Marni: Hey, everyone! Welcome to "Your Family, Your Library," a podcast where we discuss the many ways our library is here for families of all shapes and sizes. Each episode we will bring you information and resources relevant to your family and beyond. We are "Your Family, Your Library," and we're glad you're here. I'm Marni, and I'm thrilled today to be welcoming our two maker and residencies from 2025 and 2026. First, we have Brittany Bouyer, our first maker in residence. But before we get into that, why do we have a maker in residence program and what is it? We started the maker in residence program to bring local experts into the library to share with the community. This allows patrons to learn about different crafts, ask questions about the process, and potentially, hopefully learn a new skill themselves while we try to make it as interactive as possible. One of the main goals of the residency is for a member of the greater Skokie community to create something for and with the library. So what we were really hoping that this accomplishes is to continue to foster community of makers, creators and artists. Come get inspiration from one of our makers. Learn something that you had never done before. We want people to exchange ideas, learn something new and get creative. We have all these tools in the studio and we want people to use them. We've seen time and time again the community aspect and learning from doing has the biggest impact. And with that, we are going to welcome Brittany Bouyer today. Welcome, Brittany. Thank you so much for being here.
Brittany: Hi, thanks for having me.
Marni: Of course. We're so glad you're here. So first things first. How did you become a maker?
Brittany: I think I walked out of the hospital as a baby...
Marni: Out of the womb. Straight out of the womb.
Brittany: Becoming a maker. I wasn't sure if I could say that. But I had a lot of support growing up with, creative mother, creative father, creative siblings. And we were just constantly making things, and I think that it just never went away. You know, a lot of...
Marni: What a joy to have that in your house, to continuously make things.
Brittany: Yeah. And I think that, one of the coolest things is that, you know, they say that every child is an artist or every person is an artist until someone tells them they're not anymore or ruins their self-esteem in some way. So they lose that itch to keep making things. And I just had confidence enough to never let anybody break me down. So I just continue to do it.
Marni: Oh my God, I love to hear that. And it's so true what we've seen throughout education and things like that too. It's like a lot of what stops people from being creative and making things and doing art is the like barriers that they get put in front of them. And so without any barriers, of course, you're going to keep creating and making things. That's amazing. I want to know what's one of the favorite things you've ever made?
Brittany: I mean, I might have changed since I mentioned on Instagram, the things that I've made might be the stuff I've been making in the Studio because I've had this curiosity for so long, and now having the tools to actually fulfill that curiosity shows me now that there's so many more things that are possible, even with my style of work that I've created, like my illustrative style, floral work can kind of...
Marni: Yeah 'cause you can jump around a lot to different things as well.
Brittany: Yeah, and it kind of seems like it's a little like linear in some ways. Like, oh, I create a design, I put it on a product, people buy the product, but this is more a curiosity in my own mind of, okay, how can I translate this same exact work, but with all these different mediums? And now I think you'll never get rid of me.
Marni: I love that. Please keep coming back. We want people to be there and ask questions and interact and learn new things. So like that's the whole point of this as well. So you said you had one idea coming in and you mainly focused on illustration and putting your work on a product and moving forward with that. What were your goals in the Studio like? What did you want to do different? What did you want to learn? What did you want to create that was different from what you'd done previously?
Brittany: I think I just wanted to resist some of the technology in a way. Like I wanted to kind of return back to using my hands in a more tactile way. So I was a painter for a while. I did more, illustration on the iPad and using Procreate and all those things for a long time. And now it's like I'm backtracking. I'm like resisting the whole AI talk, I'm resisting all of that generated efficient things. I want to go back to things being slow and calm and that flow state can come back when you're here. You know, I'm using a dangerous needle tool like I have to watch my hands.
Marni: The dangerous needle tool is the embroidery machine in case anyone's wondering.
Brittany: Or the sewing machine...
Marni: And or the sewing machine.
Brittany: ...needle. While specifically like the. I've been using the sewing machine for the, like quilting style drawing a little bit.
Marni: Which is great because we just discovered we can have quilting feet on regular sewing machines so you can get quilting without having a long arm quilter, if that resonates with anybody listening to this.
Brittany: I know, and that's exactly what I've been playing with, and it's nothing else is getting in my head when I'm doing that. Sometimes when I'm drawing other stuff. I'm so used to doing the routine that I. Yeah, kind of let my mind drift or start worrying about things or stress, but like, anxiety kind of rolls away when you're really hyper focused on the moment. This has really brought a lot of that back.
Marni: It's so interesting because I hear artists a lot of the time and even myself talk about like quote unquote, the flow state of when you're creating and making something where I really love, like I just started learning how to crochet the last couple of weeks and I'm like going quite fast with it, but I'm like, oh yeah, my brain completely turns off when I'm crocheting in a way that it's hard to do with doomscrolling or social media or TV or movies or something like that. And it is so fascinating to hear crickets when I'm doing something creative versus when I'm just losing it on social media or something like that.
Brittany: You're focused because you have to count.
Marni: Yes.
Brittany: This is why I don't crochet, okay.
Marni: Counting is hard, okay. Let me tell you.
Brittany: I forget what stitch, I'm on all of the loops and stuff. I think that there is just like this returning. I feel like that's happening a lot, you know? And I also have a daughter who's two and a half, and she. I want her to see things being made by hand. I want her to see that this is a priority, that there are...
Marni: Human creations.
Brittany: Yeah. And not ever. There's imperfections. There are not always need a quick fix to, to undo something or anything like that that you know, okay, we're going to use some scissors right now backtrack. We're going to try these new things. And that's part of it too, is that being okay with imperfection and inviting that in because it's okay to make mistakes. Yeah. And so I'm able to teach her that in this way. I might not be able to teach her it in other aspects of her life, but when I'm making things and she sees me, makes mistakes, then then accepting that like, oh, well, okay, let's try again, let's do it again. And not being perfect the first time, because who is ever perfect.
Marni: It's so interesting. I was I was just talking with somebody who does bead work, and they were saying that when they make a mistake with their beaded items, they leave it. Because the point is to know that perfection is shouldn't be the thing that you're trying to attain, but it should be the creation that you're trying to move forward.
Brittany: The process...
Marni: Yes. Process over product. Fascinating. So what's been your favorite experience in the studio? You just finished up your residency a few days ago. I know you're finishing your last couple of projects as you gathered all the materials for the community project, but for you, what's been the best part about it?
Brittany: I think for someone that, you know, stays home with my daughter a majority of the time that works alone, that doesn't have an office, that it has been just the connection to the patrons coming in. I think having myself spread out over these three tables every time I come in that people will come and want to see what I'm working on, and I want to do the same.: I'm walking around these other machines that I have yet to touch, like the Glowforge, the laser cutters, all of these things. And I am fascinated by the things that they will just walk up, spend, you know, 30, 40 minutes, just pop something in and get it done. And I am just amazed that there are this many people that are following their curiosity in a way, or they have already, and now they feel proficient. So now they're watching me use the embroidery machines and they're like, oh, well, maybe next year for gifts. I'll try to learn how to use the embroidery machine. And I'm like, well, fun fact, there might be some new machines coming your way in a few months.
Marni: That's amazing. And I think that's so important too, that I feel like people can get so caught up in trying something new that they similar the process of a product, like, they can get so caught up, I'm like, oh, it's not perfect the first time. And I'm like, yeah, that's why you're normally paying somebody a good deal amount of money, because it's not about the product, it's about their expertise that goes into the product. The reason they're able to do it so quickly is because of their years and years of expertise. But learning it for yourself and trying something new is also a part of the process. Like the messing up. When I used to teach art, eons ago, not eons, but a while ago, I would always do the first couple of lessons was that I was like, okay, everything is art. Just because you don't like it or just because you think it's bad does not make it any less art than anything else. Somebody had to design it, somebody had to make it. Somebody went through the process of it. Like, my mother hates contemporary art because she's like, oh, that's a red square on a white background. I could do that. That's not art, technically. Still art, even if it's you don't like it. People have a lot of opinions about art. So I think that's always part of it too. Is that like, be bad at first? It's totally fine.
Brittany: And I have there are there's so much fear in adulthood attached with not doing something correct, quote unquote correct the first time. And I think when people remove an art, a craft or something from their lives, they forget that. And so when they invite that back in then it's scary. It's vulnerable. It's nerve wracking. It's they get lost and intimidated by that. So seeing other people show up and try things and try new things on. And you know.
Marni: Sometimes there's a lot of joy in messing up and being messy though, too. So it's like I always try to encourage people. It's like, yeah, you might mess up and you can come back and try again tomorrow. It'll still be here.
Brittany: Yeah. And as long as you don't, you know, break the machine on your ay out.
Marni: Please don't break your machine, the machine on your way out. We really appreciate it. Thank you.
Brittany: This is an advertisement...
Marni: for the Studio. Please be nice to the machines.
Brittany: No, I, I that's like, one of my whole things is, you know, I'm surrounded by a lot of young or moms with young children right now who just want to do something for themselves, but they don't know what it is. And I'm like, just get a little watercolor palette out. I don't know how to watercolor. I'm like, that's the best part is the best part. You don't to be don't need to know how. You just need Water and some of that. Maybe paper
Marni: Maybe paper. But you could do it on the wall. If that's how you feel.
Brittany: You can put on some fabric. You can do it on whatever you want. And they're like, well, what do I make? And I'm like that's the beauty.
Marni: It doesn't matter.
Brittany: Watercolor can just be watercolor, you know? So just showing people that it's okay to show up and not have any idea what you're doing, you know, like, forget that a lot.
Marni: We've talked about this a little bit, but what advice would you give to a new maker other than just do it.
Brittany: Follow whatever the curiosity is. That's always like, my number one thing is that you're going to have fear. You're going to be afraid to start, but just try and then you're going to we're going to teach the generations behind us that it's okay, and it's exciting to try something new. You know? I mean, how many of us in this maker world are hobby collectors? Like, I have, a latch hook set in my closet. I have also crochet animals. I have, like an elephant toe that I tried to make for my daughter once a million times. And I still can't do it.
Marni: You know, you got there, you tried and that's what matters. Process not product, Brittany.
Brittany: I was excited about it. And then I was like, I don't really like to count while I work on things. So I stopped. And I think that that's, you know, I have a closet of these that could be looked at as something shameful, like, oh, I spent money on this and I couldn't figure it out, or I didn't do it all the way or I gave up and it's just like, actually just stopped being fun. So then I went on to something else that was fun at the time. Yeah. So that's my advice. Follow it, follow it. Whatever.
Marni: Just try it.
Brittany: All of it. Keep going. Yeah.
Marni: Amazing. Okay. Last question for you. If you could recommend a book to anybody right now, would you recommend?
Brittany: Just one?
Marni: Well we can do top three if you want. Let's do a make or book and a personal favorite.
Brittany: Ooh okay. Favorite maker book is "Big Magic." Liz Gilbert, Elizabeth Gilbert. She goes in to this. It's the same idea is that fear gets in the way whenever you're trying to invite creativity into your life. And she defines creativity as returning to things that you enjoyed as a child. So, you know, encouraging people to. You used to love ice skating, so why aren't you ice skating anymore? Why did you stop? How can you bring that back into your life again? And so it's a whole book about encouraging people to just figure out what their thing is, enjoy it until you don't anymore, and then find the new thing. And I've listened to that book so many times.
Marni: That's amazing. What great advice too, to be honest.
Brittany: Yeah. And I, I mean, I really like the Creative Act by Rick Rubin too. That's more relevant now. It's about when you're an artist who tries to make a profit from your work, how to remember that it's about the work, not about...
Marni: The money.
Brittany: The audience that wants to buy it, in a way. And it's a nice thing to return to everyone's style.
Marni: That can be hard, too, because like, people talk about like, oh, find a job you're passionate about. But I also don't want my job to become work. And so that's always a hard balance to find as well.
Brittany: Yeah. And I think that artists are more sensitive to.
Marni: Artists, sensitive?
Brittany: You know, we're vulnerable. You know, you want people to pay for something that is like a part, a piece of your life.
Marni: Creative soul, yeah.
Brittany: And then, you know, they don't value it with money. So then they're, you know, there's a whole there's a lot of complications in there. And he breaks it down in a very edible way, if you will. So it's kind of gentle and kind and, you know, just like it's never about anybody else but you. And you're like, you're right. Tell that to Instagram, please.
Marni: Do you have a personal book that you're reading now or have read that you enjoy? Oh, you told me about your favorite book that you made your quote from for the community tapestry.
Brittany: That's the book I always recommend everybody is, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. It's just so powerful. And I think the theme of the books I enjoy are always about a woman who like the surprises people. They underestimate women in these, in these stories. And then they always are, like, really resilient. So that's why I really love The Nightingale and a plug for atmosphere. I read Atmosphere this year by Taylor Jenkins Reid and that's my top of 2025.
Marni: Oh okay, great.
Brittany: That one's really good and same idea. It's a woman in the 80s trying to become an astronaut at NASA. So you know, coming down from like the low end of the the list of people that would be good in the NASA team and she just no spoilers. I don't want to spoil this. It's like....
Marni: Amazing.
Brittany: You should read it.
Marni: Well, thank you so much for letting us pepper you with questions and for being our November 2025 maker in residence. It's been a joy and delight to have you around, and for patrons to be able to interact with you and see the art that you're creating. We can't wait to see your art in May of 2026, when we have our first maker in residence exhibition. So more information to come, but we're excited to see your art hung up on the walls in the library.
Brittany: Yay! Thank you.
Marni: Thank you so much, Brittany. It's been a joy and a delight having you here with us today.
Brenna: Hi, this is Brenna Murphy, advisory supervisor at the Skokie Public Library, here to tell you about a book that I loved. Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava as a sweet romance novel in which pop star Avery returns to the family ranch in Oklahoma after a public misstep connecting with her Muskogee community for the first time. She starts to get used to farm life and starts to fall for ranch hand Lucas. A must read for fans of Emily Henry. Stay tuned to hear more about books we're loving and check out our recommendations in the show notes.
Marni: Well, we are back now with our March 2026 Maker in Residence, Zeeshan Farooq. Thank you so much for being here today and welcome, Zeeshan.
Zeeshan: Thank you.
Marni: So starting off really quick, how did you become a maker?
Zeeshan: So, it's a journey. It didn't happen overnight. I remember I drew my first calligraphy letter when I was in fifth grade. I was always observant about letterforms. I used to. And I grew up in Pakistan. I used to watch billboards, in Urdu handwriting. I was very fascinated by it. So at one point in time, I started to draw these letters that would make my own pens. And, you know, that passion gradually grew to a point where I am always doodling in my notebooks.
Marni: Yeah, it's the fostering of the passion that is so important.
Zeeshan: Exactly. Because that's like, you know, you never know when that spark happens. And for me, it happened. I don't even remember. But remember, my notebooks always look pretty, my teachers always admired. And in Pakistan, there was a huge emphasis on good handwriting. So that's why. And there was extra bonus points you would get in exams. If you're handwriting and your notebooks are prettier than everyone else.
Marni: I mean, I remember growing up that like, we taught cursive and now it's not a thing that's to schools.
Zeeshan: And it's, it's so that's, that's what I miss the most. And I want my kids to encourage I want to encourage them to make sure that they have good handwriting. So that's how it grew. And then, I remember in school I had a friend of mine, and then him and I kind of would compete with each other. We would draw these calligraphy letters, and then, we would take the word from the class and kind of these little nuggets of expansion of this, capturing it.
Marni: Yeah fostering it, yeah.
Zeeshan: It started to happen. And then I came to U.S. back in 2001, and then it kind of died down because I was completely bogged down with studies and, you know, building myself up in the States. I remember when I was in, working on my first job in 2004 and one of my....
Marni: Were you doing anything related to art at that time.
Zeeshan: I was not literally like, I would just doodle here and there, but it was never occurred to me that I when I started properly and one of my, coworker was getting married and I said, you know what? I have good handwriting so I can write your wedding invitation. And he said...
Marni: That's a good way to start, the wedding industry.
Zeeshan: Exactly. So that was that was actually a break. He said, you know. Yeah, fine. And should do that. Like he gave me 25 envelopes. I wrote it and he's like, man, this looks pretty. Do you know you can actually make money from it?
Marni: That's what I'm saying.
Zeeshan: That was like a big eye opener because I had student loans. And you know, I'm like, no way. Who's going to pay for writing?
Marni: People pay good money for wedding things.
Zeeshan: I found out I saw almost five years. I did wedding invitations, calligraphy, but it got monotonous. It was boring. Got to a point where, yes, I probably..probably make some, but I'm like, I need to do more with creativity. And then, my wife starting to get less and less and less impressed with my wedding, like, you know, calligraphy...
Marni: She's like, you gotta step it up.
Zeeshan: Yeah, you got to step it up. You gotta do something more. So I started doing Arabic calligraphy. I started doing custom Arabic art pieces, and then, I put my first art exhibit at, at Islamic convention that happened in Chicago. Out of nowhere, the flier came in my mailbox, and I'm like, you know, let me just put a put a bullet...
Marni: Just try it.
Zeeshan: Yeah, I'll just try it. So I made like 11 or 12 of these, like, you know, frames and art pieces. Whatever are you going to call it? And then when I displayed it, a lot of youngsters and like, you know, young crowd stopped by at my booth and they were like, they're looking at it, there's pinks and purples and yellows, which were kind of unheard of in Islamic art form, most of the art pieces were black and gold, black and silver. So it was very...
Marni: Using a color palette that was different.
Zeeshan: Yes. And then people are like, oh, this matches my couch, this matches my curtains, this can you make this in black? Can you make this and red? And that kind of sparked this okay. Yeah I can do that. And I can create something that matches their aesthetics. And it kind of started from that point on and started making more and more canvases. And then it got overwhelming to a point. I'm like, you know what? This is what I want to do. I want to scale it. Right. So how do I scale it? So I started digitizing my work.
Marni: Ooo.
Zeeshan: And then I got exposed to laser cutter. So I started outsourcing my digitized work to someone in Chicago. She would cut it for me. And that's how I...
Marni: You would send her the artwork and she would cut...
Zeeshan: Exactly. I would send the artwork a drop off of the material I'd pick up the next 2 or 3 days later. And that's how it kind of started transitioning from handwriting to digitizing to laser cutters. And then in 2017, I bought my first laser cutter. And then since then, like, I've been...
Marni: You've been doing it yourself. Yeah. That's awesome. So what's one of the favorite things that you've ever made? So no, you have to choose.
Zeeshan: You know, that's like choosing a favorite child, right? But for me, every art piece that I do has a story behind it. So that's what differentiates my work because everyone comes with their own personal life experiences. They want to reflect is an art piece. I have design pieces for newborns, and I have design pieces for deceased as well. Right. So everything has a very emotional touch. But one of the.
Marni: It's a part of like the life journey.
Zeeshan: Exactly. Right. So you don't you it's very hard to choose. And but one of the things that I'm proud of is basically based on the accomplish of my, my daughter, my oldest one. So when I one of my favorite thing to make is, when a kid memorizes Quran like our religious book. Yeah, it's a very important milestone in kid's life. And not every kid is able to do that. So for parent, it's a huge accomplishment. So when I started this custom artwork, I started getting orders for can you make this something nice for my kid who completed Quran. And so I'm like, yeah, why not? And that every time I make it, I'm like, man, I wish my kids do that. And then my daughter, she finished it.
Marni: Wow.
Zeeshan: So I made like a multi-layered art piece for her with, her name engraved in it. And then a verse from Quran that says, this accomplishment is for only those who are chosen ones. And that piece is what I gifted to her at her graduation. It's from that, that milestone. And I think that's one of the thing which encompasses all the creativity that I have been fostering throughout these years and, and inspirations and, and the accomplishments that I was helping others to visualize, I was able to visualize that for myself at that art piece. So it's, it's very special.
Marni: That's amazing too. And I've seen some of your artwork where you layer different materials on top of each other and you're cutting them. So it really is three dimensional and different colors and layers and it's beautiful.
Zeeshan: Yep, yep. Thank you.
Marni: So what are some of your goals in the studio during your residency?
Zeeshan: So first of all it's a fantastic opportunity. So thank you so much for choosing me for this...
Marni: We are very happy to have you here.
Zeeshan: To have this great, rotation. I mean, my goal is to this, first of all, get to know different type of stuff that you guys have. I was exposed to laser cutter, and I'm seeing 3D printers and embroidery machines. Cricuts.
Marni: It's been great for us too, because we've had we've had somebody who's done sewing, we've had someone who's done embroidery. Now we have someone doing laser cutting. It's just like we're moving through the Studio, which is...
Zeeshan: Absolutely. And then I think it just it just helps learn because so far it's laser cutter. It's a big community, but still it's very localized. It's very hard to find like minded folks.
Marni: And sometimes you get intimidated by the laser cutter like it's once the first time I use, I was like, I am intimidated. But then I was like, oh no, this is way easier than I thought it was.
Zeeshan: It is, like, you know, that's what the sound of laser, the technology. Oh, it's, it's burning wood. It all creates this intimidation factor. But ultimately it just like feeding paper to a printer. You're feeding wood to a laser cutter, and machine does its job. So for me, like, you know, being in studio helped me connect with like minded people. I have, like, you know, staff members are really, really knowledgeable in the machine. Like I was not familiar with Epilogs. Yeah, I'm learning that machine. And ultimately my goal is to learn more, right. Because a lot of things that needs to be learned.
Marni: We always want to learn more. That's the best part.
Zeeshan: Absolutely right. And then maybe people ask you the questions that you don't know the answers to. That's a perfect opportunity for us to learn. So that's, that's what I'm hoping to get. And I am already, yeah, making some progress.
Marni: That's one of my favorite things to, like when I'm in the Studio or I'm helping somebody, like, learn something new. And if they if I don't know, I'm like, I don't know, but, like, let's find out. Know that's the greatest.
Zeeshan: Absolutely, that's, that's the best part.
Marni: So what's been your favorite experience in the Studio so far?
Zeeshan: So, I think of the community engagement for our community mosaic project was pretty, pretty exciting. I was not expecting that many people to show up....
Marni: People loved those tiles.
Zeeshan: On Saturday. So like, you know, it's this funny story. That's this project. These are scraps I've been hoarding for almost three years. So I did a project for a client of mine. I made a bunch of Moroccan patterns for them, but Moroccan patterns leave a very pretty residue. And they're too pretty to throw away. And I've been storing them. And during my move, I threw away a couple of boxes heavy heartedly, but I still kept one box. I'm like, you know, I'm going to make something with it. When this opportunity came, it was a perfect way to showcase, okay, how can we make this an individual piece, give it a character by giving it to the patrons of this library, and then bring all these pieces together to create an art piece. And that was a fantastic idea. And then, you know, I'm glad to see it getting executed.
Marni: I also feel like this is something to you that we it's like one of our principles in the studio is we try to eliminate as much waste as possible. So it's like we have scrap bins for all of our materials. And we say you get one free material, but the scrap in is unlimited. Please use them and help us use up these scraps and, and give them a new life. So it's like it's very reminiscent of sort of like what our own like principles are in the Studio as well.
Zeeshan: And. Right, there's always gold in the trash. So you, you as, as craftsmen, as makers, as an artist, wherever you look.
Marni: How can you recycle it? How can you reuse it?
Zeeshan: How can exactly anytime you look at scraps, it always comes up with new ideas. So that was I'm pretty excited about that. Like what it ends up with.
Marni: So what would your advice be for people who are new to making or trying to get into creating and being artistic? Like, what would your advice been for a younger generation or even older generations who haven't done it yet?
Zeeshan: Absolutely. And I think, I think one of the thing that I, when I'm interacting with folks who want to learn, a lot of people say that, oh, I don't have a talent, right? Oh, I don't know how to do this. Right. So it's always, first of all, get rid of that thought process. Everybody has a talent. You just have to find it and then you keep on trying. Like I discovered, calligraphy. I also tried drawing. I also tried other type of art. I realized that I'm not good at it.
Marni: Also, your art has evolved.
Zeeshan: It has evolved. But it's still like, you know, there is one spot that you have to find somehow. Yeah, right. So be part of these community events, the programs of libraries or in schools or, like, you know, there it's so easy and cheap these days to test out.
Marni: Yeah, just try it.
Zeeshan: Just to have some skills. So don't be scared. Give it a shot. If it doesn't work, doesn't work. Go on to the next one. But unless you try, you won't find that spark. You won't find that. That like the passion that ignited with me for almost, like, many, many years ago.
Marni: Yeah. I think that's great advice too, because I feel like sometimes when you're talking to people who have never done something before, the biggest thing is like, yeah, try and mess up. You might learn something or try or do something that you didn't think was possible before.
Zeeshan: Because ultimately, anytime I take my workshop, in the end, I always close with one thing that, you know, today you might have learned something and you may not ever look at it again. You may check it off of the bucket list, or it may ignite a passion for you. Just like it did from like, several years ago. So just take every class, every experience with that mindset, and you will eventually find something that will make you excited.
Marni: Awesome. That's great advice. Thank you so much, Zeeshan. So our last question for you today is do you have a book recommendation you'd be able to share with our listeners?
Zeeshan: Yeah, so unfortunately I'm not a huge reader...
Marni: That's okay.
Zeeshan: Which is something I need to work on.
Marni: You're in a library, you have plenty of access to books.
Zeeshan: I agree. Right? Anytime I come here, I get so like overwhelmed that it is such a fantastic resource we have in our community. But I do capture nuggets of information when I read a book or I'm forced to read a book.
Marni: Forced to read a book?
Zeeshan: Because I went to business school, they asked us for a lot of books right. So Atomic Habits is a book by James Clear. And, admittedly, I did not read the whole book, but there was some good, in fact, one thing that stuck with me that where he says in order to succeed, just focus on 1% of success every day. A lot of times that when you're trying to clean up a drawer, that we're trying to achieve something we like, oh, I want to do this, but I want to do it all right. Yeah. Now you feel overwhelmed that if you don't achieve it or you don't see prepared enough to get to 100%, you don't even start, right? So if you want to clean your drawer, for example, which is messy, just pick one pen and put it in position, call it 1% of success and call it a day.
Marni: Yeah.
Zeeshan: Don't force yourself to finish it. Force yourself to stop after doing a little bit of it and then gradually next day put two pens away. Next day three. So now you are changing your mindset from something to completing to finish it, then to, to stopping yourself.
Marni: Yeah.
Zeeshan: And that 1% of success will eventually lead you to better than a lot of other people who are still thinking, initiating. So that I think it's a great lesson. So I would highly encourage, reading that book.
Marni: Thank you so much. And thank you for joining us. And we can't wait to see all your finished artwork. Hopefully some insights into next month.
Zeeshan: Yes, I and I love collaborating. And then yeah, I look forward to seeing more and more community members be part of it.
Marni: Awesome. Thank you so much Zeeshan.
Zeeshan: No problem.
Marni: if you enjoyed this conversation with our last two maker in residence, you can check them out at the Maker and Residence Exhibition. Open April 15th to May 15th here at the Library. Makers create art for the library, teach various programs, facilitate a community artwork, and have office hours to engage with the patrons. This exhibition highlights the work from the first three makers in residence at the library. Julie Oh March 2025, Brittany Bouyer November 2025 and Zeeshan Farooq March 2026. Hope to see you there. That's it for us this month. Remember to keep in touch with us. We'd love to hear from you. Email us at podcast at Skokie library.info. And don't forget if you've enjoyed this episode, our previous episodes rate and review us on your favorite pod catcher bye!
- Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
- The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
- Atmosphere by Taylor Reid Jenkins
- Love is a War Song by Danic Nava
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Makers in Residence Exhibit
Brittany Bouyer and Zeeshan Farooq were chosen as our November 2025 and March 2026 Makers in Residence. Marni sits down with them individually to talk about their inspiration and community projects.