In her 2019 book Making a Life: Working by Hand and Discovering the Life You Are Meant to Live, Melanie Falick wrote about knitters, weavers, potters, natural dyers, and other creatives who have prioritized handwork and, in the process, have taken agency over their lives, often defying conventional ideas about what a successful path requires, even what success means in the first place. After Making a Life was published, inspired by her subjects, Melanie decided to deepen her own making practice and see where it led her. In this lecture, Melanie will share stories and images from that journey, which included knitting, sewing, pottery, basketry, and gardening, among other forms of handwork, as well as the lessons she learned and ideas she honed along the way about personal fulfillment, perfectionism, process, speed, attention, materialism, sustainability, and women’s history. Most importantly, Melanie will explain why she believes that handwork is crucial to our individual, community, and planetary wellness, and she will challenge us to share our skills and passions far and wide for the good of all.