Our Master of Their Craft features is something we have come to love dearly. It is an extension of who we are and what we believe in. It gives us great joy to recognize others do what they do so well. The original idea and vision belongs to Karen and she is the individual that has continued to oversee this part of our company. Today Karen is telling us about her vision and why she is so passionate about this. You will also meet Karen’s sweet family! Thanks to Anna for taking these family portraits. Karen will take it from here….

Masters of Their Craft is back! After a several month hiatus that involved the birth of our dear little son Abraham (who arrived 5 weeks early, looks quite a bit like his father, is unbelievably laid-back, and now sleeps through the night!) I look forward to sharing with you our 2015 features. These are men and women who just do what they love to do and do it well. They show us the power and the glory of creativity. They commit themselves to daily becoming better and better at the work their hands and minds perform. They are starters; they are innovators; they are the ones who make their dreams tangible.

I can’t thank our 2014 features enough for their time and for the skill they shared with us. Anthony Becker, thanks for being our first feature. Your humility is so refreshing and the way you create with your hands is quite near perfection. We wish you and Liz so much success with Wake the Tree. Jennie Love, you beautify this world with the artistry you apply to your flower business. Birds fly, ballerinas dance, and Jennie Love tends flowers. It is a joy to watch you walk in they way of your gifting. Lyon Porter, you have people fly from around the world to interview you, yet you still made time for my interview questions and your photo shoot. Urban Cowboy is ingenious, and you truly have changed the culture of B&B’s. Nashville will welcome you as much as Brooklyn has. Taylor and Leeann Mason, the subdued elegance with which you go about Ma(i)son feels so right. Your philosophy on food and relaxed hospitality are jewels you offer to downtown Lancaster and beyond. And to all our other features, we just can’t thank you enough for trusting us with your story and the business sacred to you.

You may wonder what gave me the vision for Masters of Their Craft? I have a great grandfather who took a chance one day and started an orchard. Thought perhaps it could work, and it’s been working for the past 70 years. His brother decided to take a chance selling potato chips and today the company continues to operate in Fort Wayne, IN. And one day, I’m fairly certain my husband and I will open a store of our own. Entrepreneurism is part of my DNA and when I see others use their creativity to start businesses, I have to know their stories. How in the world did you devise such a brilliant plan? Did you have any inkling your idea would be so embraced? Where do your boldness, perseverance, and foresight come from? You can’t possibly know today whom you will impact. Will your daughter take over your trade? Will your great grandson carry on your work? Will your business breathe new life into the town where you operate? The ripple effect of your choice to act is powerful. In my case, my great grandfather created my childhood haven—a fairytale play land full of meadows, trees, and ponds—and yet he never met me. How I wish I could thank him for his resilience. No one could talk him out of anything; he was a stubborn ol’ Dutchman.

Why do we do Masters of Their Craft? Because we believe that being made in the image of a Creator, we all have the ability to create. And that dreams run deep. When you marry creativity with clear vision and action, a quite powerful end product results. Each of our Masters of Their Craft features start with an idea, a shot in the dark…”Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t. But I have to try.” We present Masters of Their Craft to you each month as a celebration of those who have tried, who have stopped tip-toeing around a yearning inside of them and decided to leap. We create Masters of Their Craft because we love you, dear reader, and we know quite a few of you are on the cusp of leaping.