Introducing the people who make Folksy happen
Have you ever wondered who is behind Folksy? Well, wonder no more! Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are James, Aaron, Doug, Camilla, Sophia, Sarah, Clare, Kim and Ethan… and together we are Team Folksy!
Based all around the UK, from Scotland right down to St Ives in Cornwall, we work remotely, with the glorious sunny city of Sheffield as our hub. Six of us are artists, designers or makers who have migrated behind the scenes to help support the creative community.
Scroll down to read a little more about each of us. And if you want to learn a little more about what Folksy is and why we are so committed to craft, read this article too >
James Boardwell, Founder and Director
Folksy is run by James and has been since it started in 2008.
Inspired by the energy in the craft communities in the UK, North America and Australia in the early 2000s, James wanted to create an uncurated online space where craftspeople could showcase their work and share the story behind their creations and so, in 2008, Folksy was born.
Aaron Schubert, Product Lead
Aaron is the Product Lead at Folksy. Which means he gets to come up with, work through and craft amazing experiences alongside our wonderful community every day.
Aaron is passionate about seeing people do what they love and living a full life, something he can hopefully contribute to.
When Aaron is not working he cherishes time with his wife and two young children in sunny Scotland, building a family together.
Doug Livesey, Technical Lead
Doug gets to be a geek, programme things, bash bits of technology together and even gets paid for it. He then takes that money and parlays it into a life of reading lots of books, writing and gigging songs, writing horror stories and even, when he’s absolutely certain that nobody else is looking, discreetly embarrassing himself by attempting the occasional poem.
It’s an insufferably carefree existence: he probably skips through flowery meadows, too, although if you read his lyrics and stories you’d think he lived in a howling void swarming with eldritch horrors. If you read his poetry you’d think he was a schoolgirl.
Camilla Westergaard, Content Lead
Camilla believes in the power of creating things. Her mother is a potter and she grew up with a ceramic studio in her house, surrounded by handmade objects of desire, leading to a lifelong love of craft.
When she’s not herding children or cats, she can be found creating and curating content across Folksy, helping makers get their work seen across the world.
Instagram: @bbutterscotch
Sophia Moreno, Digital Marketer
Sophia is part of the Marketing team for Folksy. She works alongside Camilla to create content and campaigns to build our social media presence.
Originally from NYC, Sophia studied illustration at Leeds Arts University and is now based in West Yorkshire, which means she has learned to make a proper cuppa but her accent has yet to falter. When she’s not working, she’s crafting her own art or playing with her cats.
Sophia has just had a beautiful baby girl, so while they are getting to know each other, digital marketing is in the capable hands of Sarah…
Sarah Law, Digital Marketer (cover for Sophia Moreno)
Sarah is the newest member of the Folksy team, providing maternity cover for Sophia. Born and raised in Northern Ireland, she moved to Scotland in 2002 to attend university, where she studied Spanish and English Literature, mainly to take advantage of the year out in Spain. She started her own small business on Folksy during the first lockdown, making handmade jewellery from recycled metals.
Outside Folksy, Sarah loves to read and respond to the ever increasing exercise demands of The Wolf, who’s actually a Samoyed called Phoebe. Find her Folksy shop, Sarah and the Wolf here >
Clare Gordon, Support Lead
Clare discovered her love of craft in her early twenties and soon got hooked on crochet. She has had a shop on Folksy since 2014, selling colourful and sustainable crochet items made using upcycled fabric yarn. She also champions handmade by organising craft markets in her native Birmingham. When she’s not crocheting or wrangling her three young boys, she can be found responding to support queries from Folksy sellers and customers.
Find her on Folksy: https://folksy.com/shops/claregetscrafty
Instagram: @claregetscrafty
Kim Onyskiw, Support Genie
Kim is part of our amazing Folksy support team – she’ll be one of the people you’re speaking to if you contact Folksy for help with your shop or the site in general. You’ll also find her posting in the Folksy Forums and the Folksy Clubhouse on Facebook, where sellers can chat and get advice on their shop and about Folksy.
When Kim isn’t working on support, she spends her time painting and being entertained by her cats and rats. Kim has her own Folksy shop: https://folksy.com/shops/konyskiw and you can find her on Instagram at @k_onyskiw.
Ethan Carney, Support Genie
Ethan lives in the depths of West Cornwall, not far from the beach. Before joining the Folksy Support Team to cover for Clare, Ethan interned for Folksy and wrote a few blog posts on the Folksy Blog too (you should definitely read them).
Outside of the Folksy team, Ethan works in an art gallery, which is the perfect place to get inspiration for his embroidery work.
Instagram: @ethan_jerome_artist
