Aura Magazine

HOUSE OF STYLE | LOVELY LADY | MEET THE MAKER

fall 2014

$5.99 readaura.com

october 2015

003

01

A FRESH LOOK ON LIVING IN DESIGN

readaura.com

02

fall 2014

readaura.com

03

fall 2014

readaura.com

04

fall 2014

readaura.com

05

fall 2014

AURA MAGAZINE 99 Osgood Place San Francisco, CA 94133 (415) 743-9990 • letters@auramag.com

AURA ADVERTISING OFFICES (NY) (212) 383-2010 INTERNATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR W. Keven Weeks • keven@auramag.com EASTERN REGIONAL MANAGER Kathryn McKeer • kathryn@auramag.com

O W N E R & F O U N D E R Lara Hedberg Deam P R E S I D E N T & P U B L I S H E R Michela O’Connor Abrams E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F Allison Arieff

NEW ENGLAND/CANADA SALES MANAGER Wayne Carrington • wayne@auramag.com SALES COORDINATOR Joanne Luc • joanne@auramag.com

fall 2014

C R E A T I V E D I R E C T O R Claudia Bruno

readaura.com

06

M A N A G I N G E D I T O R Ann Wilson Spradlin

WEST COAST

S E N I O R E D I T O R S Andrew Wagner, Sam Grawe

BARBARA BELL A & ASSOCIATES

E D I T O R - A T L A R G E Virginia Gardiner

Danny Della Lana (San Francisco)

E D I T O R Amara Holstein

(415) 986-7762 • danny@bbasf.com

A S S O C I A T E E D I T O R Amber Bravo

James Wood (Los Angeles)

A S S I S T A N T M A N A G I N G E D I T O R Carleigh Bell

(231) 467-5906 • woods@bbasf.com

C O P Y E D I T O R Rachel Fudge F A C T C H E C K E R S Madeline Kerr, Hon Walker

MIDWEST

E D I T O R I A L I N T E R N Christopher Bright

DERR MEDIA GROUP

S E N I O R D E S I G N E R Brendan Callahan

Timothy J. Derr

D E S I G N P R O D U C T I O N M A N A G E R Kathryn Hansen

(471) 615-1921 • derrmediagroup@comcast.net

G R A P H I C D E S I G N E R Madison Scordino

K AREN TEEGARDEN & ASSOCIATES

M A R K E T I N G A R T D I R E C T O R Gayle Chin

Diane MacLean

P H O T O E D I T O R Kate Stone

(481) 642-1773 • diane@kteegarden.com

A S S O C I A T E P H O T O E D I T O R Aya Brackett C O N T R I B U T I N G P H O T O E D I T O R Deborah Kozloff Hearey

SOUTHWEST

S E N I O R P R O D U C T I O N D I R E C T O R Fran Fox

NUAL A BERRELLS MEDIA

P R O D U C T I O N S P E C I A L I S T Bill Lyons

Nuala Berrells

P R O D U C T I O N C O O R D I N A T O R Joy Pascual

(141) 660-9713 • nuala@sbcglobal.net

O P E R A T I O N S D I R E C T O R Romi Jacques A C C O U N T I N G M A N A G E R Wanda Smith

SOUTHEAST

C O N S U M E R M A R K E T I N G D I R E C T O R Laura Simkins

Andy Clifton

S U B S C R I P T I O N S M A N A G E R Brian Karo

(706) 369-7320 • cljfton@fccmedia.com

N E W S S T A N D C O N S U L T A N T George Clark N A T I O N A L D I S T R I B U T I O N Warner Publisher Services

MODERN MARKET MANAGERS

P A R T N E R M A R K E T I N G D I R E C T O R Celine Bleu

E A S T : Lauren Dismuke

E V E N T S M A N A G E R Sita Bhaumik

(917) 941-1148 • lauren@auramag.com

M A R K E T I N G C O O R D I N A T O R Elizabeth Heinrich

S O U T H W E S T : Tracey Lasko

M A R K E T I N G I N T E R N Kathy Chandler

(917) 892-4921 • tdlaskn@auramag.com

A D V E R T I S I N G O P E R A T I O N S C O O R D I N A T O R Fida Sleiman

M I D W E S T : Angela Ames (151) 898-5329 • angela@auramag.com N O R T H W E S T : Janice Robinson (183) 674-8575 • jrobinson@auramag.com

ARTICLE REPRINTS FOSTEREPRINTS

FONTS USED

Donna Bushore

Bell MT and Trade Gothic LT Std

(866) 879-9144 • dbushore@fostereprints.com

PAPER Mohawk via Satin Warm White 70T Mohawk Options Smooth Cool White 100C

readaura.com

07

fall 2014

readaura.com

08

fall 2014

CONTENTS

A FRESH LOOK ON LIVING IN DESIGN LIFE

october 2015

LIFE WHERE YOU LIVE | 011 The easiest way to liven up your space.

EDITOR’S CRAVINGS | 038 Ideas, designs, products, and people our editors are obsessing this month.

022

STYLE STEAL | 040 Luxurious furnishings inspired by 1940s glamor.

ARTIST AT WORK | 044 Process of selected artist of the month.

readaura.com

AT HOME WITH | 042 Fashion designer Karen Simonsen in her monochrome Copenhagen apartment.

MEET THE MAKER | 022

011

HOUSE OF STYLE | 024 Seven fashion designers take us into their most personal spaces.

JUNGALOW | 026

LEARN

Justina Blakeney describes the colorful, maximalist half jungle, half bungalow that she shares with her daughter on the edge of LA. IT’S NOT A MESS | 048 The psychology behind a messy rooms and why the most creative people flourish in clutter.

LOVELY LADY | 028 An interview and an inside look at the home of Graphic Designer, Brooke Baker.

SHORT TAKES | 052 Expert tips and ways to work the latest trends

FRESH | 063

WORK

Tips on creating a more inspiring environment to work in.

DESK CAMPING | 057 Book workspace anywhere, any time.

FREELANCE DIARIES | 066 A column tackling the many issues of freelancing

028

09 fall 2014

Bianca D’Amico makes much more than terrariums: she makes tiny worlds. These glassy natural worlds are an expression of the influences and interests of this artist.

readaura.com

010

fall 2014

LIFE

LIFE WHERE YOU LIVE

The easiest way to liven up your space.

readaura.com

011 fall 2014

photographs by GRAY MALIN text by KELLY OXFORD decorating by HOMEPOLSIH NY

LIFE

LIFE WH ER E YO U L I V E

001

fall 2014

CONSIDER ITS FEELINGS A lot of people just buy plants and stick them anywhere they think looks cute. This is all fine and dandy until the plant is all like “Bye, I’m going to find the light.” Check with the nursery about the appropriate light and water conditions your plant will be needing, and try to stick as closely to those guidelines as you can.

readaura.com

012

previous page W A L L C O L O R Pure White (OC-64) by BenjaminMoore $6.99/sample pot this page, right S O F A "Willshire," from $2,550, william-sonoma. com this page, bottom D R E S S E R "patchwork,"

$999, westelm.com

002

BRING ATTENTION Use sculptural objects, books, or accessories to draw attention. Plants don’t like to be lonely. If you’re using them for tabletop decoration, make sure to style them with other objects so they look more at home. I love using a stack of books or prints.

readaura.com

013 fall 2014

LIFE

LIFE WH ER E YO U L I V E

fall 2014

003

readaura.com

014

this page, above, P L A N T E R S $45, all from michaelcfina.com this page, left T A B L E belgain oak, $4,400, mecoxgardens.com

LOOK FOR STRUCTURE Fiddle leaf figs are so ubiquitous because their leaves are a pleasing shape. The plant has a tall, sculptural look, and they add not only life but visual interest to a space. They say, "I am good at making my home look beautiful.� Shy away from shapeless, messy-looking plants and opt for ones with some structure.

003

LOW MAINTENANCE Succulents are so cute and so easy to take care of ! Honestly, a meteor shower is more likely to kill your cacti than you are. Or your bored cat.

readaura.com

015 fall 2014

LEARN

IT’S NOT A MESS

fall 2014

Why the most creative people flourish in clutter.

readaura.com

016

photographs by BRITT AMBRIDGE text by DANIEL SCOTTI

Whether at home, school or in your bunk at camp, organization is something that has been instilled in everyone pretty much from birth. On the other hand, being messy has been equally condemned and made to be a quick path to failure. And, honestly, no rebuttal could say otherwise.

I mean, what good can come from being disorganized, right? Perhaps more than you might think. More recent studies, conducted by the University of Minnesota last year, provide us with a new side of the debate.

The pro-messy one.

Frankly, I initially thought that people with “messy desks” had to be creative, out of necessity, to survive outside the boundaries of organization.

Last week’s take home test, still undone, in one corner. A page from last month’s Playboy ripped out and crumpled next to the bottle of cocoa butter in the other. Empty Arizona cans distributed across the surface, like a battlefield.

Your desk is a mess. Then again, it’s your mess, and thus, it feels very in-control. When you habitually fail to put things in their designated place, you’re bound to get creative figuring out ways to make everything, I don’t know, fit. And fit comfortably.

Using a paradigm consisting of one messy room and one tidy room, and a series of trials, Vohs concluded that messy rooms provoke more creative thinking – and provided scientific evidence!

I suppose if you prefer to “lay,” and I use that term very loosely, your clean clothes on the floor of your bedroom, when the empty dresser is only a few feet away – you’re certainly thinking outside the lines of conventional reasoning. And that same concept could be applied to more abstract conception.

Consider this from Albert Einstein, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, then what are we to think of an empty desk?”

Obviously, Einstein’s desk looked like a spiteful ex-girlfriend had a mission to destroy his workspace, and executed it rather successfully. Yet, there’s no denying Einstein’s creativity.

Einstein wasn’t alone. Mark Twain, too, had a cluttered desk. Perhaps even more cluttered than that of Albert Einstein. Mark Twain was one of the most imaginative minds of his generation.

If the likes of Einstein and Mark Twain don’t catch the attention of Generation-Y, I give you Steve Jobs. No

wonder he invented iBooks, it’s clear he had trouble maintaining his real life ones. His desk, and office were alike, they were disasters. I suppose this just added to his brilliance.

So what does this mean to you? Trash your desks, trash your rooms and hope for a touch of genius?

Not exactly. The relationship between messiness and creativity is by no means causal. Being messy won’t find you waking up one morning more creative.

The two are, however, correlated. If you are “messy by nature,” perhaps finding a healthy medium between your usual mess and that urgency to clean, is optimal.

By curbing your sloppy desk, room or tendencies, – keep in mind – you might also be curbing your overall creative tendencies.

Ultimately, the only way for you gauge the effectiveness of your mess-induced creativity is to go out and experiment for yourself. So, go ahead, make it rain with all your important files and paperwork, toss your clean clothes across the room, have a blast. See what you come up with, after.

readaura.com

017 fall 2014

WORK

DESK CAMPING Book workspace anywhere, any time.

readaura.com

018

JORDAN PARNASS DIGITAL ARCHITECTURE Monday-Sunday 8:00 am-11:45 pm $450 per month We are looking to share the space with other architects, designers, artists or creative types sympathetic to our way of life.

GOLD STAR PROPERTIES Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm from $21 per day Total commercial building. 24/7 doorman that allows access 365 days a year at any time. Location is just steps from 34th street Penn.

LONDON CON ARTIST COLLECTIVE 24/7 Access, 365 Days a Week $225 per month Con Artist Collective is a shared workspace, gallery and community. The entire collective is focused

WINKLEY STREET

fall 2014

NEW YORK

emerging artists creating, building, and prospering.

By joining our collective you don’t just become a part of a collective you join our family.

WINKLEY STREET Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm from $450 per month Located in the vibrant heart of Darlinghurst and Surry Hills, surrounded by Sydney’s best cafes and bars with buses on the doorstep and a few minutes’ walk to Museum Station. Hub Sydney includes a variety of spaces to work from, meeting rooms, a fully functional kitchen and most importantly a very diverse and friendly community!

PROJECTIVE SPACE 24/7 Access, 365 Days a Week $425 per month Create collaborative work environments for highly impactful innovators & entrepreneurs that are 100% committed to their venture.

SYDNEY HUB SYDNEY Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm from £250 per month Temporary desks where you can stay for as little as an hour or as long as the whole day. Unlimited coffee/tea and free wifi are included with these desks.

Our co-working clubhouse is open 24/7. We only ask for one month’s notice and do not ask for a deposit.

HUCKLETREE Monday-Friday 5:30 am-5:30 pm from $325 per month We have designed our sustainable workspace to cater for all the different styles of working team pitching and brainstorming areas.

COWORKSHOP Monday-Friday 9:00 am-7:00 pm from €400 per month Temporary desks where you can stay for as little as an hour or as long as the whole day. Unlimited coffee/ tea and free wifi are included with these desks. Our co-working clubhouse is open 24/7.

BERLIN CON ARTIST COLLECTIVE

BETT Monday-Sunday 8:00 am-11:45 pm €80 per month We are mostly designers, design students and developers but are open for passionate people from pretty much every creative discipline.

readaura.com

019 fall 2014

WORK

DESK CAMPING

NEXTSPACE

PYRMONT Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm from $250 per month We've got dedicated desks available on the 3rd floor, also called the "focus floor", where you can work with your team mates or by yourself in a quiet, inspiring and productive environment. Unlimited access and a bundle of perks and options.

fall 2014

PYRMONT

readaura.com

020

LOS ANGELES WEWORK Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm $20 per day We empower entrepreneurs and small businesses to succeed by providing beautiful workspace, a collaborative community, accessible services and benefits.

NEXTSPACE Monday-Friday 5:30 am-5:30 pm $30 per day We provide innovative physical and virtual infrastructure that freelancers, entrepreneurs, and creative class professionals need to succeed in the 21st century knowledge economy. Come by today to join our friendly community!

B E G R E AT L A B S Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm from $295 per month You bring the talent, we'll provide the rest. Work alongside your team at our workstations and do what you do best. You're good, we'll make you great. Expand as you grow, use what you need. No contract, no lease, no setup fees, no security deposit.

Come join our family!

ENTREPRENEURIAL OFFICE Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm from $21 per day Join our very diverse and friendly community!

Total commercial building. 24/7 doorman that allows access 365 days a year at any time. Location is just steps from 34th street Penn.

OPODZ Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm $20 per day Unlimited access and a bundle of perks and options.

Which include the following accommodations contemporary personalized, architectural design sleek modern clean creative daily morning coffee freshly brewed natural lighting floor to ceilings glass walls and your own personal space.

readaura.com

021 fall 2014

photographs by MARISSA MAHARAJ text by LUCY FEAGINS

readaura.com

023 fall 2014

Bianca D’Amico makes much more than terrariums: she makes tiny worlds. These glassy natural worlds are an expression of the influences and interests of this artist.

fall 2014 readaura.com

024

Her practice comes from a deep background in art. Starting Chaparral Studio is in part a reaction to the art world and culture of Los Angeles. “I was making terrariums on the side,” she explains. “When I actually begun selling the terrariums I was wondering if I should make them in my art studio, but it felt strange for me to build the terrariums in the studio because that was where I made my “art”. As if my art was this very separate world and they couldn’t cross paths. When I finally did take the plunge and dedicated some of my studio space to my work with terrariums and plantings, especially when I began to add the miniature scenes, it made sense to be doing this all in the same space. The studio was activated in a different way and that was exciting. My “art practice” took a back seat or perhaps it just evolved into something else. I’m still unsure about this.”

Bianca has always had a relationship to art and, as you can tell, it helped create the foundation for Chaparral Studio. This is also partly a result of the influence of her parents, two creatives who instilled a work-hard spirit into her. “I was born and raised here in Los Angeles,” she says. “My mother was born in Spain and grew up in Venezuela. She came to Los Angeles when she was super young and started working as a graphic designer and in advertising and worked her way up.”

“My dad was born in New York and he grew up in the Valley.

He’s a photographer and shoots actors and the like: I grew up in that world of entertainment. He has a really amazing work ethic and is very much a professional in all that he does.”

Bianca’s attended Otis to study fine art. “I wanted to be an artist in the conventional sense,” she explains. “I later attended grad school at CalArts making performative pieces and installations that had a lot to do with pornography, feminism and humor. It is a very playful piece and an example of how I have always been willing to poke fun at the role of myself as an artist.”

Once Bianca crossed that line of allowing her interest in plants and environments—a practice she associated with being a leisure activity—to enter her art practice, into her studio—a place where she worked—something changed. When I first showed that, it was at a gallery. I had been very strict with myself about defining what was sculpture and what was a product.

But then I had that moment where I became more flexible with my perspectives of where the objects I make could and can exist. I thought, ‘Shit, that disco ball planter would make such a good product!!’ The sheer functionality of that as a sculpture is also what I think made me give in.”

If that show got enough press, new people saw the work.

But, generally speaking, the audience was limited. I thought, ‘Fuck it: I want to broaden my audience even if its not just cool, articulate art folk’. I began to blog and utilize all the social media outlets that followed in order to branch out and as a result, I have made so many new amazing friends that are also walking that weird line between artist and maker. I learn a lot from seeing the way they confront that divide.”

“I still make work that may never be appropriate for my shop.

That work is generally couched in more “risqué” subjects.

However, the more I make the more I realize that I’m really

interested in products that border on sculpture,” Bianca says.

She is also very much processing Los Angeles in her work too. Wanting to make so many different types of things and using so much from this specific landscape is her response to being based—and from—Southern California. “I’m so influenced by the surroundings here,” she says, notably enthused by the topic. “You can get almost every type of food in Los Angeles and I think that’s very representative of Los Angeles as a place. If you want awesome greasy Japanese food go to Little Tokyo or if you are in the mood for potatoes I know an excellent Peruvian spot in the Valley. Whatever it is that you want is very likely here — and that variety, not just of food but also of culture has kept me here. The desire to provide a range of products or services is very influenced by my enthusiasm to engage with all the diversity that surrounds me and also participate in providing that kind of mixture of possibilities. I want my studio to be reflective of that eclectic bohemian culture of Los Angeles. I don’t want to be stuck or committed to just one thing or have my work become merely a specialty. Like LA, I want to share a collection.”

readaura.com

025 fall 2014

“Its something I am really grateful for. I appreciate that they care and really want to see me succeed at something that I love.�

fall 2014

“I have made so many new amazing friends that are also walking that weird line between artist and maker.”

readaura.com

026

take the plunge and dedicated some of my studio space to my work with terrariums and plantings, especially when I began to add the miniature scenes, it made sense to be doing this all in the same space. The studio was activated in a different way and that was exciting. My “art practice” took a back seat or perhaps it just evolved into something else. I’m still unsure about this.”

“When building projects, I literally take from the land, too.

Whether foraging while I hike or when I’m out in the desert or at the beach or in the city itself, I’m always looking. The new jewelry line I have yet to release is going to be designed around specific things that I find. Things I have picked up.”

On the side,” she explains. “When I actually begun selling the terrariums I was wondering if I should make them in my art studio, but it felt strange for me to build the terrariums in the studio because that was where I made my “art”. As if my art was this very separate world and they couldn’t cross paths.

When I finally did take the plunge and dedicated some of my studio space to my work with terrariums and plantings, especially when I began to add the miniature scenes, it made sense to be doing this all in the same space. The studio was activated in a different way and that was exciting. My “art practice” took a back seat or perhaps it just evolved into something else. I’m still unsure about this.”

“When building projects, I literally take from the land, too.

Whether foraging while I hike or when I’m out in the desert or at the beach or in the city itself, I’m always looking. The new jewelry line I have yet to release is going to be designed around specific things that I find. Things I have picked up.”

One of the biggest surprises for Bianca is that Chaparral Studio really engaged the business side of herself. “In the process of doing this I’ve become more of a business person. I’ve always considered myself an artist but I’m interested in surviving and doing so more on my own terms.”

She takes a beat, correcting herself: “Actually I still don’t think of myself as a business woman: I am a survivor. ‘Business person’ sounds so weird.”

“Everyday I ask myself how can I make something that keeps me in the studio and has me using my hands and allows me to be surrounded by things I like and makes people happy and allows me to survive? I think LA ‘s medley of creative enthusiasts supports my life style. I live in Silver Lake and you can walk to the Junction to see ladies that are wearing shoes by Echo Park’s Beatrice Valenzuela and guys that are hanging out and supporting the local bike shop Golden Saddle Cyclery. You can see with your own eyes people are wearing and using the things that are local and that is special about LA. Although it also creates a certain kind of pressure to see that there is a lot of competition out there. In some ways I thrive on that push to make a new, awesome thing. And I have an incredible group of friends who function as the best support group and they ignite in me that desire to push myself further.”

Her practice comes from a deep background in art. Starting Chaparral Studio is in part a reaction to the art world and culture of Los Angeles. “I was making terrariums on the side,” she explains. “When I actually begun selling the terrariums I was wondering if I should make them in my art studio, but it felt strange for me to build the terrariums in the studio because that was where I made my “art”. As if my art was this very separate world and they couldn’t cross paths. When I finally did

readaura.com

027 fall 2014

BROOKE BAKER Whilst we love interviewing talented creatives of all kinds, I feel especially lucky today because I’m introducing someone who over the past few years has become a regular collaborator of ours, and a dear friend. Esther Navarro Orejon is an amazing publicist and brand strategist whose service offering, to be honest, is quite hard to pin down! Her consultancy, The Project Agency, is a versatile brand and communications agency which supports boutique creative clients in the interiors, lifestyle and retail industries – and that means everything from planning and managing publicity campaigns, to hosting product launches, to conceptualizing pop-up projects and running charity events. Esther is an absolute dynamo, and given the great variety of services she offers to so many local creative businesses, we thought it was high time we dragged her out from the wings and onto center stage for a moment in the spotlight!

I first met Esther in around 2010, mainly through the publicity work she was doing at the time for Melbourne artist David Bromley, as well as fashion designer Megan Park. Esther would pitch us stories for TDF now and then, and it wasn’t long before we were hatching plans of our own. I was instantly drawn to Esther’s incredible work ethic and can-do attitude, and her ability to keep it real and cut through the ‘publicity speak’ that is so prevalent in her industry!

In 2011, Esther and I collaborated to produce the very first TDF Open House event, and I can honestly say it just wouldn’t have

photographs by MARISSA MAHARAJ text by LUCY FEAGINS

happened without her. Since then, Esther has managed the publicity and media events for each of our Open House events, and if you’ve seen the incredible media coverage we are so lucky to receive year after year (touch wood!) you’ll know she is worth her weight in gold!

The Project agency is a small, nimble business, and though they do regularly collaborate with freelancers on a project by project basis, the day to day team is just Esther and full-time staff member Emma (for now!). The byproduct of this, of course, is an incredibly personal level of service which really can be likened to a genuine partnership. Simply put, Esther treats every clients’ business like it is her own. At present, The Project Agency’s extensive client list includes Hunting For George, Wood Melbourne, Fiona Lynch Office, Bauwerk, Hello Toes, The Woodsfolk and Megan Park, to name a few! Her enthusiasm for the brands she works with is genuine and infectious, and she just doesn’t take clients on if she isn’t excited about the product. As she outlines below, ‘we provide a creative partnership and always give beyond our scope. We don’t count hours and we don’t draw a line in the sand.’ I can say with absolute honesty say that this is true, and its one of Esther’s greatest strengths. Above and beyond, all the way. Last year Esther became a mother for the first time! With support from her husband, parents and Emma, she was back to work within the week (maternity leave doesn’t work quite the same way when you run your own small business!).

fall 2014

“This is something I enjoy doing, as it’s mainly people I observe in everyday life.”

readaura.com

030

Tell us a little about your background – what path led you to becoming a an illustrator, and to creating the style of work you are currently making?

I graduated from UTS in Sydney with a degree in Visual Communications in 2004. I studied illustration for one semester under the guidance of a very encouraging tutor, but never considered illustration as a career. I knew I wanted to work in design, but wasn’t exactly sure which area.

I got my first design job designing t-shirt prints for a teen fashion company in 2005. The highlight of that job was seeing one of my t-shirt designs being worn by a contestant on Australian Idol! A bit cringe to admit now, yes, but that show was huge at the time so I naively thought, I’d ‘made it’. The lowlight was being made redundant the year after. I got through several months of unemployment by teaching myself InDesign. I then regained some job confidence by temping at a bus depot. My supervisor at the time used to call me a little ‘bottler’ (apparently that means my blood’s worth bottling?) because I was very good at filing and didn’t stop for tea and biscuit breaks every hour – unlike now!

Later that year, I got my first job in the finance department of News Magazines (then known as The Federal Publishing Company) and a year later, I landed my first design role as junior designer in the Creative Services department. In early 2008, I moved to Inside Out magazine where I worked as an editorial designer for almost two years before moving to Japan. I consider myself lucky that at both Creative Services and Inside Out, my art directors all encouraged me to use my handwritten type and line drawings in the magazine and for client pitches.

I originally started off with line illustrations, but after moving to Japan I started incorporating color and experimenting with Copic markers and Posca pens. I had previously always shied away from color because my style is quite flat and simplistic. But I kept at it, and now the bulk of my work is Copic marker based. Most of my commercial work is of inanimate objects, but more recently I’ve started to draw people for my personal work. This is something I enjoy doing, as it’s mainly people I observe in everyday life.

fall 2014

What influences your work at the moment?

Everything about Japan. Its people, culture and way of life has had an immense impact on how my work has developed over the years, through the way in which I use color and the types of things I draw.

This December, I’ll have been in Tokyo for five years, something I never intended to do. I really love living in this country. Everyday I see something that I want to draw – people, signage, packaging. It’s inspiring. Perhaps that wonder also comes from not being able to read labels very well! Words still look like pictures sometimes.

readaura.com

032

Can you give us a little insight into your process? What materials do you use? Is each work pre-planned or created very intuitively? Do you work on multiple illustrations / projects at one time?

I use Copic markers (not watercolor as people often think, but the effect looks similar) and felt tip pens. I draw by hand, then scan the work and play around with the colors and contrast in Photoshop. I usually start with a super light pencil outline and then go in with color. I have to lighten tones in Photoshop because the lighter markers are hard to pick up in the scans and really difficult to change.

If you see my original Amazing Babes work, a lot of the skin tones especially, are quite dark. As I’ve gotten better with drawing, I’m learning how to do drawings in one go. I used to draw things in layers, for example a shop front would be drawn in parts – the walls, the signage, the plants, the windows…then I’d cut them all out in Photoshop and layer them up. I still use this process for commercial work when a lot of detail is needed, but for my own personal work, I’ve started to really enjoy doing the drawings with as few touch-ups as possible.

If there are several deadlines on at the same time, I do work on multiple jobs simultaneously. I’m trying these days to be more organized and have gone back to organizing jobs into job bags/folders, just like back in my publishing days.

What is your proudest career achievement to date?

There have been lots along the way, working freelance, particularly in Japan has been huge, but also just having the persistence to keep trying, especially since it’s taken such a long time to get to where I am.

What would be your dream project?

I’ve only recently started drawing people in Japan. I’d love to be paid to travel the world and draw people from different countries.

What are you looking forward to?

Getting to New York, one day. Having a studio with big windows and lots of light.

Eating pavlova again! The city is so inspiring and I absolutely love exploring and discovering new things!

Which other Australian designers, artists or creative people are you loving at the moment?

Don Mcqualter in Sydney produces beautiful interiors. His recent Zimmerman store at Emporium is beautiful. Ricky Swallow’s recent Bronzes works are wonderful, he has somehow made bronze look like crumpled cardboard paper mashed together. I am enjoying collaborating with Marsha Golemic and Brooke Holm. They have a fresh gutsy approach to styling and photography.

Can you list for your top resources across any media that you turn to when you’re in a need of a bolt of creative inspiration?

I have a huge collection of books of past architects and favorite artists.

Often I will flick through one of these when looking for inspiration. I subscribe to many magazines and particularly love Elle Décor Italia.

Blogs are great to flick through each morning and I am always saving Instagram images that are inspiring.

What would be your dream creative project?

My dream creative project would be something that would allow me to travel overseas to do research – I absolutely love traveling. A hotel, private club or more restaurant projects would be inspiring and push my boundaries with experiencing different cultures.

What are you looking forward to?

I have three residential projects nearly completion and I am looking forward to seeing my clients move in. I look forward to working on more hospitality projects and gallery exhibition design.

Your top three shops in Melbourne for great furniture, home accessories or other finishing touches?

Safari Living is wonderful for accessories. Cult is a staple go to for furniture. Gertrude Contemporary Artspace is wonderful for discovering new artists like Danika.

“My dream creative project would be something that would allow me to travel overseas to do research...�