Old Soul Doll Co.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been an artist. I was born and raised in California and lived in a house filled with art, music and plenty of old soul. Any craft that was popular in the late sixties through the seventies, my mother and I tried it. We made sand candles and macramé flower pot holders. My mom even decoupaged our entire bathroom once. And with my father being a photographer and writer, well, you get the picture. I’ve painted, drawn, sculpted, tie dyed, batiqued, knitted, you name it. I love to make things.

When people ask where the inspiration for my dolls comes from, the answer is simple – from my family.

You see, my father was born and raised in Alabama. My great grandfather was born a slave and fought in the Civil War. My father never liked to talk much about his childhood, so the South has always been a mystery to me. I like to think that sense of mystery and wonder, that longing to know the unknown about my family and the South, shows through in my dolls.

One summer when I was six, my mother (who is white) took my younger brother and me to Alabama. It was wonderful! I was amazed at how my father’s side of the family lived. Some were poor but all were happy and they shared what little they had. They were caring, hard-working spiritual folk, and they loved to tell stories about family. My father’s cousin Reene made a huge impression on me. She wore a blouse and a long skirt with her hair tied up in a scarf. She ran around barefoot and ate greens and cornbread with her hands. I thought she was fantastic!

At age eighteen I took a road trip with my father across the country, from Monterey to Washington, D.C. I remember it as if it were yesterday - the highways and prairies, the backwater towns and shining cities - and so began my love of Americana. In Hoboken, NJ, we visited my father’s cousin Snookie and her extended family. Once again, people living with next to nothing, but willing to share. The trip home was just as special. We passed through Alabama. This time I got to see where my grandmother lived. It was a tiny two-room clapboard house - straight out of a movie - front porch, rocking chair, pealing old white paint, the whole bit. My grandmother was a tiny, God-fearing woman and boy, could she bake! No recipes. No measuring. All she needed was her heart and her hands.

I think, in a way, each time I make a doll, I make the trip back. Sometimes way back. Back before I was even born. The Old Soul Doll Company was born out of a need to connect to family. While creating them I can connect to the past, question the present and imagine the future. I hope my creations will assist you in finding the Old Soul within you!

Shari Enge