Hello! I’m Barb Wong. By profession I’m a dietitian working in community development. I have a passion for all things food-related and for capacity building through nutrition education, food skills building and food security advocacy. It takes a fair amount of creativity to develop food literacy programs and engagement activities especially when resources are scarce. That creativity spills over to my non-work life and I’m a compulsive maker. When the opportunity to apply for the residency came up, I jumped at the chance to switch my making gears and learn new skills.
Coming into the residency, I was curious about learning to use equipment that would cross-pollinate with my existing making skills. I also knew that my biggest challenge would be learning how to make digitally. I was already well-versed with analog making: cooking, baking, gardening and food preserving and a variety of fibre work such as knitting, felting and weaving. The thought of having to learn digital design was both exhilarating and overwhelming.
After our class on the laser cutter, I was smitten! I was motivated and determined to learn what I needed to know to be able to produce pieces that I could use in my weaving practice. I enrolled in an Inkscape class at MakerLabs and I learned enough to translate my pencil-on-paper ideas into digital designs that I cut on the laser cutter and eventually incorporated into my weaving.
This old analog dog managed to learn new digital tricks!
The residency has given me great opportunities to be exposed to different resources and tools to expand my making capacity. It has challenged me to push my learning boundaries and I’m inspired to continue to apply my new skills and knowledge to future projects and work. As well, I have made some new friends who inspire me with their creativity and passion for making.
Instagram: @misobarb
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