The Joy of Making

‍Min Jung Hwang spends her days spreading a Charlotte Mason feast at home with her four creative children and, as a pastor’s wife, complementing her husband’s pastoral ministry at Pascack Bible Church in New Jersey. You may also find her painting, writing, leading a nonprofit ministry for mothers pursuing life-giving habits, podcasting at “Charlotte Mason For All” and “Charlotte Mason Volumes,” and bringing the feast to the children of her church as the Director of Children’s Ministry.

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When her eldest was a toddler, Min “met” Miss Mason and immediately scoured online used bookstores for the unicorn “pinks,” which were the only hardcopies discoverable then. Subsequently, she was swept off her feet by this Gospel-centric educational philosophy and methods. With fire in bones, she immediately began working to bring Miss Mason’s principles to every opportunity she had over the years. This included her work overseas during her season in university administration and education, serving international students and faculty families from over 60 nations. Then, later, as the Founder and Executive Director of a nonprofit with a mission to rescue and empower pregnant women escaping forced abortion, sexual exploitation, and sex trafficking.

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You will often find Min enjoy hosting book clubs, Charlotte Mason co-ops, and “mother nurture” workshops for fellow homeschool moms. Yet as an introvert, her favorite pastimes are dating her husband, Young (with Vancouver and NYC as their hometowns, they are foodies!), blissfully painting or reading away the day with a cup of tea, and exploring new terrain in God’s creation with her four adventurous children.

Amber O’Neal Johnston is the author of A Place to Belong, a guide for families of all backgrounds to celebrate cultural heritage, diversity, and kinship while embracing inclusivity in the home and beyond. She is a regular contributor to the Charlotte Mason homeschooling community, a frequent podcast guest, and a coveted speaker at homeschooling, parenting, and education conferences. 

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Amber lives in Georgia nestled among pine trees, hammocks and ziplines with her husband Scott and their four children. Her happy place is the back porch on a rainy day, preferably with a giant mug of hot tea and a good book. And although she was raised in the air conditioning, somehow the woods is where she feels most at home these days. 

When they have the chance, her family enjoys extended worldschooling trips to immerse themselves in other cultures, so you can often find her researching their next home away from home. Amber enjoys sharing diverse literary mirrors and windows onHeritagemom.com and @heritagemomblog (IG).

Melanie Falick is an independent writer, editor, and creative consultant—and a lifelong maker. Her most recent book, Making a Life: Working by Hand and Discovering the Life You Are Meant to Live, was released by Artisan in Fall 2019, and it was named one of the best books of the year by Publisher’s Weekly. She is currently working on a follow-up book, tentatively titled The Maker’s Way. As the former publishing director of STC Craft/Melanie Falick Books, an imprint of Abrams, she guided the creation of many bestselling how-to and literary nonfiction works on the subjects of craft and creativity. She is also the author of Knitting in America, Kids Knitting, and Weekend Knitting, and the co-author of Knitting for Baby, with over 500,000 books in print. She lives with her family in New York’s beautiful Hudson River Valley.

Marie T. Cochran was born and raised in Toccoa, GA in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. She earned degrees from the University of GA (BFA) and the School of the Art Institute in Chicago (MFA). She received a post-graduate NEA fellowship in museum education at the Art Institute of Chicago.

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Cochran is a cultural pollinator and the founding curator of the Affrilachian Artist Project, an informal network of Appalachian artists and cultural equity advocates and organizations committed to the sustainability of a diverse region. Her awards include a NEA/Southern Arts Federation Sculpture Fellowship, NEA Fast-Track Challenge Grant, the “We Shall Overcome Fund” grant from the Highlander Center, and the Lehman Brady Fellowship from Duke University’s Center for Documentary Arts.

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Cochran is a visual artist, curator, and educator. She has taught at colleges throughout the Southeast. Her artwork has been displayed in these selected venues including the Asheville Art Museum, the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library & Museum, Austin, TX; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC; and the Studio Museum of Harlem, NYC. She is profiled in Southern Women: More than 100 Stories of Innovators, Artists, and Icons (Harper Collins 2019).

As a Charlotte Mason educator for 20 years, teaching her five children has given Elizabeth Millar a storehouse of rich memories and a passion for Mason’s philosophy of education. This gentle but rigorous way of learning is a rich liberal education and a good life. Her many book shelves and handmade art throughout her home testify to these years.

Elizabeth spends most of her days finishing up a Doctor of Practical Theology program (McMaster Divinity College) where she is studying sacred storytelling and everyday spirituality. Her research project focuses on what women know about God through the practice of mothering. It only further confirms for her the power of storytelling (or some might say narration!) and the rich spirituality of everyday practices like mothering. Her theological interests include spiritual autobiographical writing, everyday spirituality, prayer, spiritual direction, and church history.

As a spiritual director, Elizabeth is confident that God is present in ordinary life and that God desires interaction with us. With a sense of joyful curiosity and prayerful attentiveness, she is a spiritual companion for those who want to know and experience God more. Elizabeth also works as the storyteller with Vision Ministries Canada, interviewing church leaders across Canada and telling their stories of God at work in their congregations and communities.

Elizabeth has experienced living in various settings (rural prairie, inner city, suburbia) and is now enjoying small town life on Prince Edward Island, Canada. She is married to a minister and backyard farmer, and is mother to 5 beautiful people. As a quilter, knitter, and soap maker, she delights in the art of making.

Timothy Willard is a writer, theologian, artist, creative consultant, and independent scholar. He has authored four books, including the critically acclaimed Veneer: Living Deeply in a Surface Society and his new book, The Beauty Chasers: Recapturing the Wonder of the Divine.

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Timothy received his master’s from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where his studies focused on theology, Christian thought, and church history. His master’s thesis was titled A Theology of Personhood. With a passion to disciple the minds of the emerging generation in faith and culture and to help people live like beauty matters, Timothy moved his family to Oxford, England, for two years, where he earned his Ph.D. at King’s College London and studied theological aesthetics, focusing on the topic of beauty in the works of C.S. Lewis for his doctoral thesis under the supervision of renowned theologian Alister McGrath.

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Through several viral blog posts, millions have read Timothy’s inspirational writing, which has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Patheos, Acculturated, The Huffington Post, FaithIt, Duke Divinity’s Faith & Leadership, ThinQ Media: Essays, Catalyst Magazine, Outreach Magazine, Relevant Magazine, and The Edges Collective. Timothy has been a featured speaker at Q Ideas, Catalyst Conference, Allume Conference, OCCA, The Oxford Center for Christian Apologetics, and various churches, including Carmel Baptist in Charlotte, North Carolina, Embrace Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and St. Aldates Church: Oxford, England.

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As a creative consultant and publishing collaborator, Timothy has worked on thirty books with clients ranging from Chick-fil-A, Sonic, Q Ideas, International Mission Board, Hobby Lobby, The Museum of the Bible, and Coca-Cola Consolidated to NYT bestselling authors, multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning artists, former NFL MVPs, to writers, pastors, home educators, and entrepreneurs. He lives in the woods of Waxhaw, North Carolina, with his wife, Christine, and three daughters, Lyric, Brielle, and Zion, and a goofy Goldendoodle named Cash—yes, after Johnny.