People Who are Freaking Geniuses: Elizabeth Rogers Drouillard

This month, I want to introduce you to a blogger who has a great aesthetic eye and an important mission. Elizabeth Rogers Drouillard writes Things Bright, and as the name implies, most days it’s drenched with color. Elizabeth shares things she’s working on, treasures she’s found thrifting, and examples of craft she finds inspiring.

All photography by Elizabeth Rogers Drouillard, used with permission

I always love how her crafty obsessions range all over the map, and how she’s always finding interesting stuff outside the mainstream. From her, I got hooked on Tunisian Crochet (pun intended, sorry) and postcard walls. She sews, she does paper crafts, she draws – a true fellow dabbler.

…But Elizabeth doesn’t just show stuff and say “isn’t this cool?” She’s always asking good questions about the creative process, about using time well, and about what making means. Her writing style is so warm and conversational – stopping by the blog feels like pulling up a stool to chat.

(Which I find to be a nice change from rushing through the big aggregator blogs, looking for quick stuff to pin, like, or tweet. Remember when blog-reading used to be like that?)

Now, let’s talk about her mission. Elizabeth is passionate about fighting human trafficking. You might think that a subject like this doesn’t belong on a craft blog, but I’m always impressed by how well she handles it. Each Tuesday, she posts an essay about how slavery in the modern world seeps into our day-to-day lives.

Elizabeth is a believer in leading people gently into thinking about hard issues. Her writing on the subject isn’t strident or upsetting, but thoughtful.

For example, from a recent post:

“I am absolutely not calling for cynicism or pessimism.  Trusting no one and hopelessness lead to despair, not change.  People who have been the victims of grievous wrongs like child abuse and human trafficking need our help, not our issues.
No one really wants to grasp these harsh realities.
But allowing ourselves to mentally grasp what others have not only experienced mentally, but physically, spiritually, and emotionally is our first act of unselfishness.”

…And then, she periodically shares companies who sell handmade goods that are made by or sold to support survivors of human trafficking, as in this holiday Merry and Bright series.

…All that, and a Friday series called Into the Woods that encourages you to step away from your computer and get out into nature! That’s a LOT of value rolled into one blog!

Stop over and say howdy to Elizabeth, won’t you?