Designer | Artisan
I have always been drawn to creative pursuits. Growing up, my mother did crochet, macramé, fabric arts, baking and sewed our clothes and costumes for school carnival jump-up. That established my foundation. My first real creative project involved painstakingly cutting and painting individual poinsettia petals for a Christmas card at around age 7.
My creative journey was magnified… at Holy Name Convent, my favourite subject was Art and we were encouraged to enter the Berger Paints Art Competition. I did a piece paying homage to master artist Peter Minshall’s mind-blowing Carnival King presentation: The Sacred and the Profane. I later had the honour of meeting and profiling him for my CXC art exam. That was a major turning point for me, I learned that a creative career was possible, but it still took me many years to accept that I was a creative person. Now, I’m the Creative-in-Residence at The Creative Loft: a boutique digital design and artisan studio and Baker/Decorator at Stuffed Kitchen.
I’m driven by curiosity, looking behind the curtain, so to speak. I remember watching a feature on Sesame Street about how crayons are made and wondering where does the colour to make the dye come from. I don’t limit myself, if something interests me, even in passing, I dive right in. I’ve taken many courses, including dressmaking, jewellery making, ceramics, photography, sugar craft and furniture making.
Processes and materials fascinate me so I’m constantly experimenting with fusing media, materials and techniques. This, along with the question “what if…?” feeds my creativity. I also want to change the narrative around what is considered garbage so I use discarded materials to create visually delicious, functional art and accessories. The cross-pollination of these concepts opens up a world of exciting possibilities.
The pandemic took its toll, this is how I cope…
At first, I didn’t realise the effect the pandemic was having on me. I thought I was handling things well but as time went by, I grew increasingly anxious and had to learn to manage it to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
To start with, I heavily curated what media I was consuming and avoided immersing myself in the negative news cycles. I stepped outside of my comfort zone and took guided art classes which exposed me to uncertainty in a controlled, supportive environment and instead made it an adventure into uncharted territory.
I also deepened my mandala drawing practice. Building the grid requires focus and precision and created a sense of calm, everything else disappears and I can immerse myself and enjoy the unfolding pattern and be present in the moment.
I’m blessed with a really wonderful tribe and making a concerted effort to stay connected and offer support, even virtually, took me out of myself. Additionally, I joined groups online and even taught some free virtual papercraft workshops.
Lastly, I focused on gratitude – in all things, including the negative ones. This enabled me to appreciate the slower pace during the periods of lockdown and engage in self-reflection, connection and learning.