Meet Shara Adams

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shara Adams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shara, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
My legacy isn’t a massive concern to me, but I would like to help make people happy, now and going forward – however that may come about. I always try to be supportive of my friends, family, and those around me, no matter what they are going through or experiencing in their lives at any given point. Life is hard, and that acknowledgement alone can mean the world to so many, knowing you understand and are there to help in any capacity you may have.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art, perhaps like many others, has come out of necessity. I have really bad anxiety, so keeping my hands busy and productive always seems to help. Crochet really fit into that need, and as my grandmother taught me years ago, it was a quick pick up during Covid. It helped ease some of my mental health and health struggles while enabling me to dip into my need to create. Sewing also came naturally, as my mother is a seamstress, so imparted knowledge has found a way to help stabilize my mind. Creating, be it through writing or another craft like crochet or sewing, is something I always thrived with and sought out since I was younger. I was an avid reader throughout my childhood, and I found comfort in the creative process and escaping into different worlds.

It’s been a long road, at least it has felt like it. Lots of setbacks in life, not necessarily with my business, but it has made keeping up with things a challenge. I have found the days I don’t pull out my yarn or fabric, I am more anxious and less capable of dealing with things at home, so we are all settling in to making sure I have that time – however that looks like – so I can take care of myself and others. Even on the bad days, I keep plodding along, believing it will all work out eventually. I have found sharing ideas with crafting friends helps encourage me to keep going, and I feel like I have done fairly well in building a support team around me. I am always trying to share the process or show what I have going on with others either for feedback or hype. We all need to be hyped!

Taking my creations from hobby to business, seemed like a very natural step. People began asking if I could make them what I was making at the time, so I ended up with an additional five things to make on top of what I was just finishing up for myself. This also spurred on some of my spontaneity in making freehanded one offs or writing patterns for pictures I would create in my head. So, I really got into writing patterns fairly quickly and still enjoy doing that – as I have several in the works as well for various items. I come from a finance background, so I fall into routines of numbers and patterns. Making my creative outlet a business venture helped satisfy that additional need in my personal and professional life.

It hasn’t been easy, with struggles in the ‘corporate’ world infecting my ability and passion to create. My goal is to be able to leave the office behind and move into my creative space full time. I feel strongly it would only allow for some true mental and emotional healing from the long hours and years of working for someone else. Being the one to dictate how I want things to be done, has given strength to my confidence. The more I give myself that space, the better I feel and become. This gives me the encouragement to put myself out a little farther each time, pushing the boundaries of what I am comfortable with to bring more of my dreams to reality. I’ve always wanted to help people. The methods on how that comes about has changed drastically since I was a child, but the core remains the same and I will continue to find ways to make that happen.

I always try to make sure there is something on my hook, or going through my sewing machine, so I don’t have a creative lull. I pull from personal experiences with my creations, so I am not always making the “trendy” thing for markets, or e-commerce, though I am capable and have done those things. I try to integrate different aspects to each item – not just crochet and not just sewing, to combine the two to create unique things you can’t find anywhere else in the same way.

What I am really excited about is my latest creation, the Weighted Whisper. A combination of a weighted stuffy and a weighted blanket, compact and easy to care for while providing the sensory pressure many find comforting. It honestly came from a need for myself and my children, that I was struggling to find an answer to so I decided to research and see what it would take to make it myself – with what I had in mind. They can be heated and cooled for additional sensory stimulation and pain relief. Also, they can have sleeves or pockets they fit into which can provide additional tactile sensory support depending on the needs. I’d really like this to reach as many people as possible, as I can see it being helpful in so many situations from school, to therapy, to work, to home. So many ways for it to be integrated and prove to be so useful.

As a neurodivergent family, I hope these could be helpful for so many in similar situations as us. I am Autistic with ADHD, as well as my two children and my husband has ADHD, so our sensory needs span a spectrum – but with similarities. Through our experiences with therapies and research, we have found things which work well for us and believe I have found a way to make it simple and more accessible. I want to create things that bring joy and happiness, however that may look.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A few places we would visit – Talnua Distillery. I started visiting and following them within the first year they were open, and I have never been disappointed with their products, as an Irish Whiskey lover. It’s wonderful to have the Pot Still on this side of the pond – and in my backyard.

Washington Park is a great place to go and walk around, chill, and just enjoy the outdoors.

Standley Lake is also a great outdoor area I like to frequent.

The Museum of Illusion is fun, down off 16th street, if you like a little mind twist like I do.

There is always a list of breweries we have waiting to visit, though I’d love to take them to a few of our favorites including Chain Reaction, Cerebral, Rails End, Station 26, Lady Justice, and Prost to name a very few of our favorites.

Pho Broadway and Wang’s Gourmet have been favorites, Taste of Philly, Yak and Yeti, Great Scotts, as well as Beaujos – always the mountain pies.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Andrew, who has put up with my yarn addiction for the last handful of years as well as providing the emotional support when I have been struggling. He’s my biggest cheerleader in all my endeavors.

My mom, Gail, who has provided tidbits of knowledge where I may have been lacking to help with bringing my ideas to life.

Website: http://snugglestring.com

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