WASHINGTON 鈥斅營f you鈥檙e pinning pictures of cute craft tutorials on Pinterest but you can鈥檛 seem to get started on them yourself, the ladies of The Lemon Bowl are here to help.
, and are three local artists who聽took their hobbies and turned them into a business.
Together, they founded , a shared creative space on Georgia Avenue in Northwest D.C. When they first saw the space, a former deli, it looked a bit grim.
鈥淲e went to look at the space and it was so bare. There wasn鈥檛 anything in it. It had really horrible linoleum floors and a full bathroom in the back,鈥� says Simmons. 鈥淏ut with a little elbow grease and some creative energy, we鈥檝e been able to turn it into something really special.”
The Lemon Bowl has only been around for about three months, but Giffin says the reaction to the art space surprised all of them.
鈥淚 think we鈥檝e all been surprised by the people that we鈥檝e been able to reach with The Lemon Bowl. D.C. is such a specific place in terms of work. A lot of people have nine-to-five jobs and they鈥檙e not necessarily anything to do with the creative industry. People come who are just looking for something totally different from what they do day-to-day, something that鈥檚 playful.鈥�
鈥渋t鈥檚 really cool for us to see these groups of women that are so excited to be out on a Saturday morning working with their hands,鈥� says Zaremba. 鈥淭hey have office jobs during the week and everybody desperately wants to make things but they don鈥檛 know where to start.鈥�
鈥淭he Lemon Bowl is a place to get your hands dirty, to make something and not be afraid of what the outcome is. It鈥檚 just a fun, friendly environment to make objects and be with your friends, meet new people and talk about your ideas.鈥�
For would-be DIYers that may be intimidated by the beautiful finished products found on Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest, Giffin says crafters of all skill levels are welcome and encouraged to experiment. The Lemon Bowl offers on everything from embroidery to terrarium-making to nude drawing (with food!).
鈥淚t鈥檚 totally OK聽to come to these classes without any prior knowledge of what you鈥檙e doing. All you need is some curiosity and a little bit of humility,鈥� says Giffin.
鈥淭here isn鈥檛 any expectation to make something that鈥檚 beautiful. I think a lot of people have come to classes and after sitting here for two hours come up with something that鈥檚 not all that beautiful. Not always, but that鈥檚 the life of an artist. You try and it doesn鈥檛 always work but it鈥檚 not the point. The point is to try something new and just play around.鈥�
鈥淟earning anything takes time,鈥� Simmons says. The classes at The Lemon Bowl won鈥檛 turn you into instant artists. 鈥淓ven if you鈥檙e a creative person and you have a lot of skills, it still takes time to learn something new. Be patient with yourself.鈥�
The Lemon Bowl ladies all agree, people can sometimes be turned off by the C-word.
鈥淚 think that the word 鈥榗raft鈥� gets kind of a bad rap,鈥� says Simmons. 鈥淵ou might think of lavender satchels, something easy.鈥�
鈥淭his is not. It鈥檚 a process,鈥� Zaremba says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the process that makes the final object something to cherish and love and to want in your space.鈥�
For apartment-dwellers and people worried about cluttering up an already-furnished house, Zaremba has a simple recommendation.
鈥淟ook around and find one thing that means nothing to you. Get rid of it and try to replace it with something meaningful. It doesn鈥檛 have to be made by you, it can be something someone else has made. But I think there鈥檚 a lot to be said about handmade objects, things that an actual person has put together.鈥�
If you make something that you might not find beautiful or functional the first time around, don鈥檛 be discouraged, says Giffin.
鈥淚f you trust that you鈥檙e capable, which you are, then you鈥檒l get to something great. Keep trying. That feeling of creating something beautiful, and this is true in many walks of life, is what makes it all worth it. You just have to keep pushing and make something you鈥檙e proud of. That pride will inspire you to make something else.鈥�
