Connie Fong: From Fodder School Superfan to Teacher—Playful Paper Dolls, Collage Calendars, and Finding Your Style

<p>Wendy Solganik introduces season six, episode six of theShow Up or Shut Up podcast with guest Connie Fong, a longtime Fodder School member now teaching in Fodder School six. Connie, a Bay Area native and retired computer science professional who worked at IBM and in e-commerce at WilliamsSonoma, shares her lifelong crafting journey through knitting, scrapbooking, bookmaking, and mixed media, plus her love of bold black-and-white contrast, typography, and grungy pops of color influenced by artists like Robin Marie Smith. They discuss how Fodder School’s variety, pacing, and supportive community helped Connie develop her distinctive style, and her surprise atbecoming a teacher. Connie previews her Fodder Challenge whimsical paper dolls (inspired by Mindy Lacefield) and her Fodder School project: a collage-style monthly calendar using ransom letters. She also talks about learning to film online classes with help from her daughter’s former YouTube setup, selling journals on Etsy (Artful Play), daily pickleball, and her shyness about posting publicly on Instagram (@myartfulplay).</p><p> </p><p>00:00 Meet Connie Fong</p><p>02:01 Podcast Premise</p><p>03:23 Bay Area Roots</p><p>06:03 Early Crafting Life</p><p>07:39 Supplies And Shopping</p><p>10:25 Tech Career Path</p><p>13:57 From Crafts To Mixed Media</p><p>18:31 Finding Her Style</p><p>25:03 Becoming A Teacher</p><p>27:41 Why Fodder School Works</p><p>33:00 Her Fodder Challenge Dolls</p><p>35:07 Finding Your Own Style</p><p>36:03 Paper Dolls Project</p><p>36:30 Calendar Collage Plan</p><p>37:21 Ransom Letters Method</p><p>39:38 Why Make Art Calendars</p><p>43:54 Storing Cutout Letters</p><p>45:51 How Style Evolves</p><p>50:44 Teaching Online Leap</p><p>51:52 Daughter’s YouTube Journey</p><p>55:15 Etsy Shop and Instagram</p><p>58:49 Pickleball and Family Life</p><p>01:00:17 Confidence and Closing</p>