Hayley Randol and Crystal Pepperdine

Recorded August 16, 2019 Archived August 16, 2019 39:44 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id: mby019082

Description

Friends and colleagues Hayley Randol (33) and Crystal Pepperdine (37) talk about meeting through the arts and crafts community, the impacts their efforts have had on the Flint community, and the friendships that have formed because of their group, Yarn Brigade.

Subject Log / Time Code

HR and CP talk about meeting each other.
CP talks about a crocheting program at her organization called the Yarn Brigade.
CP talks about traveling for arts and crafts fairs and festivals.
CP talks about pieces that have been in arts and craft fairs and festivals.
CP recalls some friendships that have come from the Yarn Brigade group.
HR explains her job at a local bakery.
CP talks about HR's kids.
HR presents an idea she had for Yarn Brigade.

Participants

  • Hayley Randol
  • Crystal Pepperdine

Recording Locations

Flint Institute of Arts

Transcript

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00:04 My name is Crystal Pepperdine. I am 37 years old. Today is Friday, August 16th, 2019. We are in Flint Michigan and I will be interviewing my friend and colleague Hayley Randol.

00:18 My name is Hayley Randol. I am 33 today's date is Friday, August 16th, 2019. We are in Flint, Michigan. My interview partner is Crystal Pepperdine and she is my friend and colleague.

00:33 So I'm really excited that you agreed to do this interview because when I knew storycorps was coming to Flint I was like, oh, that's so cool. Who should I talk with? I was like, my husband likes my parents know how the hell you'd be super fun to talk to Haley. So thank you for saying yes. Oh, yeah, no problem. So when they asked me what we are wanted to talk about with my interview partner I said, well, I want to talk about Flint handmade which is a nonprofit Arts organization that I founded that you volunteer for and you so bad with of an hour to Talk About Yarn Brigade what you run now for flan made and how our friendship has grown in these past. That was my first question. So when did we meet? I don't remember I was probably about 8 years ago now because I started out as a vendor for Flint handmade right doing what my scrapbook stuff. Oh my God. I just remembered that. They yeah.

01:33 There's a lot of scrapbooking nowadays Vogue like eight years ago with my husband at the time that we met. I think I was but I don't remember. I don't remember the exact moment. That was okay because that's how I I don't know which way to Mark time, I guess. So as I remember like you've ended, you know with lin-manuel plaid and went through the whole process and everything and you started with Haley's paper lovee. Yes. So you had like all the scrap booking stuff in the paper flowers and those things and I remember really early towards the beginning you gave me the little like solid perfume. Do you remember the little solid perfumes that you had with a little felt flowers on the top of it? Oh, maybe yeah after we had known each other for a little while and I was like, oh a gift. That's nice.

02:33 I think she thinks I'm her friends. Are you her friend? Like I was like I was so used to such like business relationships and like oh, yeah where vendors are going to be like yes or whatever. I don't like your back in middle school. I can't against our friend was like all this is so cool. So I was so a new kind of want to hang out. So like I feel like we just kind of hang out after that too. So but then after you did Halley's paper love you did what was that the upcycled furniture stuff? Oh, yeah with my friend Danielle we are doing is it was called vintage clear Furnishings, right? And we did a couple shows a couple shows and that you had really cute dog treat holder or something like that. So that's cute. And then you reinvented yourself again pick up a time. Yeah right with your absolutely with your husband Randy. So you guys became good and evil Studios. I needed like comic book art.

03:33 Like letters and coasters and decoupage custom initial letters and some like we call them canvases, you know, like three art canvases. So so during the whole time though, were you crochet? What did you know how to crochet the whole time?

03:55 Yeah, probably about the time I got into the vending. Okay. I started to crochet. I taught myself do not really know. Okay, so that's really awesome because you like never bended with crochet stuff, but I knew you could crochet so, you know Flint handmade being a nonprofit Arts organization. One of our programs is iron Brigade and that's for people who are interested in knitting or crocheting socially and it's become part of a charitable group as well because obviously we make donations to different causes and you were kind of involves a little thing.

04:38 And then our yarmulke coordinator moved on to some other things and I didn't have a yarn Brigade coordinator and I like I was like wait Haley crochet. Okay, and I was like Hey going to be there because like I needed somebody who crochet cuz I as everyone knows I can only do one stitch called the crystal TM. And if you ask me how to do it, I can't tell you and if you have to do something else I can't do it. So but that's my contribution. And that's I'm okay with that. So I was like, I need someone else to run because I can't do it. So you like step right up and I was so happy because you like Jump Right In you helped me and send me the form of a gate coordinator that first winter, right? We put out once I like your first yeah, what's up about two and a half years ago started in January? Okay. Okay. Okay, and so we put up hats and scarves and stuff like around the bus station and it was just me you and semi

05:38 I was like, oh, wow it like our group is just like just a small Ikea bag full of stuff. I don't even go with you and I can go ahead and start if I was like are charitable project for those in need in the community and we put little tags on them and they say like, you know free to a good home. Take me if you need to warm up and it's only nice because there's just no Stigma attached to it. Like if anybody can take it like any person with your homeless, if you're not homeless if you forgot your hat that day, so I just thought that was really cool. And then that was kind of like the passing of the torch so you became a coordinator and you hit the ground running. Yes. So tell me about like what was what you were thinking when you took it over what you wanted to do and I'm just curious cuz you never really talked about like your internal thought process. Well, I was still doing like a 40 hour per week job in property management at the time. I took it over and while I was there, I wasn't very happy there.

06:38 So during work, I would do crochets and I had designed a bunch of pixelated grids that I had an idea for a corner to corner crochet blanket. How can I present it to you? And I was like, what do you think of this new? Like, I have no idea what you're doing but go for it. That's that's right. Okay. So so I did it all up and I I finished all the patterns and I started releasing them as a crochet Along on Facebook page. Was that the first thing you did all that? I got to spend that long. Yeah, it's been so long and I released one pattern per week and I had to crochet an entire pattern to have it all ready for the publisher of every week. You were crazy. It was like 14 weeks and they were big hit the ground running.

07:38 My right eye base it off something else. I'd seen online right now. So you're a loose hiker boots hiker in some of our other yarn Brigade members are tight hooker and the pattern took we release when tiling per week and it took about 14 weeks and a couple people followed along with me online and at the end became this huge blanket and it's like a king-size blanket that we've been displaying around the city and that was my first project and we started to do social get-togethers that we call on wines and we had a couple people show up to those death wasn't the first one I couldn't make it because my niece so they weren't. Okay. So the very first on wine all week. I had been spending the night at my sister's just waiting for my last baby needs to get born and on Friday. My sister is a hundred.

08:38 Labor, so I was like, all right. I'm going home and then like shortly thereafter. She told me she like baby is coming and I'm not going to make it to this first online, but you guys went and it was really cool. Cuz new people showed up yet. I think there was like five of us total. Yeah that night and I had to be in charge of it and I'm like not be in charge leadership person but it works and a couple of them know you did a good job. What's really funny? Cuz I I know I'm kind of been in charge of years a person so I know that when I'm in the room, I like take that role of regardless of whether I want to or not. My body is like you must be in charge but like what I'm not there are other people get to step up and like do that. And so that was really cool. And you were so excited you got you had sent me pictures from the event cuz I was with my other two nibbling at my niece and my nephew while my little nieces being born people. That's awesome. Yeah, and then

09:31 Yeah, I think from there. We just did the operation warm up Flint that year. I think I just left but we got how many pieces I hear our first year of what is it like to 12 without 212 has or scarves or ear warmers? Like that was amazing. I don't think you would ever have that many before for previous operation wild plants which we have been doing but I think like the last one that we did with just you and me and to me it was maybe like 50 PS like yeah, that was really really cool. And then our group just kept growing and we were meeting at Art Walk. Yep still doing the online thing. Right and do art walk is on the second Friday of every month in flinton, like local Galleries and restaurants in churches and places open their doors and there's live music and art and food and refreshments and all kinds of. I know it's kind of cool cuz we were

10:32 Participating in artwork in our walk, but we kind of did like a live Arts kind of thing with a knitting in the crocheting and so we're at one location for a while. Right? And then we decided to take a shower on the road and visit multiple locations and Bop around which is really fun. Cuz we get to see a lot of cool different art in the community and then the unwind that we were doing so that was our walk was once a month and unwine with you once a month and that was we have to go to different restaurants in the community. That was really funny and bassador for Flint Genesee County. I was like I get to introduce two people to different restaurants and things happening and I think it's kind of like broaden Horizons for everybody to so you might think like always ascending and crocheting group. I'm like all contraire like it's mental health support its friendship. It's you know, visiting new places, but I just really liked all that and everyone is really really Keen to participate with her such a good group right now, you know ya wants to participate in everything.

11:32 I was kind of snowballed into we're doing so many projects per year and I'm like, I know you guys have lives right and full-time jobs and kids and all this stuff and like this is strictly voluntary. Yeah. Don't feel like you have to do all these things that I'm thinking of right? I do that the following plus Operation Safe slippers, which is where people not I can't make them but made slippers for local shelters for women and children, especially those survivors of domestic violence. We need like over a hundred pairs of slippers and its really funny because

12:13 I find don't you find that like there's always a member of yarn Brigade who is like the master of a particular thing. So like Liz was The Flipper Queen like she made all the separate aspects not all of them. But like a lot of them. Yeah, we were what we were like one away from an even number or something and as we're counting she was like, hold on guys wear at 1:59. I need to do this real quick, right you like whipped out a pair of slippers and left with an hour like right there. So we haven't even number so Liz was a massive that and then we donated those which is really cool. And then the following year we did Operation will this year right there in the middle of my demons are really cool because those are mittens that everybody makes not me the local Foster closet for kids in foster care kids and teenagers to cuz I'm so I think we've donated almost 60 pair and I would say that Rachel is

13:13 Are my team didn't clean yesterday it her goal is to have 60 pairs do my got off over halfway there now my gosh. Yeah that's amazing to African was still at so cute. I think another reason why this conversation is really awesome that we're having right now is because like immediately following this actual recording this conversation. Are yarn Brigade is getting together at the Flint Institute of Arts right next door Studio 4 and unwind and we're doing it here out of late night Friday Night at the Museum with trivia and stuff and it's just so nice because like people just get along and we could help each other out and we all look forward to it to get really excited to do it. Yeah, and I think that's just great and our next operation which of the week are shared by we are doing twiddle muffs. So let's talk about sort of us has a weird name.

14:13 Harry Potter, if so, which one of us are a little like cough that you can give to Alzheimer's and Dementia patients that they can wear on their wrists or like forearm and they can kind of pick at it and play with it because you use different types of cars are bees are buttons are strangers by different cuz I'm folks have like skin picking issues you like help look at themselves and or it keeps him occupied so that they don't like try to run away or something, you know, cuz I can't remember where they're at. So it's really cool because next week. I have a meeting with local a care facility to talk about them until I can see you know, how many they might want everything so we get excited about our operation and we already have a couple others to that were kind of thinking about what that's like 20 weight. That would be 20 22 and you want to do it yourself a little sometimes. Hold on.

15:13 Tell me we're doing this week, right? Yeah, it's like I'm like, okay, but sound your planner and you like wait, we're planning until 4 months out. My plan doesn't go up that way. But I know I just really like that. The group is so like open and welcoming and like we just do a lot of cool projects and that people get to contribute ideas like all the time. So, you know after me did you did the vehicle city graphghan that you were talking about earlier? It is funny though, because since you released it only one person has actually completed their own. Yeah pickles in a graphghan but people are working on it and since the creation of that one we started to do we entered it in the 1st quotes about having fun. Yes. That's right. It was in the best of a quilt and then it kind of went around to different places for people to view it, which is really I did I wasn't and I took your picture at every place that it was I think my

16:13 Highlight of that was having a o c stand in front of it. Oh my God during and Abdul rally Alexandria ocasio-cortez was there with your grass can so that was really cool. I was like a part of History, you know, and then so after that the number they decided that they wanted to make a graphghan of the group. So you designed the coolest Nightmare Before Christmas graphgan. I just don't know how you do it like how you turn pictures into like pixelated a while, but you're really good at it and I didn't want to make the same mistake of having a big ginormous right? I did with the initial one is I don't know. I don't have two sides. It's more it's more Square. It's smaller. And that's the one that is so you enter the vehicle to the graph can one into the Genesee County Fair.

17:13 Last year, yes, and I got second place which isn't robbed. You were robbed because and I will say this till the day I die your blanket that took so much like skill and design and work and the blanket that one which was very nice. It was a lovey blanket, but it was all the same yarn and it was a circle like we think it one cuz it was around someone. I guess someone thought crocheting in the round is harder. I don't know having a million Bob and doing this graph can designs. It's okay. I will you are what you were up to but this year we entered the Nightmare Before Christmas a can in the Genesee County Fair and next week. It hasn't happened yet, but we're going to go see a big first place Blue Ribbon. I hope so and this year we got the whole group involved and we're going to sweep the Genesee County Fair life goals

18:13 Four come out the floor with everybody. Oh my gosh. Yeah. That's right. So everybody was like everybody picks like a really really really really intense admire my work. But yeah, so don't enter the different categories. So like holiday baby clothes all that stuff and you know, what's really need. It's like I have lived in Genesee County for all of my adult life and most of my like teenager they call my teenage years and I just never gone to the county fair before cuz it just wasn't my thing really, you know, and then when you're when you first know you were gay. How's things in the fair? I'm like, okay. I'm going to go like I'm going to go check this out and we'll see you know, how it looks and if I what kind of but everybody got and then we'll go for margaritas and I really like that the group kind of helps.

19:04 Help me also get out and see my community to you know, cuz I can be a little bit like no, that's not my finger. That's not my thing, but it might be your thing or maybe Rachel Slingerlands thing or Mustang or something. And so we got to support each other until we going to try different things. I think it's cool. I like that we do that. So now this year the graphghan that the group made together is a really cool Log Cabin rainbow graphghan that live designs. Well, I don't know but he's going to be able to do like that graphic images but lives an amazing job easier than my light easier color changes. Yeah. I know it's kind of complicated for some people who didn't quite know how to do it, but that's awesome. And it's really cool cuz the rainbow graphgan is going to be in the Festival of quilts again this year. So that's one of the other things that I just really

20:04 About the group. I mean, obviously I love running Flint handmade in general, you know, we host events. We have craft markets because craft buy Swap and workshops and all kinds of things but your neck is really special because it's a group of women as that. Usually the same ones over, you know from week to week and then we get new folks joining us and all are welcome sweetie. I really not look we're not clicky or anything, you know, it's kind of scary bunny tour group of women that are just really supportive of each other and like we hang out outside of the iron Brigade and like I know that some people or some of the women have felt really like good because they've gotten some friends out of the situation and you know, like oh, hey, I need to talk or socializer. I don't get my house by myself right now and then we can just kind of hang out, you know, so I think that's very cool. Even though I'm usually more of like if I hang out I need a job. Something I'm doing

21:04 Great is that we're all kind of young to think about for like a crochet group? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think Don is done told me she was in her fifties, but she's very useful and it was really need because when we go out in public and we didn't say OK people me kind of hokey and they're like, hey, you're making me a blanket or something. I'm going to be like, yeah, if you give me $2,000 because blankets are hard and they take a long time and so but it's fun to knit & crochet in public because it kind of normalizes that craft and it gets people interested and I enjoy but even people make kind of silly comments. Like I enjoy being in public in a group like obviously were all together while making this thing, you know, we're all working on this project. So I think that's fine and one of our members is getting married. Sandy.

22:04 Yeah, and I told her cuz I'm up. I'm like a huge in the wedding is or whatever, you know, I was like, okay. Well, can I crash at your wedding? Cuz if I can crochet Al, I go in around the call me or something something, you know us because we are so if you'll just sit in the back exactly will just hang out have a good time. So I thought that was really neat. Like we have like there's a man having a wedding. You know, I like the group is a part of that and it gets very very cool and our friendship outside of the group. So like you and I are also in a book club, which is really full. So The Keg ladies. Can we make this an action for Club where we pick a charity to support based on the book and collect items for their charity and a really cool with that?

23:04 My people were pretty open to that. So we collected like art supplies and winter boots winter boots. I love my community so much and I want to give back in any way that I can and sometimes that looks like you know big community-wide and it's initiatives are events or whatever and then sometimes just like tiny little things that you can just do and help people out. So that's what that's what motivates me to do these things. So, I guess just ask what motivates you

23:38 Yeah, probably about the same. I just like like what we do operation warm up flint and we're putting things out. There's people hanging out at the bus stop and taking them asking them if they can have you know, these things that we've made and they put them on and I like you a little fashion show and people you don't think would want like fluffy white scar rice like that will take them and put them on and matches my call. Yeah, you guy wasn't there for that week. I told me the story of the Ya-Ya. You know, I mean, I think it's I think it's really great and I get what it's like

24:14 I don't know just acts of kindness, you know, but they're a little more but it also contributes like a heart like a public art and community outreach project. You know, it's is more than is more than just one thing is this like multi - it you know, you do like lots of different things. So well, I guess we should talk about the things we do besides we have a game to go because you have a really cool job. So you used to live in Flint and I still live in Flint but you really move to Davis end, which is a suburb of Flint to the east like 10 minutes and that's where you work part-time at a little Bakery on Main Street in the small town is called the Davison Home Bakery. I'm not the baker the baker's come in third shift. I'm not about that life.

25:14 Try a little Donuts to yes, yummy cookies and cupcakes all day and I was like, so you mentioned earlier that used to work at Lake property management. And I remember when the new company like bought your old apartment complex or whatever and they like restructured in like let people go and you know that you you lost your job and I remember you being kind of like a big upset like worried about that stuff. There was other stuff going on but like a year later, I remember being like that's the best thing ever happened to me by getting fired is not fun. So that was the first time I've been fired in my life. Right and I was like, I was like, I mean technically you were but they were just like new company change all the rules like yeah same thing. But yeah, I got you and so but then a year later you were like, oh my God, I feel so much better. I like I'm not stressed out like you have your headaches and all that stuff to do in chronic headaches like every day because I was just

26:14 Stressed out and I was like, I lost a ton of weight and I'm just a bad bad situation, but I didn't I didn't feel like I could leave because I was making decent money. Yeah, so when they fired me I was trying to drink some wine and then start looking for another job and luckily. My husband was able to support us, you know until I found just a part-time jobs. Now, I can do the play me something to the arbor gate stop and pick pick up my kids from school and write a better quality of life. Yes. Oh my gosh, I so liked me too. Because you know, I used to work in higher education Administration. I worked for University for 10 years and you know some aspects of what I did I loved and other aspects. I was just like I cannot handle this bureaucratic red-tape like I can't deal with this. I just can't deal with this like this is not the life that I want to be living, you know, and when I finally made the decision to leave the University of hard because it's like damn good money good benefits and stuff, but the quality of my life just

27:14 UPS hole mod and especially when I saw her drink like I made full-time like I've been doing this for 9 year part-time just you know to try to make it happen in the community and then doing it full-time late. Obviously, we re not going to self employed. You don't really tend to make a lot of money or not at first but I don't care like it's not about that. You know what I mean is about giving him a community and it's about doing work that I love and you know choosing like what things I want to do and who I want to interact with and what meetings I want to go to and I'll have to do too much stuff that I don't want their paperwork and stuff, but I just really like I value that so much and that's one of the reasons why I really want my handmade to support local Artisan. So, you know, your mom gay it is primarily people who can I can do to the Hobby and you just want to help out but you know with our flight handmade craft markets in stuff. We have the partisans were selling their handmade Goods like you were doing for a while, you know, and I want them.

28:14 Be able to make a living at it if that's what they want to do. Like I do want me habias or just make a lecture side cash. That's fine, too. But you know what? This is their dream in their passion and we can help make that happen through whatever means then that's so special and so important to me, you know, and I just really like having like being able to have that role in the community and being supported by friends and colleagues like you, you know to disappoint that dream, you know, either directly or indirectly. I mean you also teach a lot of classes, you know for Flint handmade and because your classes I don't have to like worry about it, you know, cuz if I have new instructors in like all my God, I'm going to show up. I want to teach a class on embroidery and I'm like not like an expert or anyting you like. How about October of next year and like, all right, I guess I guess I guess to learn how to

29:14 Brighter something exactly cuz I'm planning that far out but no, I just really appreciate that about you and I appreciate that. You're you're hungry like flexible to and Mike available with your schedule. And sometimes it's the part time job working for yourself schedule. So it's just really cool because sometimes you can't cuz obviously you do have to work at the bakery when they need you but this is really cool because I'm like a if you want to go to the saying or this meeting or you know, whatever the case is in usually go down, you know, I don't have to work really don't have to pick up the kids sir. Right? Exactly. So, okay, so it's really funny boys and with 11 and Kevin's 10. Okay, so 10 and 13 to say 911, so I was closed so it's funny because I remember at an event the boy

30:14 Always wait when it was over like they were like, you're not in charge crystals in charge. What was that that the boys said? I don't waste a lot a lot of stuff so funny because you're not the boss of the boss and I was like, I know your mom's the boss right now and it was wrong of you to see your kids get to see you in like a like a managerial role or like a leadership role, you know, because the kids just I don't know like, you know, you know, my husband died we chose not to have kids but I have a niece and a nephew in a baby nice and I like being able to organize events so that they are there not only in my life and the lives of my friends but also in the lives of the Next Generation that's coming out if you know whether it's like my nieces and nephew or other people is really cool. And I just like I like seeing kids get to be a part of that, you know, like my niece Eva has come to every single Craft Market pretty much since she was born.

31:14 And I'm really excited as she gets older because unlike do you want to help me and tea out like do you want to be a detail for a like do you want to volunteer and kind of get to know people and just have this kind of built-in roll that you can maybe even step into if she's interested or not, you know, if you want to sit at the welcome table, that's cool too, you know, but I love it because you know, it's like it's that's what they know about me. Like that's who I am to that and that's you know, that's my job. That's what that's all I've ever done since I've known me and it's really cool because it's like they get the best version of me because I'm doing the things that I want to do in my life, you know, so I think that I really I really want that for all people, you know, whether it's an Arts whether it's like if that's your passion or if my cosmetology for passion or if only a book stores or passion like whatever, you know, I think that would just be fantastic for everybody. So

32:11 So I just I really hope that I just really hope that we like as a nation can get to that point, you know, cuz you just spend so much time people spend so much time like doing jobs and things they don't want to do like you you know that you had to do the same thing. And so many of our Artisans have these like day jobs or whatever that are.

32:31 I don't know not their favorite. So I'm just be nice if we could get there as a community. Yeah, I would I would I would support anything I guess as to that place, you know, so I was trying to think if I had any other questions for you or if you had any for me. I definitely remember to ask about that solid perfume. I couldn't remember until you said something. I had never never thought about it again in my life. I was like a friend. Okay. So you had a new idea for something that you could do you want to tell me about that. Sure. If I'm getting what you're picked up putting down there I have the idea to do like art drops of crochet plush dolls, big ball called on a groom. Yeah. Yeah. So when we do our own wines maybe in conjunction with that if someone had just like one than a small one that they had laying around or whatever we could go and hide it and put

33:31 A little clue at that location and you don't have to pull refines it can notify us because I know we can do that so we can make it through this and we can partner we having end like you were like cuz of course I take it to like the next level ten XXX level cuz that's where my brain works and you were like, yeah that you were being so diplomatic here. Like yeah that we could do that. It might be kind of hard like that sometimes and I'm like, this is a volunteer organization, right? I like to do things that are on turn right size for taking it to the Stratosphere in like 0 to 60 seconds because that's just the way my brain works, but I

34:31 To the these are the things that I want to see in the world and like if I can help manifest them. That's so cool. Because like Flint handmade, you know, I was driving down to Detroit to do all of these like crafty things and I met someone from Davison in Ferndale, which is a suburb of Detroit and I was like, wait a minute. Why are we both driving to Metro Detroit? Like we're neighbors we should be able to do this of Flint, you know, and so now we have this thing and I'm super proud of it and I want, you know, all places to have it. So I try to encourage people, you know, like whatever it is you want to do whatever makes you happy or excited like make that happen and even if you can only do it, you know part-time or to start out and then that's all I did to you know, and I know we talked about this before I'm going to ask and I know you're going to say you don't know but so like I know you're taking it part-time at the bakery right now, you know Tinker the boys, but like what like what you want to do like, what's your dream like you're getting into social media? All right. Yeah. I just told you I should have

35:31 Find a marketing or somebody. That's like what I've done for the last couple jobs I've had is just Facebook and you know trying to you know, it grow people other people's business is exactly is going to do it or I think I would kind of been forced into it sometime, you know, he's developed a professional but I don't know I still don't know why I want to be when I grow up totally fair. That is a totally fair statement. I wasn't sure for a while either. You know what I mean? Or you are I thought like I am grown up and I was like, wait a minute. I don't subscribe to all these trappings of success, right? Like yeah, Define it that you have to define success in the way that sounds good and makes your life good, you know, like not always big houses and fancy cars all this and all that. But if that's what makes you happy in that defines success rate right now, I'm fine doing what I'm doing. And right now it's working for me. So yeah, I mean I've worked

36:30 Full time since I was like 16 years old, so I kind of nice to you don't have some flexibility with that. I remember when they were like a little you know, like little kids so crazy it just over the course of the past 13 years or so. I have made like watching my friends and colleagues and like their kids just grow up like wait. I knew your mom before you existed. It's just one of those things, you know, so but yeah, I I'm really I'm really excited for like the future of Flint handmade and you know, I'm so thankful for volunteers like you and other friends and volunteers who just believe in it and who want to support at and I just I was going to make sure that I'm making that I'm making myself available to it like support the dreams in the interest of other people too. So, you know, I said it before and I'll say it again like if there's anything that you know, you are trying to do or what

37:30 Do like count me in to help like well, you just did a coloring contest and I was like, so yeah, so there was a way that I felt like I could support you, you know what I mean? And that's like I've had other volunteers who won like she sells pyrax and I was like, I'll come and sit at your Pyrex table at your event and help you out. You know, I mean it's people with whom I've built relationships, you know, they helpful a maid and you know, I want to help them fight. I don't think if I had found they had made that I would have the friends that I have now.

38:05 You know WhatsApp typing but no it's so true though, because people like people to know our mission is to provide opportunities for critics brush creative expression and artistic entrepreneurship. But we also really do is bring people together and we help people who made me have some social anxiety or some other issues or just aren't you know necessarily best at making friends and it's hard to make friends when you're older rightly. So I think I went through almost all of my twenties without having like really close friends and now I'm in my thirties in Smith got the Undertaker are the best. Yeah, but these are the best. I know what I'm in my forties on forties I left but yeah, I know I just really think that's very cool that we also help people find like-minded people, you know, and I just really hope that I have made in your McKay can always do that and I hope that you will be a part of it as long as you are in the community. I know you're thinking about retirement.

39:05 North or something at some point. I don't want you to look down south are going to go down south. Yeah. I always said that I want to really go somewhere where the entire city shuts down or the entire state that one when it snow. All right. I got it. I got it. So but in the meantime, we are going to keep volunteering right let's get everything we can out of it. So

39:43 Macallan by fast