, they give them grace: ‘Oh, it's okay. I know you're trying.’ You see everybody softening, growing, giving each other this grace, this love, and that's what it's about. The yarn is the vehicle, but the love, the respect, and the dignity are the point.
“Things were very slow this summer, but I’m learning to ride the waves involved in retail sales. I'm attracting so many new folks due to recent articles about the shop and a growing following on social media. I am currently participating in a regional yarn crawl called the Yarn Discovery Tour. It's 19 days (9/5-24) of wall-to-wall yarn and people traveling from shop to shop, or shopping online. One of my favorite things is when customers come in and say, ‘I've been following you on social media and I was driving through Ohio, so I wanted to stop in to meet you and shop!’ For Ewe has been such a blessing in my life. For Ewe is proof that there is a place for this message in the world.”
Thank you, Lisa!