I recently had a request to write a bit more of a personal blog post, about me, my inspirations, my thought processes. My design story I suppose. It’s been a while since I did – probably since I came back from travelling, after a long time of neglecting this blog. In that post, I talked about my personal struggle in getting my dream job, which was a big thing for me. I am still on that journey, but so so so much further along on it.
So, about me:
My likes, loves and other little facts
My friends and family. I have the most amazing ones, and the cutest, most gorgeous little 6 month old niece. This includes my church family, one I am so blessed to be a part of.
I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Chocolate, cake, jelly beans, Haribo.. It’s terrible.
Love the outdoors. Beaches are my favourite. Putting on wellies and heading into the countryside comes a close second.
Cooking and baking – food in general. Dinner parties. Alfresco dining. I need more of this in my life.
Being creative and crafty. I’ve personalised a lot of furniture. Made gifts for people. I like to sketch too. And paint sometimes. Designing wallpaper is something I want to pick up again.
Reading. I love getting lost in a book. And a film. I do like watching films.
Wandering around markets is another past time of mine. I haven’t done this in a while.
And photography. I’ve got an old SLR coming my way. I cannot wait to have a play with that.
I secretly love lazy days. They are better with company. But sometimes, doing nothing is just what you need to be doing.
Holidays. Who doesn’t love a holiday? There aren’t many things that beat a bit of sunshine and sand.
Travelling. Getting immersed into a different culture. That moment when you realise you don’t speak a single word of the same language as a person, but you communicate anyway.
I fell in love with interior design when I was eight years old. Changing Rooms was the start of that. Looking back now, who would have thought it?!
Things that inspire my design
I wrote about places you can find inspiration in another blog post here and a lot of the same things apply so have a read. But more personally, my journey of inspiration is probably more complex than it should be.
I am not one of those people who will see something as they’re walking around a market or through a park and instantly know that they have found the inspiration for their new collection of wallpaper. I have to know I need inspiring and seek it out. This then makes me go to the markets and wander my surroundings and visit the galleries and look at the shop windows.
Equally, I see friends of mine snapping the most gorgeous pictures and posting them on instagram, and they just happen to have been passing say, under a staircase and seen the perfect opportunity for a photo. I sometimes miss those moments. I get them occasionally, but not as much as I’d like.
I think with me, feeling inspired is something I have to switch on. Maybe it’s because I’m not designing full time. It’s not ‘what I do’ at the moment. When I need to be inspired, I can be… I just need a little awakening to do so. That’s why I want to make it part of my everyday life. It’s thing I most love doing, and I want what I love to be what I do.
My thought processes
So when I do get these moments of instant “I must get this down now while it’s on my mind”, I go through a notion of things.
Firstly, something inside clicks. I sometimes, subconsciously, do what I call The Goosebump Test. Certain things touch me in a way that makes the hairs on my arms stand. This doesn’t always apply. Sometimes, something simply makes me smile. It speaks to me in some way. That’s when I know I’ve got something to work with.
Next, depending on what it is, I’ll take a photo of it. Or I’ll get a pen and sketchbook and let the ink flow. Or I’ll write a list, jotting down ideas or what to do with this one idea I’ve just had.
Then, I’ll work with it. Whatever it is, a pattern design or an idea for styling a certain room or piece of furniture, I’ll play around with what I can do. Sometimes the ideas don’t come out how I intended, and so I leave it at that. Other times it develops into more than I thought it would and I am suddenly on a roll. And on occasion, I turn my idea into a reality and it’s done. I photograph it. I submit it to a competition. I blog about it. Or I keep it to myself until it’s the right time to reveal it or use it.
When I was asked to divulge a bit more about me, I didn’t really know where to go with it. I hope I’ve managed to reveal a bit more about myself and my work in a way that is either relevant to my blog or vaguely interesting. If not, I can only apologise.
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