Shoe school, you say?
My name is Stan Lempka, by day I am a truck driver for a Fargo steel company and by night I am an amateur shoemaker.
Nearly a year ago I set out to learn how to make my own shoes as a purposeful step towards a more sustainable lifestyle. I would rather be a maker than a consumer and believe that shoemaking would help me to eliminate the need to buy shoes that were probably made by a poorly paid adult or child working in a unsafe factory in some foreign country. (You've all heard it before, and it's true). After lots of trial and error I finally made the first pair of shoes I am proud of!
With every pair of shoes I make I learn something new - a new way to sew the sole to the upper, or a new way to build extra support for the toe. Shoemaking has become a creative outlet for me in addition to one way that I hope will make a positive impact.
While I have made great strides as a self taught shoemaker I have been seeking out opportunities to learn from a professional with experience using different materials, such as leather. After some searching I found a school that I couldn't pass up!
In June I will be traveling to Ashland, Oregon to attend a week long intensive shoemaking course at Bonny and Willis School of Shoemaking and Design. This course will provide an opportunity to learn from a regionally renowned shoemaker, access to comprehensive supply, pattern, tool, and book lists in order to improve my craft, and a professional knowledge in shoemaking I could not acquire on my own.
Here is a link to an exciting and very interesting video about the school!
http://www.opb.org/programs/artbeat/segment/boot-and-shoemaker-william-shanor/
How you can help!
My expenses for this course (including tuition, travel, and a place to stay) are approximately $2,500 in total.
I plan to raise $500 which will be used to cover about 1/3 of my tuition fees, specifically the cost of all my materials that I will be using to make my shoes. Any amount of funding will help me to take advantage of all the material options that will be available to me when I get there.
I have come up with a great selection of perks, all centered around shoes and shoemaking, at a range of prices - because no amount of funding is too small. From shoe stickers, to a hand drawn "how-to" book on shoemaking there's a little something for every funder out there!
It's about more than just shoes...
Your donations to my campaign not only help me receive a valuable education in a craft I am passionate about but it also supports and encourages a more sustainable way of life. With each pair of shoes I make I take another step towards the ability to fulfill my needs without exploiting someone else. I am already researching how to make shoes out of only recycled materials! I plan on using what I learn to teach others about shoemaking, and different ways we can all live sustainably.
Spread the word!
Can't fund me financially at this time? No problem! Share this page on your facebook or any other social media site. The more people that see my campaign the better!
Please be a part of my journey to a more sustainable way of life! Thank you!
Stan