We first discovered Windy through her project, The Year of Knots. She has always been creative, always an artist, and an entrepreneur. Windy actually owned mine and Angie’s favorite records store in San Francisco, Aquarius Records back in the late 1990s. I loved that shop because of the vast collection of indie and electronic - she and her staff would always write very thoughtful handwritten reviews of the music.

Windy is the type of person that seems to just dive into whatever she does. Not only as an entrepreneur but also as an artist. There was a point where she was taking tons of classes wanting to find that spark. She found it through macrame, but the biggest learning and creative lesson was her self-initiated project The Year of Knots. She would learn a knot a day and document it. There is something so simple, so basic, but so beautiful and full of meaning and pragmatism in a knot. This exercise for the year allowed her to explore fiber arts. The Year of Knots was a year of experimentation now that she sees the bigger picture. 

I loved hearing about how creatives like Windy make it work. And I like the idea that she looks back on her past and, though it may not be clear at the time, connects the dots of her life/trajectory to what she's doing now... even at 50, she's not done. She’s just getting started.  She wants to do big projects, art installations, large scale environmental pieces with her work. And, she’s doing it. Her Year of Knots has paid off. 

We walked to her home, about a 10-minute walk from the studio, also in the Mission District. Windy lives in a Victorian. The vibe of the house is warm, lived in, full of past lives and experiences and memories. You can tell she is a collector, which makes sense as a past record store owner. She has art, photographs, books, instruments, textures, and patterns are everywhere. Tons to look at, but, interesting, not cluttered. It felt like everything has its place. 

Her house, front to back with the exterior gradient fade, is like a rainbow. And that’s kind of how Windy is… happy, kind, on a ride of life.

Join our co-founder Ted in conversation with Adi and Sean on Instagram Live this Friday 7/19 @ 5PM PST. Simply follow @poketo and go to your IG Story dashboard to click in! PS. 

Creative Spaces is out now.