ALEKS SMITH
STORY:
The pandemic completely changed the direction of my life. Before it began, I was working as a hairstylist, and most of my artistic expression came through doing hair. I had always been around crafts because my mom had been making things for as long as I could remember, but I never really had the time to sink into creating for myself.
After the pandemic, I changed careers and began working in social services. At my first social service job, I worked at a facility in Everett with young people between the ages of twelve and seventeen who had experienced homelessness. I started bringing what I called my “Mary Poppins bag of art supplies” to work every day. Crochet entered my life through that type of social services work. I originally began making dishcloths and washcloths for residents’ move-out kits. Eventually, I decided that I did not only want to make practical things. I wanted to make little guys, because little guys have always been my M.O.
When my mom, Diane, saw me crocheting, she decided to try it too. She had knitted for many years, but carpal tunnel made it difficult for her to continue for long periods. We discovered that crochet was much easier on her wrists, and she was able to return to the kind of crafting she had loved for most of her life.
What began as my own exploration of creativity became something we now share. Together, we create crocheted animals, monsters, keychains, and other handmade characters, and we bring them to markets throughout the region. The pandemic did more than change my career. It gave me the time and circumstances to become more deeply connected to art, to discover crochet, and to build a creative practice alongside my mom.
Aleks Smith is a crocheter, whose work centers on handmade creatures, playful monsters, and “little guys.” Aleks began crocheting several years ago while working in social services. What started with practical dishcloths and washcloths for residents’ move-out kits quickly grew into a love for amigurumi and character-making.
Aleks’ work is guided by curiosity, humor, and the freedom to create without strict rules. He is especially drawn to monsters because they can take any shape his imagination allows, from cute and squishy creatures to strange figures with large eyes, unsettling mouths, and eldritch-horror-inspired details. Working primarily with worsted-weight acrylic yarn, he creates keychains, crocheted characters, and “little guys” monsters that combine crochet with needle-felted features. Many pieces are produced in small batches based on whatever ideas he feels most inspired to explore.
His creative practice is also a collaboration with his mother, Diane. Together, they create animals, monsters, and other handmade characters and bring their work to craft fairs and markets throughout the region. Aleks currently participates in multiple events each month while balancing his work in social services, building new inventory during his graveyard shifts, and trying to grow the project at a pace that keeps the process joyful and sustainable.
biography:
