Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Chambers.
Hi Julia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in Rochester, NY, and grew up there with my parents and 3 siblings.
I went to undergrad at the University of Rochester, initially with a political science major until I fell in love with art history and double majored. Next was a Florence Fellowship with a semester in Syracuse, NY and year in Florence, Italy, which culminated in a master’s degree in Italian Renaissance Art from Syracuse University. Apparently I was very comfortable in the world of higher education, as this was followed by dual master’s degrees in Public Art Studies and Museum Studies from the University of Southern California.
Besides being a professional student for quite some time, I have worked as a curator and museum director for multiple institutions and have helped to organize countless art exhibitions. I am also the mother of three sons who are now teenagers and in their early 20’s. I have participated in exhibitions as an artist several times with artwork made of fabric and text.
I have always loved working with fabric, and my mom taught me how to sew when I was in the sixth grade. My first project was a lavender prairie-style skirt with a ruffle and white lace trim. About 8 years ago, I had just retired suddenly from my museum directorship due to a now-resolved health issue and two things happened simultaneously: we threw a Pokemon party for our 10-year-old son Theo, and I purchased a variety of faux fur to be creative with as I suddenly had the bandwidth to do so for the first time in about a decade. Working with faux fur is an education unto itself, and the only way to do it is to experiment, be fearless, and go for it.
Fabric has always been my favorite medium with which to create. My repertoire runs the gamut from sewing prom dresses to the most unorthodox quilted art installations imaginable to making historical figure day and Halloween costumes for my children (the latter mostly by hot gluing fabric and notions onto a canvas of clothing acquired from Goodwill).
Fabric is a sculptural material that I love for its flexibility — it allows me to visualize design outcomes in real time just by rearranging. It also comes in incredible textures, patterns and colors reminiscent of cultures from all over the world and aspects of nature that can be suggested simply with a hue of color and a texture of cloth.
We made “Pokeballs” for the party for the kids to throw at each other, which were six-paneled 5” balls which resembled a red and white basketball with black trim. After the party, Theo asked if I would make another ball out of the grey faux fur, with five panels made of the long, wild, soft hair, and one panel made of a soft sheep-like fleece with blue button eyes spaced far enough apart to give it a wise, earnest, kind look.
When my 10-year-old brandished a pair of scissors, I had to take a breath and let him do what he would without controlling the project. Difficult to do as a mom who tends to give lots of advice about the best way to do things to her 3 sons, and occasionally her husband. I am so glad I closed my mouth and just observed in retrospect, as Ben the Mimbleball came to life when Theo went after it with the trimming shears.
The surprise asset of a Mimbleball is the way its hair stands straight up with a gentle tap on the bottom or a quick shake, much to everyone’s delight. This was discovered only after the first one was assembled and Theo gave it a haircut — the first few tosses made this truly humorous asset apparent almost right away. Discovered through play!
With Mimbleballs, I get inspired every time someone reacts with joy in an encounter with a Mimbleball. When the hair “bops” up and they laugh. It brings me joy to know that this simple, silly, soft invention can bring instantaneous happiness into the world in the most unexpected ways.
Mimbleballs are definitely a team effort. Although I was the one at the design/cutting table and sewing machine, there would be no Mimbleballs without the ingenuity and free spirit of a 10-year-old boy. The messaging and branding of Mimbleballs is also super important, because Mimbleballs are all about love, comfort, and companionship. The soft, engaging, colorful materials of which they are made were chosen to reflect the kindness and joy they are meant to bring to the world. We have a wonderful team of creative people who recognize the value of Mimbleballs and do a lot to spread the word about them.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being an entrepreneur requires having an affection for challenges, and a problem-solving spirit that does not take “no” for an answer without finding a pivot that will work instead.
Mimbleballs are a joy to communicate about and invent new ways to describe the multitude of benefits for people that we discover every day from the feedback we hear from professionals who use them to establish rapid rapport and effortless calming comfort, as well as people who give them as gifts of love to those in their lives who need extra comfort.
Finding a manufacturing facility to help with production as demand has grown has been a journey. We tried for over a year to find a US based factory to help produce Mimbleballs, and could not find one who could work successfully with the faux fur at a cost that wouldn’t price us out of the market.
We have been fortunate to form a good relationship with our second manufacturer in China and refine the process so that Mimbleballs are ready to be shipped to new friends as soon as they arrive in San Diego!!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Our work at Mimbleball helps people and brings them joy every day.
We have so many lovely stories from so many people about how Mimbleballs create joyful interventions in their lives, which alone is reason enough to pursue this line of work. A few stories:
• a chemo patient who was having a particularly tough day with her treatment for breast cancer opened a surprise gift set of Mimbleballs and laughed out loud when she saw them, which lifted her mood for the rest of the day;
• a behavioral therapist introduced a Mimbleball to a young autistic client who immediately bonded with her Mimbleball by renaming it, styling the hair, and reacting with engagement and joy;
• and after one resident on a local Alzheimer’s ward received a Mimbleball to help with isolation and limited visitors, and the administrator called and ordered one for every resident on the hall because they all wanted one.
The crowds we gather and the friends we make while just standing at our booth and ”bopping” Mimbleballs — making their hair stand straight up and thereby making every single passerby laugh at professional educational, therapeutic, forensic interviewer, family court, hospitalist, and many other conferences makes us know that we are in the right place.
School counselors in particular are a great crowd, and we have lots of wonderful stories from them about Mimbleballs being ice-breakers with students having difficulty communicating, and insta-friends who can help calm emotionally distraught children.
Mimbleballs have been met with a very warm reception in every market in which it has been introduced. There is an endless array of uses for these cuddly, comforting companions: therapists, college students, teachers, counselors, sleep-away campers, caregivers, chemo patients, memory care workers, sensory-challenged people, hospitalists, forensic interviewers, first responders, parents, grandparents, and children of all ages have all found them useful, comforting, and fun. The reaction of every person, young and old, is spontaneous joy. Without fail, every person who encounters a Mimbleball laughs. That alone is sufficient reason to bring Mimbleballs into the world. It is our hope that Mimbleballs convey an essential sense of solace, tactile satisfaction, companionship, warmth, constancy, and love to everyone who meets this friendly, fun, and fluffy ball.
Mimbleball Inc. would like to deliver as many Mimbleballs as possible to everyone who would benefit from a cuddly, comforting companion. We would like to expand the design possibilities to represent various personalities, gorgeous design colors and fabrics, and organizational branding. We pledge to maintain quality fabrics and production, and not let anything cheesy be integrated into the brand line. We also pledge to develop our products with a sense of humor, style, and humanity.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Love.
It all comes down to love.
Love in many forms allows us to be kind, and kindness gives us the gift of patience, forgiveness, empathy, and shared moments of joy that make the world an easier place to inhabit.
Mimbleballs help us to be kind in an instant: filling the space after a traumatic event or when there is any need for comfort, effortlessly calming before a caregiver can step in.
Pricing:
- 5″ original Mimbleballs $16.99
- 3.5″ Mini Mimbles $13.99
- 5″ Weighted Vanessa Mimbleball $18.99
- 3.5″ Weighted Vanessa Mini Mimble $15.99
- Mimble It Forward Gift Bundle $34.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mimbleball.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mimbleball/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mimbleball/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mimbleball
