Buckle up! You’re in for a treat with this exclusive interview with the GOAT: artist, crafter, maker, Jodi Levine.
The Becoming series started in 2019. We wanted to hear from women in different walks of life and how they were approaching creativity, career goals, and more–mostly the WHY and HOW beneath it all. It’s been amazing to conduct these interviews and get a “behind the scenes” look at so many inspirational women like today’s, Jodi Levine. You can see them all here.
Jodi Levine
Today I’m thrilled to share an interview with on of my crafting icons–the one and only Jodi Levine. Jodi is a modern day legend in the crafting world, the GOAT if you will (and I will!). She graduated from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design before heading out to Martha Stewart Living for twenty years, where she used her unique ability to transform everyday items into inspiring ideas. She was part of the team that created Martha Stewart Kids and Martha Stewart Baby magazines, where she served as Editorial Director. Jodi was a guest judge on HBO’s Craftopia and has appeared on The Today Show, MARTHA, NY1, CBS Morning Show, The View, and elsewhere. She creates original content and crafts for brands including Sesame Workshop, Mattel/Fisher-Price, Walmart + Todd Oldham’s Smarts & Crafts, and Target, and for publications such as The New York Times and The New York Times for Kids, and The Week Junior. Jodi lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and two sons.
Jodi is the author of several craft books, the most recent being Mousetown, which launched last month and is an absolute delight. It’s such a great one for crafting with your kids!
Jodi, What do you consider yourself? Example: Artist, designer, illustrator, maker, business person, educator, etc.?
Jodi Levine: Good question! I am a maker, but I also enjoy making things and then teaching others to do the same and then moving on to a new thing, as creating craft content for publications and brands allows me to do. So, I’d describe myself as a “maker/craft editor”!
Where did you grow up? Were there aspects of your childhood that have influenced what you do now?
I grew up in Queens in NYC. While I enjoyed playing outside, we had a small yard and I didn’t have much exposure to nature—I was more of an inside kid! At that time, NYC didn’t have many big chain stores, and especially not big craft stores. I had never even heard of Michaels! (That might have been for the best, as we lived pretty frugally, and if I had visited one, I would’ve freaked out!) 🙂 I loved making things and just used whatever I had or could find around the house: cardboard, toilet paper tubes, etc. A favorite memory is making doll clothes with my mom from old clothing. My aunt recalls that I would quietly collect (steal!) the paper doilies she set out under footed glasses. I remember watching family eat their fruit cocktail and thinking “do NOT drop that berry on *my* paper doily, I need it for a craft project!”
What did you dream of becoming when you were younger?
I dreamed of becoming an artist, a fashion designer, and a sign painter. (I’m old enough to remember when sale signs at our supermarket were hand-painted, and I was obsessed!) Really, I just wanted any job that came with a giant set of markers at a desk—something I had seen in a movie, haha! I also LOVED magazines and dreamed of working for one. I even used to make my own tiny, quirky magazines—one was a fashion magazine for waitresses. I also loved playing with food….but more like, making food that looks like things!
What sparked your interest in crafting and creating?
I always loved drawing and making things. My parents were very encouraging and took us to museums regularly to see art. As a kid, I had a bunch of vintage craft and cookbooks I read over and over. At my grandma’s Brooklyn apt, which we visited every Sunday, there weren’t any toys but a few items that I now realize were formative: my mom’s vintage Speedball lettering book. I was obsessed with it and, as I mentioned, would have loved to be a sign painter.
In her junk drawer was her stash of saved buttons and spools and red & white bakers twine that I loved to play with. My grandma was a use-what-you-have crafter, as many from her generation were. She knit sweaters for her kids and grandkids, but for herself, she only used the leftover balls of yarn. As a result, the vests she wore in her drafty apartment were always striped–the pattern was literally designed by her selflessness! I have one of those vests, and it is one of my most treasured possessions!
You have a new book out. How did that come to be? What was the collaboration process like?
My co-author, Margaret McCartney, is one of my closest friends. We went to art school together at RISD where we were roommates, then both worked at Martha Stewart, had kids at around the same time and even shared a babysitter! When my family moved out of Brooklyn, we wanted to collaborate, partly as a way to stay connected but also because we had an idea that we were excited about: a book that combined story and craft. We bonded over a childhood love of fictional mice and their tiny, hidden worlds. Margaret developed the cutest mouse characters and I created mini crafts with a focus on recycled and household materials.
The process was kind of insane but we made it work! I made the sets and props and how-to’s and did the photography. Margaret created the characters and did the graphic design. We developed the loose story arc together but Margaret tightened it up and wrote most of the dialogue while I wrote the instructions. For each page, I’d create a mini scene and send a photo to Margaret. She’d sketch the mice onto the photo and I’d adjust and re-shoot the scene if necessary. Margaret made cardboard mice based on her sketches–using recycled cereal and cracker boxes, yay!–and brought or snail-mailed them to me. I photographed the mice as well as the items in all the how-to’s on a white background and sent her the images and she digitally merged the mice and scenes in photoshop, adding shadows to make it look more natural. She also laid out the instructional pages. Several *years* later, we had a book! 🙂
What is your educational background and how has it shaped or changed your current career?
As I mentioned, I studied painting at RISD. They had this great mini semester where we could try out different departments. I was happiest floating around and trying jewelry and metalsmithing, printmaking, woodworking, and more. At the time, I felt like I had failed as a fine artist since my major was painting. I look back on the crafty explorations that were distracting me from my “fine art” work and it was what I have ended up doing professionally. But I am so grateful for my fine arts education. It gave me tools needed in any area of design like color, composition and an appreciation for the natural world.
The world has changed so much, thankfully, since I was in school and the word ‘craft’ was often perceived very negatively. The whole design/DIY/craft world has exploded and labels have blurred which is great for those of us that like to make stuff and dabble in lots of media and don’t fit neatly into classic art school categories.
What is one project that you are especially proud of and why?
I am really proud of our new book, Mousetown. I feel like Margaret and I honored our younger selves and it is the book we would have loved, as mini- and mouse-obsessed kids!
I also feel very proud of the work I do for The New York Times for Kids section. I love collaborating with Deb Bishop, the Design Director, who I worked with at Martha Stewart Kids. Each issue has a theme and it’s so much fun to come up with ideas within those tight constraints. One Halloween issue was themed around “fear and phobias”-themed. I have an eyeball phobia and it inspired my huge eyeball (donut hole) croquembouche.
Where do you find inspiration?
For many years, I collected vintage craft and cookbooks, especially from the 1950s and 1960s. I love old Betty Crocker cookbooks and vintage Dennison’s Crepe Paper craft booklets. I used one of these booklets to make my own crepe paper wedding bouquet, and another inspired a crepe paper costume story we did at Martha Stewart Living! These books and booklets provided so much inspiration, especially before the internet.
Now, I find that playing with materials inspires me. I used to think, “I’ve done everything I will ever think of with a toilet tube or a marshmallow.” But then you start experimenting and new ideas emerge. This ties back to the concept of working within constraints. For example, I created a book called Toilet Tube Treasury that was exclusively about toilet tube crafts. I initially thought I’d never come up with enough ideas to fill a book, but once I started playing, I felt like I could do that for the rest of my life!
By the way, this approach also works for coming up with gift ideas. If you’re stuck for ideas, try giving yourself a constraint or theme—like the recipient’s favorite color or animal. I use this method all the time, and it helps so much!
What artists and creatives do you look up to, both historical and present?
Oh, so many!! I’ve had a lifelong obsession with Alexander Calder, especially his circus (omg) his wirework and jewelry, his tinkering…with tins, wire, corks, coffee cans, clothespins, etc. If you come to NYC you can see his circus at The Whitney in NYC.
And so many more including these, many who have been lifelong inspirers: Paul Rand, Mary Blair, Mummenschanz puppet troupe, Alice & Martin Provensen, Ed Emberley, Saul Steinberg, Cipe Pineles, Todd Oldham (he’s category-defying…a fashion legend but also a crafter and a leader in sustainability and inclusivity), Saul Bass, Christophe Niemann (if you haven’t seen the Abstract about him, it’s a MUST!)
And so many crafter/designers…including you, Brittany! I admire everything about you. Your originality and gorgeous pattern- and color-loving aesthetic, of course, but also that you take time to celebrate and amplify other creatives (like with this Becoming interview series) as well as being charitable and using your platform to bring important causes to our attention. [Brittany here–I really should take this part out but can you see why she’s so loved?! She’s THE most supportive and inspiring person out there!]
What is your workspace like?
Err, messy! Though I know where everything is! My studio is our home’s attic and I love it so much! My husband painted the stairs leading up to it a really pretty bright yellow and the studio itself is all white–a simple backdrop for the chaos! I swear by the Container Store’s clear bins with clear lids so I can see everything. I have bins and bins of all the recycled materials I use such as bottle caps, corks, tins, small boxes, printed papers, as well as bins of art and craft materials like scissors, glue, tapes, beads, paint, and more. I spent 19 years at Martha Stewart Living magazine and we had the dreamiest craft room/studio, but you could not never find a pair of scissors when you needed one, haha. I do miss it and the people, but when my scissors are where I left them, I’m so happy!
Is there anything more you would like to “become?”
This may sound cheesy but I am trying to let go of the stories I tell myself…about myself. For example, that I’m not an artist because I stopped painting for so long. (I’ve started again recently!) Even when I was painting in school, I felt like an outsider because I switched majors from illustration to painting. And even when I could have felt comfortable there, I felt odd because I painted figuratively and realistically, whereas most of my classmates were painting abstractly. This probably wasn’t even true (!) but I always found ways to make myself feel like an outsider. I don’t understand why we’re all so hard on ourselves. I have friends who paint or sculpt who are actors or writers and I think it’s so great that they are pursuing these diverse interests—they’re fantastic!
I recently started doing quick little postcard-sized watercolors and it feels so good! When I say “quick”, I mean I set a timer for 1 min and then I make myself stop. I highly recommend this as a way in, if you want to paint but are intimidated. You’re never too busy for a 1-minute painting. And there’s no pressure to create a masterpiece! I often feel nervous before painting, but then I’m always a bit sad when the timer goes off!
Can you see why Jodi is the greatest? I feel so inspired after reading her thoughts. I hope you do too! Leave a comment if you do!
You can find Jodi Levine:
Instagram: @supermakeit
Website: supermakeit.com
Mousetown book