Betsy Blodgett, Hello Atelier podcast host, touts British mysteries and pop-up shopping in The Pitch‘s Questionnaire
Occupation: Host of Hello Atelier, a podcast that interviews artist and designers
Instagram handle: hello_atelier
Hometown: Petersburg, Illinois
Current neighborhood: West Plaza
What I do (in 140 characters or less): Along with hosting my podcast, I work in the sewing industry as a marketing consultant and freelance writer.
What’s your addiction? Ice cream, chocolate croissants and buying fabric
What’s your game? Takenoko
What’s your drink? I love a Pimm’s cup. Westport Café & Bar makes an excellent one.
Where’s dinner? Well, anything in Westport that has a good vegetarian option is fair game, but Spin is also a go-to. Lately we’ve been going out more for breakfast, hitting Heirloom for their excellent biscuit sandwich and Sasha’s for the quiche.
What’s on your KC postcard? I would have to go with the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, a beautiful building that has such amazing performances. If you haven’t been to see the Kansas City Ballet, go!
Finish these sentences: “Kansas City got it right when …” It embraced the arts!
“Kansas City needs …” To extend the streetcar. Bring it to midtown, please!
“As a kid, I wanted to be …” A fashion designer.
“In five years, I’ll be …” Podcasting, writing, traveling. What I’m doing now, but hopefully bigger and better.
“I always laugh at …” Cats!
“I’ve been known to binge watch …” The Monkees, The IT Crowd, Gilmore Girls, The Mighty Boosh. Come to think of it, I watch way too much TV.
“I can’t stop listening to …” Currently I’m stuck on Belle and Sebastian and the Kinks.
“My dream concert lineup is …” Ooh, this is hard. Are we talking just opener and main act, or full festival lineup? I mean, I guess my go-to would be a double-bill of Pearl Jam and the Who. Honestly, anything more than that would take a lot more research — trying to decide what bands would complement each other, what order, etc.
“I just read …” The Blood Royal by Barbara Cleverly. I’m a sucker for period British mysteries.
What’s your hidden talent? Tap dancing. I’ve been taking classes on and off since I was in elementary school. I’ve been taking the adult class at Dancerz Unlimited for years now and look forward every year to the recital.
What’s your guiltiest pleasure? The aforementioned tap-dance recital. Man, I love a costume!
The best advice I ever got: I recently watched a video of David Bowie saying that you should never work for other people in what you do, because filling other people’s expectations will not produce great work. He also said that if you feel safe in the area you are working in, you aren’t working in the right area. But if you go a little bit out of your depth, you are just about to do something exciting. This is paraphrased, of course, but I like the idea of trying to go a bit further than you feel comfortable doing.
My sidekick? My husband, who is also my podcast producer. He is always game for trying crazy things, and I can almost always talk him into going on vacation.
What is your spirit animal? Cat, of course
What’s your greatest struggle right now? Prioritizing ideas
My favorite toy as a child: My stuffed bear, given to me by my aunt, which of course I still have.
My dating triumph/tragedy: Well, I went on my first date with my husband when I was 17, which was roughly 17 years ago. So that seems like it could be considered a triumph.
My brush with fame: I recently interviewed legendary Biba fashion designer Barbara Hulanicki for Hello Atelier. I was incredibly nervous, since she is one of my all-time heroes, but she was completely lovely.
My soapbox: Don’t buy so much stuff! Our throw-away society, especially in the fashion industry, is so incredibly harmful to the environment and to the people making the product. Look for companies using ethically sourced materials and production. Or, better yet, buy from local artisans. There are so many great designers here in town to choose from!
My recent triumph: Launching the first season of Hello Atelier, as well as organizing our Holiday Pop-Up Shop, happening on November 11. I love working with local designers, and this event brings six great artists together, which will hopefully encourage people to give handmade for the holidays this year. Come see us at the KC Textile Studio, 924 East Fifth Street, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday.
