Dudes Craft, Too: Sean Covert

Hello, hello. Today I’m here with the amazing Sean Covert, Crop Manager for Scrapbook Expo and paper crafter extraordinaire. His layering skills are phenomenal and his coloring is absolute perfection.

One of the many good things about this series for me has been getting to meet new, really cool people; Sean being one of them.

I’ll have all his links at the end of this post. Make sure you check him out.

What is your name and in which country do you currently reside?

Sean Covert, USA

How did you first become involved in card making?

I was laid off from work in 2008 & picked up a scrapbook kit from Big Lots to fill some of my free time. I quickly fell in love with paper crafting but wanted more instant gratification. Scrapbooks can take a long time to complete! I found card making using SVG files; that was so much fun. Then one year I attended the Stamp & Scrapbook Expo. It was there that I found rubber stamping and coloring and have not looked back since!

What do you enjoy most about card making?

The look on someone’s face when they receive one of my handcrafted cards. That makes it all worth it!

Stereotypically card making is considered by many to be a hobby in which only females participate. Have you experienced any judgement or discrimination based on this stereotype?

I have. When I started joining Facebook groups some of the women were pretty nasty with me at times and I couldn’t for the life of me understand why. To me, this is supposed to be a relaxing hobby to get my mind off of life, why weren’t these woman relaxed and friendly? I still haven’t figured out the answer to that but I quickly decided I wouldn’t let anyone make me feel bad or less than because of a hobby that I enjoy. I rarely run into this but it still happens periodically.

How do you deal/ how have you dealt with the judgement or discrimination?

I just chalked it up to ignorance. Who says card making has to be for women? No one! Now I just ignore it.

Do you feel that, as a male card maker, you bring any experiences or attributes to the craft that you might not otherwise if you were female?

I think a male crafter can bring a unique set of eyes to the industry. Also it’s much easier for me to make the more masculine cards that so many crafters struggle with. However, I don’t think that a male crafter is better at the craft than a female; it’s just that sometimes we can offer a slightly different perspective.

What is the best thing about being a male card maker?

It’s such a rare occurrence to see a male card maker that it ends up drawing much more attention than it may otherwise; I like that. I’m the baby of 14 children so I like a lot of attention.

What is the most challenging?

It’s that sometimes people think this is a female only industry; it’s not and I have the craft room to prove it! lol

What changes, if any, would you like to see happen in the card making industry as far as male card makers are concerned?

I don’t think there needs to be any changes to the industry. It’s amazing as is! We only need a bit more tolerance from a small amount of people.

Do you do any other crafts?

I’ve been making porcelain dolls since I was 11 years old and I work with ceramic.

Have you always been creative?

Yes, ever since I was a little kid. My mom had to work the graveyard shift as a waitress so she wasn’t home at bedtime. I would leave her little construction paper cut outs for when she got home. If it was around Halloween it’d be pumpkins and witches, turkeys around Thanksgiving, and Christmas trees around Christmas.
My mom got me a word processor from a yard sale and I would use it to write short stories.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Pinterest, where else?! Lol. Seriously though, there are some amazing card makers out there and I struggle to come up with an original design sometimes. I like to try my hand at other’s designs and change it up a bit so it’s not exact. Sometimes just starting it will take me in a whole other direction and it’s nowhere near what I originally was going to do.

Is there anything you struggle with in terms of card making?

Design, I struggle with coming up with original designs.

What has been your proudest card making moment or achievement?

Being published in Papercraft Essentials Magazine while designing for Paper Net Dolls stamps. Then I was asked to do another design for them and it ended up on the cover! It was a very small picture at the top of the magazine but it was a cover!

What, if anything, would you change about the card making community?

I would like people to be more tolerant. This hobby is meant to be relaxing and its intent is to get one out of their head. If it’s not like that for you then you should look into another hobby that does do that for you. It’s not meant to be stressful! Also, please be nice!

How would you describe your card making style?

A little bit country, a little bit feminine & a LOT of layers!!

Finally, do you have any advice, tips, suggestions, or words of encouragement for other male card makers?

Be you, don’t hold back, and don’t get discouraged! Crafter’s gotta craft!!

Thank you very much, Sean, for taking part in this series. I’m saddened to hear that you’ve experienced nastiness. I hope that perhaps, through this series, we can bring more awareness to male card makers; after all one of the best ways to eradicate ignorance is through education.

You can find Sean

On Facebook

On Instagram

On his blog

Thank you for stopping by. Y’all come back now, ya hear?

Until next time,

Bears, chairs, school book fairs,

Samantha