February 1, 2018
Jess Blue, more commonly known at MPA as Madame Blue, is a Middle and Upper School French teacher who uses her creativity and love for making to inspire all around her.
She is so excited to share her work at the first annual Maker Fest on February 24! Ms. Blue is a master of textiles, jewelry, and miniature dioramas. She is also a veteran to the MPA faculty and staff holiday market. Her dedication to making produces clothing, accessories, and completely custom pieces to fit anyone’s personality, while showcasing her own through each unique work of art.
“I am inspired by the feeling of satisfaction that comes from taking an idea from a picture to my head to something I can hold, and from making something with my own two hands. There is really nothing quite like it,” she said.
Ms. Blue is also motivated by others’ creativity. As a teacher, she is always excited to learn. While working, her “maker playlist” consists of podcasts that discuss the creative process and creative people. You’ll also find her using vintage fabrics and garments, such as linens, tablecloths, bedsheets, napkins, housecoats, and wool felt to generate a new life into what comes out of her own creative process.
While Ms. Blue certainly has her own inspirations, she radiates the same effect onto her students, integrating that creative process into the classroom.
“Teaching others to become makers builds my confidence in figuring out new things. At home I usually work alone, and the Makerspace has reminded me about the benefits of collaboration in the making process,” she said.
Recently, after studying French literature and “Les Maximes” by François de La Rochefoucauld, her French V students wrote their own observations for life and laser-engraved them into wooden blocks in the Makerspace. The blocks are keepsakes of how the literature left an impression of them, an absolutely irreplaceable memory of the lesson.
Don’t miss Ms. Blue’s adorable, clever, and completely unique work at Maker Fest 2018! And if just reading about Ms. Blue’s work inspired you to share your own, sign up here to be a Maker yourself!
