Throughout the book are anecdotes and quotes from fifteen people I interviewed about their creative demons. I asked them about times they were sure they’d succeed but failed, and about times they were sure they’d crash and burn but ended up nailing it. I asked them to tell me what their ugly voice says to them, and how they’re able to quiet it. I asked them how they feel when they’re stuck, and what they do about it.

I didn’t choose these people because they’re famous—for the most part, they aren’t. And I didn’t choose them because they’ve gotten rich or done particularly outrageous things. I chose them because I admire them and how they apply their creativity. Some of them I know personally; most I don’t (yet). Some are artists; some are crafters; some make things on a grand scale; some make things on a smaller scale. Some do work not conventionally seen as creative (let’s change that).

Some I planned to invite into this book from the very beginning, when I was doing the initial planning; some I asked on a whim after reading something they wrote or discovering their work after meeting them through a mutual friend. Some write blogs I’ve read for years and years; some write blogs I discovered while I was writing the book. In all cases, these folks are fascinating people, and I’ve learned a lot from them. I hope you’ve learned a lot from them. And I hope you’ll keep in mind that they’re all human beings who struggle with their fears and demons, just like you do.

Let’s say hello.

ALLISON HOFFMAN is a crochet artist, designer, and author. She crochets amigurumi dolls of pop-culture icons that bear uncanny and spectacular likenesses to the actual people. I first learned of her when I heard about a doll she crocheted in the likeness of Conan O’Brien, which eventually led her to met Conan O’Brien. Allison’s eye for detail is awesome to me, literally, and the book she wrote about making crocheted dolls is sitting on the pile of all the things I’m going to make when I’m done writing this book (now that the book is out, I’m sure you can stalk my Instagram or something for evidence of all the things). I admire Allison’s eye for detail, her sense of whimsy and fun, and her ability to reach a huge audience with her small creations. Allison’s first book is AmiguruME: Make Cute Crochet People (Lark Crafts, 2013). Look her up at www.craftyiscool.com.

ANN FRIEDMAN is a journalist. I started following her work online after she, along with many of the people she worked with, was fired from her job as executive editor of GOOD magazine. In the aftermath, she and the others banded together to make a magazine of their own—a one-issue wonder called Tomorrow. Since that project, Ann has established herself as a freelance journalist. When I asked her what she does for fun, Ann told me: “I make little charts and doodles and write in my journal. I go thrift shopping and sew/alter my finds. I send ol’ fashioned snail mail and packages to friends. Sometimes I make friendship bracelets.” I admire Ann’s perspective on her work and on the rapidly changing worlds of journalism and publishing, her sense of humor, and her feminism. Look her up at www.annfriedman.com.

BETSY CROSS is a jewelry designer and retail shop co-owner. She’s one of the few people to have elicited a fangirl moment from me—I loved her jewelry first; when I met her in person, I believe I squealed. I remain her biggest fan, and feel very grateful to call her a friend. Betsy is one of the most daring small businesspeople I know. Her melding of craftsmanship and business prowess is brilliant, as seen in her ability to continually design new pieces, market them, and sell them both through her own website and shop, as well as wholesale across North America. I admire Betsy’s integrity, her style, her generosity, and her sense of humor. Look her up at www.betsyandiya.com.

BETZ WHITE is a sewing pattern designer and author. Like me, she’s interested in the creative process, and she’s a parent who works from home. We’ve been tweeting at each other for quite some time, and I asked to interview her because I was interested in learning more about her process. I admire Betz’s generous spirit, the way she expresses her love of nature and craft through her creations, and the thoughtful way she approaches her work. Look her up at www.betzwhite.com.

FAYTHE LEVINE is an independent researcher and documentary filmmaker. I met her in person when she came to Vancouver to screen her first film, Handmade Nation. She stayed at my house when we were strangers to each other, and seeing her again when she came back to town a few years later to screen her Sign Painters film was a true treat (both seeing her and the film she made with Sam Macon). For fun, Faythe enjoys “thrift-store shopping, cooking, letter-writing, and reading.” I admire her ability to take a step back from things that fascinate her so she can study them and tell their story, and she’s one of the most interesting and open people I’ve ever met. Also, she’s really fun to go shopping with. Look her up at www.faythelevine.com.

JASIKA NICOLE is an actor and artist. We’ve never met but I did once spy her at a craft fair in Vancouver during the time she was here filming Fringe (you’d know her as the actor who played Astrid). Jasika writes one of my favorite blogs; her unfettered enthusiasm for making stuff—and for learning how to do things she’s never done before—is happy-making and inspiring. For fun, she told me, “I knit, quilt, sew, embroider, paint, build and refinish furniture, reupholster, and bake.” I admire the way Jasika inspires me to make stuff even when I have no idea what I’m doing, and the thoughtful way she approaches her projects and the world in general. Also, when I sent her a note on Tumblr out of nowhere and insisted I was legit, she believed me. Look her up at www.jasikanicole.com.

JOEL WATSON is a cartoonist. He makes a geek web comic called HijiNKS ENSUE that has cracked me up for years. When Joel decided to try to make his living exclusively from the comic, he documented his trials and tribulations publicly in a project he called The Experiment. That kind of honesty always draws me in, and I was pleased as punch when Joel agreed to be a part of this book. In addition to his honesty, I admire his ability to combine his passion for geekery with a killer sense of humor through a medium I love. And once, I met him at Baltimore Comic-Con, but I haven’t mentioned it to him because I’m sure he doesn’t remember and I feel kind of dumb. Look him up at www.hijinksensue.com.

KATE BINGAMAN-BURT is an illustrator and educator who is also the person who illustrated this book. True story: I’ve loved Kate’s work for many years, and almost fell out of my chair when I learned she would be illustrating Mighty Ugly. I’ve seen this whole thing as an opportunity to force myself to say hello to her, which I did, and then I asked her a lot of questions about failure. You may have heard of Kate because for eight years she drew what she bought every day, and before that she drew her credit card statements every month until she got herself out of debt. She’s my hero. Check out her books, Obsessive Consumption: What Did You Buy Today? (Princeton Architectural Press, 2010) and What Did I Buy Today?: An Obsessive Consumption Journal (Princeton Architectural Press, 2012), and look her up at www.katebingamanburt.com.

KIRSTY HALL is an artist and purveyor of mad obsessive projects. I was relieved when Kirsty said explicitly that she’s obsessive in her art, because that obsession is what draws me to it, but I wasn’t sure it would be OK to say that out loud. She does things like embark on a project to make art in a Mason jar every day for a year, hiding each jar in public along with instructions on how to alert her when the jar is found. It’s that I’m so entirely different in the way I work that draws me to Kirsty, I think. I admire the small details and dogged determination she infuses her work with; it contrasts mightily with the spontaneity and broad strokes that define mine. Look her up at www.kirstyhall.co.uk.

LAUREN BACON is an author, tech entrepreneur, and business coach. Though I’ve read her outstanding blog for a long time, I asked her for an interview only a few weeks before my writing deadline after I read one of her posts on impostor syndrome. She graciously agreed to tell me more about her own experiences and how she works with her clients, most of whom are entrepreneurs. I admire her not only for her unflagging support of women in tech, but also her abilities to write about complex topics simply and clearly and to relate her own experiences in ways that are universally applicable. Look her up at www.laurenbacon.com.

NOAH SCALIN is an artist, author, designer, and activist. Perhaps you’ve heard of his Skull-A-Day project? His book Unstuck is an occasional savior of mine. Noah has a knack for making it feel totally normal and OK to hit snags. So much so that I will want to hug him if I’m lucky enough to meet him in person; that might be awkward but maybe it won’t be. For fun, Noah sings in his band, League of Space Pirates, which is named after the science fiction universe he plays in. I admire Noah for enthusiastically pursuing a variety of seemingly unrelated projects, and for encouraging (and helping) people to do their thing. Look him up at www.noahscalin.com.

RACHAEL ASHE is an artist and maker whose creations in paper rarely fail to blow my mind. We’ve been friends for several years, and our infrequent coffee dates to catch up about our respective projects are always a highlight of my workday. Also, she knows where to get the best pastries in town. It was when Rachael delivered a Creative Mornings Vancouver talk about her evolution as an artist that I knew I had to interview her. She advocated creating a whole lot of crappy work and making lots of mistakes—I mean, right? Look her up at www.portfolio.rachaelashe.com.

RACHAEL HERRON is a writer. I’ve read her knitting blog for many, many years, and so I’ve also watched the evolution of her writing career, from hobbyist to published author of several novels and a memoir. For her day job, Rachael works as a 911 dispatcher; her melding of these two very different careers fascinates me. I was thrilled when Rachael agreed to be part of this book not only because I’m a fan, but because she inspires me to make time for the things and people I love, and because I admire the honesty with which she discusses her work, her life, and her craft. Look her up at www.yarnagogo.com.

SONYA PHILIP is an artist who challenged herself to sew one hundred dresses in a year. Though I knew of that “100 Acts of Sewing” project, I didn’t actually know Sonya until I tweeted one day that I was feeling desperate to learn how to sew clothes, and she humbly pointed me to a beginner dress pattern she was selling. I bought it, and asked her for an interview. I admire Sonya’s passion for fiber art; her thoughtful exploration of art and craft, making and consuming; and her encouragement of all people to make. Look her up at www.sonyaphilip.com.

STACEY ROZICH is an artist and illustrator. I first met her on the side of the road; she was an unexpected third passenger, joining Faythe Levine and her filmmaker partner Sam Macon in my cramped car when I drove them across Vancouver for the screening of the Sign Painters Movie. So I fell in love with Stacey before I discovered she’s an artist, and then I fell in love with her art. I went down a Google rabbit hole, and knew I needed to ask my new friend to join me on this book adventure. She graciously obliged, and I hope she’s not creeped out that I want us to be friends for life. I admire Stacey’s exploration of folklore and scary figures in her art, her passion for research, and her thoughtful perspective on her own art and career. Look her up at www.staceyrozich.com.