What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? What could be accomplished if we all took this mindset? What would we all be willing to try? Would we step out of our comfort zones and finally just go for it and pursue that dream that we all think is a little bit unattainable?
Jamie (Horn) Johnston, a 2006 graduate of Eagle Grove High School, has decided she’s going to give her dream the best shot of “Making It” that she can. Although it took her two years to first find out how, and then work up the courage to try, she recently put in her application to be part of the hit NBC show, “Making It.” Creating original things by hand has become a worldwide phenomenon, and this show captures that passion of people who dream big and work small, creating masterpieces of all sorts from their homes. It challenges them to test their abilities in a variety of undertakings from week-to-week. Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman have hosted two seasons thus far. Johnston is hoping to be a part of the third.
“I was captivated (with the show) from the start,” Johnston stated. “Poehler and Offerman are two very funny people and the competition takes place in this huge barn that is stocked with cool craft stuff, so that alone was enough to love.”
Johnston admits that right off the bat she was curious as to how these people got on the show in the first place. She’s been a crafter since she was little and she thought it looked like a fun challenge. So one day she finally did a Google search and found the application process. Unfortunately, they weren’t accepting any entries at the time. When she checked in a while later for the second time, she was delighted to see they were, but her nerves kept her from filling out the form.
“It might sound cheesy, but the current situation of the world was a push for me,” admitted Johnston about finally submitting her application for season three. “In this time of uncertainty, family and personal happiness has become more important than ever and when I randomly checked their website again one day to see that casting was still open, I just kind of thought, ‘Why not?’ and mentioned it to my husband (Kyle), and he said ‘Yes, do it.’”
A second motivation came from her older brother, Travis Horn. He grew up a professional wrestling fan who found a way to make his way into the sport as well now as an adult.
“I had no idea how a person can just decide one day that they are going to try and do that, especially here in Iowa, but he has worked hard and found some great opportunities and success through it and that made me feel like I should never hold myself back from taking these steps of pursuing my dream,” said Johnston.
Now all that’s left is the waiting…waiting to see if they call and give her the news she’s been day-dreaming about hearing since she first saw the show. And by the way, she said she’s watched every single episode from the start, some more than once.
“All of the contestants on there seem to have different types of arts or crafts that they specialize in or enjoy most, and they are all insanely creative and kind,” noted Johnston. “Even though it is a competition, you can tell they all get along and are truly rooting for each other. Some of the ideas they have for crafts on there are not things I would have ever thought of, but I feel so inspired by it all. Each week, when someone is sent home, all of the contestants cry, and I cry right along with them from home.”
Johnston admits that just in case she does get her shot at “Making It,” she’s been storing up some ideas in her head.
“I have tried to think with each of the challenges as I watch the show what I would do if I was given that challenge? It is so overwhelming to even think about, and some of the ideas I have seen on the show have encouraged me to try to really think out-of-the-box, even more than I already do,” she said. “Now that I have actually taken the step to apply, my mind is constantly racing with ideas.”
While everyone who knows Johnston is excited for her and waiting with anticipation for the phone call, there were three people who were not thrilled…in the beginning. She said her three kids, ages eight, five, and almost two, did not want their mom to leave if she was cast in the show, because it tapes in California. That all changed when their dad, Kyle (who Johnston said is always a huge supporter of hers) told them that if she got on, they would get to watch their mommy on television and cheer her on.
“They thought that was pretty cool,” she said.
It seems as though Johnston has been preparing for this opportunity her whole life, as being creative seems to run in the family. “I think I just kind of had a knack from the start. I grew up in a house with very creative, artistic parents. Whether they were painting things, creating cool stuff for the garden, or coming up with amazing outfits for dress up days at school, I quickly learned to appreciate how inventive they could be,” she said.
There were always bright cans of spray paint her father had sitting around. Her mom was “the queen” of reusing stuff she could find around the house. Her brother and sister also enjoyed arts projects, so it’s no wonder she fell in love with the hobby too. Johnston took every art class she could throughout high school. While she enjoys a variety of projects and mediums, her favorite type of art is working with paint pens, and she uses them often for her creations for her home business, “Artsy Mama.” She uses them to hand write on canvas, wood, glass, ornaments…and is willing to try whatever it is her customers want. Last Christmas, she even hosted her first sip and paint class where she invited others to come and relax, enjoy each other’s company, and try their hand at guided canvas painting.
“A few years back, I set up with other vendors at Summerfest in Eagle Grove and I was blown away by the response, so I have started to do vendor events here and there when I am able,” said Johnston of her Artsy Mama business. “It is a huge bonus to live in great communities where I can get my name out.”
She has also set up an Etsy store that she is dabbling with.
Kyle has also found a passion for being creative. Last year he decided to give woodworking a try, creating a wooden coffee table with a blue epoxy “river” running through it. He calls his business “Deathly Hallow customs” as he is a major Harry Potter fan. He has displayed some of this items along with his wife’s during vendor shows she has participated in. Even their three children, which is no surprise, have developed a love of the arts.
“I really love that everyone in our house enjoys being crafty so it is something we can do together,” Johnston said.
In the daytime hours, Johnston keeps busy working as a family development specialist with Upper Des Moines Opportunity. She works in-home with families, helping them set goals to achieve self-sufficiency. She has also been teaching dance some evenings for the past six years and is currently teaching at CDTA in Humboldt.
“It feel so great to have people enjoy my arts and crafts enough that they want to display them in their home or business. When people contact me and say they saw something they liked and wonder if I would make it for them, it is a huge honor. I love feeling like I found my talent and that I can share that with others,” said Johnston.
Now, she just hopes she can share that passion for creating in front of a national audience as part of “Making It.” Either way, contestant or not, this small-town girl has already made it big in the eyes of the people who know her and have her work on display in their own homes and businesses.
Johnston encourages each of us to give crafting a try. Creativity lives in all of us.
“If you watch even one episode of “Making It,” you are bound to come up with some ideas you want to try.
If Johnston does make it on one of her favorite television shows, she would be in the running to win $100,000 and be named the “Master Maker.” Johnston said if that dream came true, she would love to move her family into a bigger house where they could equip the ultimate workshop and crafting spaces for her and her husband, and of course, their budding little artists that are following in their footsteps.
