About

Hey, Creative You!!

Do you love making things?

Making something, whether it’s a painting, a craft with children, an art journal doodle, or an “everything smoothie”, helps me focus my mind and relax my body.

Creating helps me think of new solutions to problems, thereby generating more creativity to use in other areas of my life.

Here at Joy in the Making, you will find art and craft tutorials, recipes, projects for all seasons, and encouragement for the creative soul.

I hope this blog will help you kindle that desire to make things, too.  And then give you some great ideas to start creating!

Let’s get started!

A Bit About Jennifer

Hi, I’m Jennifer Storm Nelson, the creator and publisher of Joy in the Making.

I’ve always been a creative soul. As a child, my curiosity and imagination were funneled into various creative pursuits, especially dance, drawing, and creative writing.

In 4th grade, I wrote my very first book: a 66-chapter storybook entitled “The Troublesome Triplets”, a series of adventures featuring the triplets April, May, and June. My teacher at the time, Miss Carlson, was a wonderful person who saw the talents in even the quiet wallflowers of her classroom. She submitted my stories to several children’s magazines until one of them accepted and chose to publish 24 of them as a year-long series, 3 chapters at a time. It was my first big accomplishment as a writer and encouraged me to continue pursuing my creative aspirations.

My interests later focused on dance; and while I went to college for elementary education, I spent most of my hours in the dance studio, eventually adding a dance education minor to my major in teaching.

After graduation, I spent the first three years teaching in an English-speaking school in the Dominican Republic. This cultural experience was partly the inspiration for my other blog, Jenner on a Journey, where I share tips for travel to the DR and other places that I’ve ventured to in recent years.

Back in the US, my professional career consisted of teaching: first as a multi-age elementary teacher in a rural district, then as a dance and drama specialist at a handful of schools in the city, and finishing off with a stint as a Montessori teacher, due to my curiosity in alternate avenues of education. It was very fulfilling to see my dream of using creative movement as a means to educate children through this kinesthetic form of learning, utilizing the elements of dance to reinforce concepts being taught in their other subject areas. I also had a blast choreographing and directing several school musical productions, including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and others.

While teaching in these various positions, I kept the dancing flame burning in my spare time. I was a part-time dance instructor at two studios, teaching children’s ballet and adult ballroom dancing, as well as some substitute teaching elsewhere in tap and jazz. I trained in ballet and modern dance at The Ballet School in Chapel Hill, NC, and performed regularly with the modern lyrical dance group at my church.

I left teaching in order to raise my 2 great kids at home, but that’s where crafting became my new creative outlet. I became a creative activities leader with a local MOPS group in my area, organizing and leading craft workshops for 80 women, twice a month. I delved into many different crafts on my own, including soapmaking, rubber stamping, scrapbooking, art journaling, mixed media painting, polymer clay, jewelry making, stuffed animal creations (my kids loved that one!) and more. Staying at home all day with 2 babies/toddlers could be exhausting; thankfully, my moments of crafting here and there became the much-needed outlet for staying creative and savoring a bit of “me time”.

During these years of raising kids and making stuff, a new thing called “Etsy” came about, and I was one of their first sellers, a real “OG”. Back then it was ALL about handmade items sold by its users, no dropshipping or print on demand. At the time, my passion was making domino pendant necklaces, and that’s what I sold in the beginning years of my shop, etsy.com/jennerosity..

So, to bring this lengthy introduction to a close, let me summarize by saying that it is with a background of teaching, exploring different areas of art, writing and crafts, that I share with you my knowledge and passions for all things artsy-fartsy. I truly believe in the power of the arts as a means of education, of connection in our culture and our world, and as a meaningful and satisfying past time we all can enjoy.

Happy Creating!

Contact

***Hi there!

Please use the form below to reach out to me with any questions or comments.

Or, just pop in and say hi!

Thanks!

Jennifer Storm Nelson

Advertising

 Joy in the Making accepts some paid advertising banners and contextual affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases through clearly marked links to books and products on this site.  Profits from these affiliate links, at no extra cost to you whatsoever, help pay for the costs of this website. Thank you for your support!!

 

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