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Kim Piper Werker

Goodreads Author

Born

in Brooklyn, NY, The United States

Website

http://www.kimwerker.com

Twitter

kpwerker

Genre

Nonfiction, Art, Self Help

Member Since

March 2008

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/kpwerker

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Kim Werker is a writer and editor who makes something every day. She runs a project called Mighty Ugly, helping people to embrace the difficult, dark side of creativity so they can have way more fun making stuff and trying new things.

Her latest book is Make It Mighty Ugly: Exercises and Advice for Getting Creative Even When It Ain't Pretty. Kim was the founder of the now-extinct CrochetMe.com and was the editor of Interweave Crochet magazine from 2006-2008. She has written or co-authored six crochet books including Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revolution, and Crochet Visual Quick Tips.

Kim lives in Vancouver, BC, with her partner, their son, and a mutt who was named after a tree.
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It seems like a lot of people struggle with feeling "abnormal" and thinking too much outside of the box. I feel like I have the opposite issue...too "normal" to be creative, too good at just following rules and instructions and not thinking outside of the box enough. Have you encountered this much?

Kim Piper Werker To be honest, Marissa, that's how I felt for most of my life. But it bugged me, you know? Does it bug you? I felt like I *wanted* to be creative and d…moreTo be honest, Marissa, that's how I felt for most of my life. But it bugged me, you know? Does it bug you? I felt like I *wanted* to be creative and different and boundary-pushing, but I wasn't comfortable doing that and I didn't even think I *could*. What I ended up realizing, which I wrote a bunch about in Make It Mighty Ugly, is that all I had to do was, well, whatever I actually wanted, without worrying much about what's normal or abnormal or creative or exciting. And then I had to take the next step of accepting that certain things I did regularly actually are creative, even if they didn't involve things I thought of as traditionally creative. Like, I wasn't an artist or a poet or a musician. But I was a heckuva problem solver and a pretty good writer. Those things are creative, even if they aren't romantic.

Eventually, I just started making stuff (sometimes ugly on purpose). I still don't make things that are particularly ground-breaking, but I know I could if I wanted to. And I still love to follow other people's instructions and patterns, but I also know I can come up with my own if I want to.

Which is all to say, do you enjoy following the rules? If you do, then why change? But I can tell you this with absolute certainty: If you're bugged by feeling "too normal to be creative", then you're not very normal. Because "normal" people aren't bugged by being normal. So if you're bugged, know that you're still not alone.(less)

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Kim Piper Werker Whenever I'm blocked about anything – writing, crafting – I just go with it. If I fight it, it gets worse. If I think too much about it, it gets worse…moreWhenever I'm blocked about anything – writing, crafting – I just go with it. If I fight it, it gets worse. If I think too much about it, it gets worse. So instead I just do something else, where that something else is something I enjoy quite a lot. And I continue doing that till the block has lifted (it doesn't take too long!).(less)

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Kim Piper Werker’s books

Average rating: 3.91 · 1,135 ratings · 149 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting by Cecily Keim, Kim Piper Werker (Goodreads Author) 4.23 avg rating — 468 ratings — published 2005 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Crochet Me 3.67 avg rating — 301 ratings — published 2007 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mighty Ugly: Exercises and Advice for Getting Creative Even When It Ain't Pretty by Kim Piper Werker (Goodreads Author), Kate Bingamam-Burt (Illustrator) 3.77 avg rating — 272 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Interweave Presents Crocheted Gifts: Irresistible Projects to Make & Give 4.01 avg rating — 75 ratings — published 2009 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Get Hooked Again: Simple Steps to Crochet More Cool Stuff by Kim Piper Werker (Goodreads Author), Cynthia Frenette (Illustrator), Angela Fama (Photographer) 3.65 avg rating — 69 ratings — published 2007 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Crochet VISUAL Quick Tips by Cecily Keim, Kim Piper Werker (Goodreads Author) 4.35 avg rating — 54 ratings — published 2007 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Get Hooked: Simple Steps to Crochet Cool Stuff by Kim Piper Werker (Goodreads Author), Angela Fama (Photographer), Pamela Bethel (Photographer) 3.61 avg rating — 36 ratings — published 2006 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cascadia by Fiona Mclean (Editor), Amanda Milne, Jane Richmond (Contributor) 4.70 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	12 Months of Fridays, Vol 1: Letters from the Peaks and Valleys of Creative Life 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Make It Mighty Ugly: Exercises & Advice for Getting Creative Even When It Ain't Pretty by Kim Piper Werker (Goodreads Author), Kate Bingaman-Burt (Goodreads Author) (illustrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Kim Piper Werker's Blog

Year of Making 2023!

So… I guess what happens when there’s a global pandemic and you lose all your work and you start a new business is that you don’t write a blog post for over two and a half years. Good to know!

Also good to know that some things don’t change, no matter what the universe throws at you.

Here I am, at the very end of 2022, looking ahead to make 2023 another Year of Making.

My creative habits need a tune-

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Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)

by Martha Wells (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 04, 2023 09:44PM

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The Bone Clocks

by David Mitchell

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Kim rated a book it was amazing Quilting: A Modern Creative Journey Through an Age-Old Craft by Andrea Tsang Jackson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Kim wants to read Bad Luck Bridesmaid by Alison Rose Greenberg (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Kim and 2 other people liked T.R. Ormond's review of Gathering Colour: Foraging Magic & Making Art from the World Around You: "They say to write about what you know. That Caitlin ffrench is knowledgeable about ochres, chalk, all forms of natural pigments and levigation, is testament to her unique and valuable knowledge and her outlook on the world that I wish more people sha" Read more of this review »
Apr 18, 2024 04:33PM · see review
Kim and 2 other people liked Margaret Scott's review of Gathering Colour: Foraging Magic & Making Art from the World Around You: "A beautiful book: in the stories told; the clear instructions for journeys to follow in search of adding natural colors to one's life; the photographs that add excellent illustrations to the narratives in each section. Caitlin's personal story adds g" Read more of this review »
Apr 18, 2024 04:33PM · see review
Kim and 1 other person liked Cathy Briant's review of Gathering Colour: Foraging Magic & Making Art from the World Around You: "A visually engaging exploration of the natural world, and how we may find art, and the materials of art-making within it. A must have for those of us seeking to connect deeply with the land around us and express it in a visual and tactile way. Do you" Read more of this review »
Apr 18, 2024 04:33PM · see review
Kim rated a book really liked it Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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I loved this! And I was hungry the whole time.
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Kim wants to read Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by Kim Piper Werker (?)

“In any medium, I also start out assuming—even planning—that I’ll delete the first thing I do, whether it’s a paragraph or the first few rows of a scarf. That makes those first steps far less precious and therefore less intimidating.”
― Kim Piper Werker, Make It Mighty Ugly: Exercises & Advice for Getting Creative Even When It Ain't Pretty

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