Currents Spring 2022 Vol. 38, No. 1 | Page 17

busy , messy , fun , and creative , but it also involves a lot of selfcriticism , failure , and disbelief . Being your own cheerleader is hard , so I take myself back to why I am doing what I ’ m doing .
Giving the gift of something handmade to someone you love is something I have done since I was able to articulate “ I made this for you .” I was the kid who gave handmade cards on birthdays or “ just because .” Who would spend weeks after school making different “ creations ” from repurposed toilet rolls , paper , fabric scraps , and glue . I then hammered together a “ stall ” from wood and nails found in our shed so that I could sell them in my driveway on weekends . “ Lucky Dips ” and homemade lemonade , made from our tree out back , were neatly stacked , ready for all my customers .
But it was never about the minimal pocket money I made . The excitement always came from the smiles , laughs , and oooohs and ahhhhs from my friends and neighbors when they saw what I had made .
That special feeling has never left me . I still get a rush today when I receive a message or photo from a happy customer . It ’ s what drives me to keep creating and making . It helps me to remember that even in a very small way , I am contributing to the world around us and touching the lives of people in it .
A young Jess M . ( left ) and her sister at the art stall they set up in front of their home . ( Photo by their mother , Barbara Richter )
Handbound notebooks by Jess .
In December of 2019 , I was fortunate enough to be chosen to join the artist collective at Litil — a tiny shop in Ottensen full of items handmade by myself and five other incredibly talented women artists from Hamburg with the same passion and drive that this crazy world we live in needs more handmade . It is an ever-changing , on-going exhibi-
See More of Jess ’ s Work Visit her shop , Litil , at Kleine Rainstr . 6 in Ottensen or go online to Instagram . com / gusandollie
tion full of creative ideas turned into wearable , huggable , sustainable , loveable pieces of art .
So I guess you could say I ’ ve come full circle , but instead of my driveway , I ’ m in Hamburg / Ottensen , and instead of toilet rolls and glue , my creations have matured into hand-bound notebooks , tiny sculptures , and oneof-a-kind soft toys , sold under my brand names “ Gus and Ollie ” and “ Studio JAM Handmade .”
If you ’ re ever wandering around Ottensen , come on in and say hello ! You ’ re sure to find something you love , handmade just for you . www . awchamburg . org 17