Meet Michelle Perkins

Michelle is a textile artist and social activist from Buffalo, NY. She is the sustainability and communications manager at Stitch Buffalo, a 501c3 textile art center for refugee women, and sits on the board of Stronger Together WNY (501c4). Additionally, she runs her own sewing business called Speakeasy Works. Her focus is on accessories created with upcycled materials, a feminist/nerd perspective, and a sense of humor.

Q+A

Where do you go for inspiration?

I'm tremendously lucky to spend all day working with textile artists from around the world. Every day at Stitch Buffalo, the refugee women artists in our program arrive with beautiful new creations, new milestones to celebrate from their lives here in America, and new stories (both good and bad) about their experiences in their home country. Additionally, my coworkers and our volunteers bring such a wealth of diverse skills and experiences to the table that I never feel like I lack inspiration. I'm also grateful to live in a diverse neighborhood, and in a rust-belt city where grassroots creative types of all genres are doing amazing work practically everywhere I look.

What new thing have you learned lately?

Last night I came across an article on harvesting potting clay from backyard soil. I've always had a semi-secret longing to explore ceramics—and having less clay in our garden soil would be a-okay. I showed the article to my husband, and said, "So, if we did this we'd need to build a kiln." He responded, "Don't threaten me with a good time!" So pottery could be on the horizon . . .

How long do you think you would survive the zombie apocalypse? Why?

This may be the one time when life-long battles with anxiety come in handy. I'm almost always prepared for the worst-case scenario, but I get totally calm and methodical when it actually happens. We already grow a bunch of our own food and my husband does carpentry (so we're ready to fortify the hell out of our anti-zombie bastion). We can also check off a bunch of useful post-tech skills in other categories—and we both play acoustic instruments, so we won't get bored. We will, however, eventually need to evacuate Buffalo in favor of somewhere warmer to re-establish civilization!

If you could fire anyone in the world, who would you fire?

On November 3, 2020, I will be casting my vote to fire our current president and any other elected officials who aren't representing my values or prioritizing the best interests of my community. I'm getting the firing procedure started by volunteering with my local League of Women Voters chapter to work on voter registration and education.

Favorite quote?

My favorite quote is from my mom. She tackles incredible projects—like building a greenhouse, teaching herself weaving, or remodeling her own bathroom. For the past three years, she has been studying college-level geometry and calculus, simply because she regretted not being required to take those classes when she was in college. So here's the quote: "You can do anything if you break it into small enough pieces." I can't tell you how often I'm stymied on a project, hear those words in my head, and suddenly know how to get moving. Take the SMALLEST step. Then take another.

Want more? Buy her art on Etsy. Learn more about Stitch Buffalo and donate. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.