Meet Andrea Duncan | Social Entrepreneur & Bookmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrea Duncan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrea, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Work-life balance is a concept that in the past I have struggled with greatly. I always found myself being obsessed with what’s next and staying in a cycle of productivity, invention, and obsessed with measures of success. Then in 2019, my priorities changed when I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that rocked my world. I had to change a lot of habits in order to pursue wellness. One of the biggest changes in my thought process was how I thought about work-life balance. The balance became more about energy levels and less about time spent at work and life. I learned to recognize the different activities that energized me, made me feel whole, and brought happiness to my life. Then I learned to give those activities my time and attention.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Dearly Imparted was created out of a passion project in 2019. I was an experienced seamstress and creator, but had no experience in the handmade bookmaking process, but wanted to create a gratitude project for my supervisor at the time. I had enlisted the help of a friend to create a book that celebrated this individual. The project was so much fun and filled with so much joy and laughter that I wanted to continue to replicate that feeling. As stated earlier, I recognized the activities that gave me energy, and bookmaking energized me more than any project I had ever experienced before.

It took a few years to learn the craft of bookmaking respectfully and identify what made me special in a saturated market. I was asking my customers to look past the $5 journals at big-box retail stores and invest in a Dearly Imparted journal. When my customers made that decision, I made it a point to not let them down.

I developed a process and a product that I could be proud of through combining my experience with bookmaking, fabric art, and a responsibility to the earth. My niche is hand-sewn pocket-sized fabric journals. All of the fabric I use is either vintage or recycled. I imagine the history these secondhand materials bring to the story of each journal they help produce. All of the paper I use is sustainably sourced, as well as all packing and marketing materials. Handmade products feel differently than mass-produced products. There’s a special energy they bring.

There is always a challenge with putting any type of creative work in front of the public. The community’s view of what you create feels very personal, because it is. There have been many times where I felt like I was headed in the wrong direction and wasting my time, but I always came back to why I built Dearly Imparted, This has never been just a hobby. I believe in my brands mission. I believe in my products. Mostly, I believe in how this work energizes me and makes me a more balanced person.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of the things that I enjoy the most about the DFW Metroplex is the diversity in the cultures, activities, and getaways that make up the area. So, no matter who you are, there’s something in this metroplex for you.

For me, I’m an outdoor enthusiast and a philanthropist. My go-to places center around one of those elements. My favorite spots in the heart of Dallas include the White Rock Lake area and the Dallas Arboretum. Traveling just a bit north, you can find nature preserves in Plano (Oak Point Park and Arbor Hills) for great day hikes and trails for any level of nature lover. There are social media nature hotspots like Prairie Creek Park in Richardson that are worth the highlight.

To charge your volunteer battery, I recommend checking out 4DWN. They have a food rescue program that meets on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. One day volunteering with them and you will be hooked on the work they do and their mission (www.4DWN.org). While you are there, you can check out the DiveDWN Future Farm which is a collaboration between local restaurant Dive Coastal and 4DWN to create an agricultural movement that grows produce without pesticides or waste (and 95% less water) to harvest for both restaurants and community members (www.divedwn.com).

There are tons of other local nonprofit organizations that are always looking for day volunteers. There’s no better way to connect to our local community than to partner with a local nonprofit organization. There are some amazing folks doing some incredible work out there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I can’t share my story without talking about my parents, who in their own way contributed to my success.

Bookmaking is a family legacy. Both my dad and grandpa are retired bookbinders. I was first introduced to bookmaking through my Dad’s bookbindery in Downtown Oklahoma City. I spent hours at his shop absorbing the rhythm of the bookmaking process and watching as he toiled over each job. Although commercial and hand bookbinding are very different, there are enough similarities in the rhythm of the process that beginning Dearly Imparted didn’t feel like I was beginning from scratch.

I grew up in a creative crafting household. So it wasn’t odd that my mother taught me how to hand-sew at the age of six. Eventually, she would also teach me how to sew on a Singer machine and I was never the same. I’ve spent most of my adult life consumed by fabric art because of those early lessons.

Dearly Imparted is the culmination of my love of bookmaking and fabric art. None of this would be possible without the influence and lessons from both of my parents. I am who I am today because of them.

Website: https://www.dearlyimparted.com

Instagram: @dearlyimparted

Facebook: @TheDearlyImparted

Image Credits
Ashley Jean (IG @lazershootz)