If you’ve ever wanted to make your own jewelry or screen-print your own t-shirt, you probably didn’t know where to start. You could maybe have found the answers online, but even a helpful, detailed site explaining how to make your creation would have required the purchase of expensive equipment. It would have been time-consuming, and you would have struggled to accomplish the task on your own terms. If you’ve ever wanted to build your own surf board or table, you probably didn’t even waste time searching for instructions. You probably just gave up.
The Sky’s the Limit…
These accusations against your personal character are entirely unfounded, but the fact is that most crafts are simply too difficult to learn on one’s own. While some may be strong enough to overcome the many hurdles that accompany learning any new task, Soulcrafting exists so that you can easily get help and learn from an interesting expert. The site links motivated learners with expert craftspeople in their communities. It’s bold to do things yourself, but it might be even more exciting to do things with the help of those that actually know what’s going on.
Connect with Master Craftsmen
Soulcrafting connects users with several craftsmen and women that are masters of their respective fields and willing to share their knowledge and expertise. There’s June Lantz, founder of Junestones, who can show you how to use stones and gems to make leather wrap bracelets. There’s Kate Inskeep or Kazu Oba, both of whom could teach you some new pottery skills. There are several other people who have signed up with Soulcrafting to offer their services in one of the following fields: adventure, apparel, bicycles, destination, dog houses, food & drink, garden, glass, homebrewing, jewelry, leather, metal, motorcycles, plaster, pottery & tile, screen printing and woodworking. These are experts that have spent years honing their craft, willing to spend a day with you and show you how they do their work.
Craft Exactly what Your Soul Desires
Within Soulcrafting’s site, there are additional breakdowns of unique experiences under the aforementioned major categories. If you click on homebrewing, for instance, you can choose between a Soulcrafting experience brewing beer or brewing Kombucha. Each time you sign up to meet with a craftsperson via Soulcrafting, you’re guaranteed to have an interesting experience working on a tangible product that you can take home at the end of the meeting (or, in rarer cases, the knowledge on how to successfully make the product at home). It’s like taking a class, but tailored especially to your specifications and learning desires. You don’t have to be serious about learning a craft either, in case you’re just looking for something interesting to do or a unique item to make for a gift or other purpose.
Soulcrafting was created in Boulder, Colorado, so the majority of the artists and craftspeople available to meet via the site are located in that city or in nearby Denver. That’s a major selling point of the site to members of those communities, especially considering Colorado has so many hardworking craftsmen and women making products that may be familiar to consumers throughout the area. It’s somewhat more disappointing, of course, for users located outside of that state. The site does, however, have a section called “Concierge,” which allows users to request their own meeting with a different individual. Soulcrafting searches your area for a match fitting with a description of what you want to accomplish (build a boat? learn metalworking? or anything you desire), and sets up the meeting the way it would if you were located in Boulder. It’s an extra step to send the company an email explaining your location and situation, but one that has the potential to pay off with a great, rewarding experience.
Meet Your Mentor
The way to schedule and set-up any meeting, in Boulder or otherwise, is by booking directly through Soulcrafting and putting down a refundable $25 deposit upfront. That deposit, which is ultimately applied towards the overall cost of your experience, helps crafstpeople nail down a specific date and time and ensures that you’ll actually show up. There are a limited number of available spots on a monthly basis, so it’s best to book as early as possible. Soulcrafting then contacts users via email to coordinate final pricing and any customizable aspects of the experience. After that, all you have to do is show up, have a good time, meet cool people and learn something new.
Don’t Just Buy It, Craft It!
Soulcrafting shows potential to use technology in order to revolutionize the way craft and trade is learned and taught, as well as the way craftspeople are connected with consumers and other members of the community. The best craftsmen and women have honed their skills under the guidance of an apprentice (again, an apprentice not named Google), a luxury which is increasingly difficult to find. Anyone can learn anything with even limited knowledge of search engines and the Internet, but it’s tough to learn things in the rewarding and fulfilling way offered by a service like Soulcrafting.
