Member Spotlight: AandARandomlings

Meet Ashleigh of A&A Randomlings!

Ashleigh's shop has a variety of handmade goods, including wire wrap jewelry, paper crafts, Kawaii/Lolita items, Neopagan items, and Girl Gamer items, or as she likes to put it "your basic geekery stuff, plus some art, jewelry, and cards". ;)

1. What school do you attend?

Social Work is the major I’ll be signing before the spring semester is over, and I’ll be signing a minor in Psychology.I’m a sophomore student at Central Michigan University, home of the Chippewas, which is basically smack-dab in the middle of Michigan. We’re right down the street from a large casino and half of the town is on reservation land. Our school has a basically good relationship with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, but that wasn’t always the case. Once upon a time, our mascot was a Chippewa chief in full regalia, and our football games were filled with whooping “battle cries” similar to the ones you see in old Westerns. Eventually the university realized how disrespectful this behavior was and got its act together; we changed our mascot to the Flying C and the tribe allowed us to continue calling ourselves the Chippewas.

2. What are you currently studying?

Social Work is the major I’ll be studying before the spring semester is over, and I’ll be studying a minor in Psychology.

3. What types of classes do you get to take? Which one is your favorite, and why?

For the most part, I’m taking Sociology, Psychology, and Social Work classes. However, I’m also taking lots of English classes. At first, the English classes were just to fulfill my basic requirements; however, now I’m taking a Folklore class just for fun and am absolutely loving it. There may be an English minor in my future.

4. What do you want to do when you get out of school?

The current plan is to stay in school until I have my masters, which should take about an additional year, and then to get my Social Work license. The reason I'm going into Social Work, is because in my heart of hearts, I love humanity. While there are people in this world who do terrible, terrible things, it is my hope that there are enough good humans out there to counterbalance this craziness. As a social worker, I hope that I can make a difference in the lives of sexually exploited children and abused/neglected children by advocating for them. These kids don't have a large political voice (especially victims of the child prostitution industry) and their cause is extremely underfunded. :(

5. What are some of your interests and hobbies?

Other than crafting, I love to read and spend time with friends. Also, I love to be out in nature. Once the weather warms up again (did you know that the winter lasts almost seven months in Michigan?) I’m going to be taking lots of long walks in the woods :D

6. What is your favorite thing about college so far?

The coffee shops! In my home town, you have a few corporate choices for coffee; Starbucks, Tim Horton’s, and various fast food places. But here, you have an independently owned coffee shop every couple of blocks! My favorite local place is called Kaya Coffee & Tea. I go there every Thursday night at about 10 with my friends from the Open Grove Society, which is the religious diversity club I’m a part of. We sit and chat and drink delicious beverages and nibble on various munchies. It’s a great way to relax before the weekend.

7. How do you manage your school work and Etsy shop?

Very carefully! I try to make sure school comes first, but I reserve at least an hour a day for Etsy related stuff. While the internet side of things can be easily managed, I find it hard to craft in my current dorm setting. Sometimes I’ll take whatever I’m working on with me to Kaya or the library, where I have more space to spread out.

8. What is the best advice you can offer to a fellow college student crafter?

Crafting in a small space can be difficult; it seems to squelch all of the creativity right out of you! It’s workable though; especially if you have the support of your roommates; if they know you’re working hard on something, generally they can give you feedback and try to live around your project. That’s really the best advice I have; crafting can be messy and mess can be stressful, but keeping relationships healthy with your roommates really helps with the whole process. After all, crafting is supposed to be relaxing!

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