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Interview: Annemarie Duff

By Andrea McArthur Annmarie-Hero

This year we have met a range of creatives from different fields, all who make beautiful items or designs that we can see and feel. Today we meet another creative with a twist, one who makes an intangible product. Meet Annmarie Duff a composer and music producer.

Annemarie describes her work as ethereal and ideas driven. She herself is very driven as can be seen by her involvement in not one but many personal music projects: including three electronica bands Paper Electric, Mmdelai, Pinn'd, an indie band Miniatures and classical albums Shangri-La.

What led you down your current path?

I played piano kind of obsessively from a young age, but only started getting into music production when I was at Otago University. I took a few music technology papers for interest (while studying computer science) and then moved to Christchurch to study audio engineering. After I graduated, I landed a gig working full-time as an in-house composer and sound designer for a gaming company. This contract ended when most of us were made redundant early last year. So I moved to Melbourne for more opportunities and am loving it. I'm still building a contact base over here so am working part time as well.

Who do you admire in the industry?

James Lavelle (founding member of U.N.K.L.E.) - not only is the music he's produced absolutely incredible and moving (no matter what genre), he's also built a scene for himself and built his catalogue on collaboration both in music, film and art. He always works with incredible creatives, whether established or newcomers and doesn't discriminate by genre. He's built this amazing creative business that crosses between industries and has spanned across decades.

What has been your most favourite project in recent years?

I can't pick one – I love the music each of my bands make, they're all very different. If I was to name one moment, getting my special edition marbled silver Mmdelai Vinyls in the mail was pretty amazing, they look so good.

Annemarie-Vinyl

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

I work part time for an IT company, so 4 days a week I get up at 6am and go to the gym, then head back home and do some emails (the bands are each with overseas record labels, so there's a lot of communication online). I get to work for an 8.30am start and finish at 5pm. After work I head straight to band practise/gig/soundtrack work/lesson plans/more emails. On Wednesday afternoons I teach a class at AIE in video game audio which is awesome. I have band practice two nights a week, a gig at least once a week and usually have something to be doing a soundtrack for. I'm always working on new tracks to keep the creativity flowing so I try to make at least one new track a day. I'm still trying to figure out how I can organise it all into a routine, haha.

What future plans do you have for your music?

Building up the work so I can do it full time. Playing more shows and more writing/producing/releasing. It would be awesome to expand on the teaching I've been doing at AIE too, it's so much fun and I've learn a lot just from teaching the basics again.

5 Questions in 5 minutes

Getting Personal:

Studio Sounds, what's playing?

Keep Shelly in Athens, Bonobo, SPC EKO, DJ Lotion's mix for the Lela Jacobs Spring/Summer collection.

What are you currently reading?

"Making ideas happen" by Scott Belsky.

What are you looking forward to?

New opportunities. Gigs over summer and hopefully playing some festivals! Travel/holidays.

Can you share your go to resource for motivation?

My to do list! Have motivated friends!

What is your local areas best kept secret?

I'm not sure if I've been here long enough to count as a knower of local secrets… I do love Annoying Brother Cafe on Nicholson St. They serve amazing coffee and there's a great Salvos store around there too.

To contact Annemarie: Email: duff.annemarie@gmail.com Phone: 0468 452 628 facebook.com/mmdelai

 Andrea McArthur has a passion for all things visual. Type is her true love and goes weak at the knees over beautiful design. Andrea works as a freelance graphic designer in Brisbane by day and lectures in graphic design by night. You will find her sharing design related goodness via @andyjane_mc

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Interview: Laura Blythman

By Andrea McArthur Laura Blythman

This is the story of a creative woman from Melbourne who moved to Geelong and whose design and illustration work has an interesting balance of being commercial and yet quirky and personal all at the same time. One thing is certain though, Laura Blythman's work will make you smile from ear to ear.

Laura is renowned for her vibrant colour palette and cheeky sentiments. Her design and illustration style is instantly recognisable and increasingly sought after, having designed for some of Australia's biggest stationery brands. Laura’s designs can be found nationally through her work with A Skulk of Foxes, Typo, Click On Furniture, Lark, Peachy Gift, Mr.Wolf, Cotton On Kids, T2 teas, Zoo York, Kiitos – Living By Design, Swan Emporium, La De Dah Kids and Stuck On You.

Illustration and Design

What led you down your current path?

I pretty much spent my whole childhood cutting and pasting and drawing and I was always in awe of everything creative so when it came time to consider careers I just assumed graphic design would be my gig. Of course, as a teenager, my imagined ‘dream world’ of graphic design narrowly involved designing posters and CD covers for my favourite bands and that’s about all. I spent a few years after high school being 'floaty' (and had a short stint as a hairdressing apprentice!) but a friend gently nudged me in the direction of The Australian Academy of Design and three years later I’d scored myself a BA in Graphic Design and a job at Hallmark Cards Australia.

I spent three years at Hallmark designing an unimaginable number of greeting cards as well as gift packaging, stationery and so on. I moved on to designing boutique wedding stationery for Cristina Re and then I teamed up with a friend and we focused on surface and pattern design for papers, stationery and home wares. When an amazing senior design opportunity popped up at the newest stationery brand on the block, I pounced in it! At Typo I got to indulge in everything I love most – range design, illustration and creative direction for a massive scope of stationery and home decor products as well as the design and management of the Cotton On Yardage library, focussing mostly on textile patterns for Cotton On Kids and Body.

During these years I also worked on small, freelance jobs designing branding and collateral for start-up businesses or textile designs and so when I left Typo to have my baby Alexander almost three years ago, I amped up my own brand and I've been freelancing ever since, and LOVING it.

You recently said farewell to the Oh! Hello Geelong blog that you developed and wrote with Penny Phipps. The blog was a great success and was featured on The Design Files. Can you tell us about that?

Yes, sadly it was time to bid farewell to our blog this year. I won’t be writing or contributing content any longer but it has been left in very capable and clever hands. I think readers will love the fresh perspective of the new girls Nat and Jen. I’ll miss it a little but it was one of those side projects that grew huge and life got a bit too busy to fit it all in. I’ll still contribute illustrations as needed and possibly even one day create an updated version of the Geelong Map Poster. I’m moving home to Melbourne very soon so maybe a Melbourne map will be next on the cards. I love creating maps and can’t wait to work on the next one.

What future plans do you have for your creative business?

I’ve had some truly amazing opportunities coming my way of late so the plan is to pretty much stick to the path I’m on. I’m absolutely bursting with ideas and wish lists of things to create and share so I’m keen to find some more time to work on my own projects and become a fully-fledged ‘pie hands’. Variety keeps me very happy. I hope to continue working on more and more collaborative projects, designing and illustrating for fun products and ranges, working with new brands and fab clients and hopefully some high profile clients too! I’d love to work on a new collection of artwork which I will hopefully exhibit somewhere…

Another thing I’m looking forward to once I’m back in Melbourne is making plans to move the ‘studio’ out of my home. I absolutely love working in shared studio spaces as I go a bit crazy on my own sometimes.

Do you have any advice for growing a client base?

I met a lot of great contacts in those first few years of working for other people’s businesses and it has kind of organically grown from there. In many ways your work speaks for itself. If people like what they see the opportunities arise from that. Other than that, be kind but not a pushover and work really, really hard.

Who do you admire in the industry?

Oh, I admire so many clever people, brands and businesses for many different reasons. Internationally I'm loving creatives such as: Ashley Goldberg, Ma + Chr, Jessica Hische, Lab Partners, Dana Tanamachi, Julia Pott, and Lisa Congdon. Locally I'm blown away by the work of so many amazing creatives including: Miranda Skoczek, Bridget Bodenham, Lucas Grogan, Harvest Textiles… Really, there are so many more. Far too many to list. Illustration Skulk of Foxes

What has been your most favourite project in recent years?

I really loved the opportunity I was given earlier this year to create a new and huge body of work for my solo exhibition (Love, Lyrics, Neon). So many great things, amazing opportunities and collaborations have stemmed from that mammoth effort and collection of work…

Jobs that have elements of both custom illustration and a high level of involvement in creating the brief and setting the style direction for the job are my faves. Illustrating the Geelong Map for The Design Files was a super proud moment. And I loved part one of my collaboration with A Skulk Of Foxes (wooden iPhone covers) so I’m super excited to release some more products with them soon!

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

I only get a few precious full days of work a week so I squeeze as much as possible into these days. The early hours are consumed with trying to convince my 2-year-old that’s it’s a good idea to get dressed, eat something (that isn't dessert) and hop into the car for a fun day at childcare. Neither of us are morning people at all. After I drop him off I grab a drive-thru coffee on the way back to my studio where I park my butt and pretty much don’t move for the rest of day. I begin with consulting the list of ‘to do’s’ (which I generally create the night before) then I cram in an insane amount of emailing, client correspondence, more list making, drawing, planning, scanning, designing, invoice making and estimate creating as well as a bit of making, packing and posting orders from my online shop.

Every day is different and I tend to share the love between a few clients throughout the day. The day always goes waaaay too fast and I find myself also working into the night once my little boy is asleep. The night sessions are mostly saved for my own projects, drawing, packing orders, making custom orders or just catching up on emails… I love the days when I have to travel for meetings or pop out on client or retail visits as I get a bit of change of scenery. Swan Emporium Branding

5 Questions in 5 minutes

Getting Personal:

Studio Sounds, what's playing?

At the moment I'm playing a big mix of inc. Theophilus London, Arcade Fire, Chet Faker, Haim, Alpine, Bat For Lashes, The Smiths, Chvches, Yo La Tengo… I can’t work without music.

What are you currently reading?

I’ve just started to read my late Great Aunty Marion’s ‘memoirs’ for the second time. It’s not a published book – it’s just a massive wad of photocopied typed pages in an big black plastic binder – included are some cheeky ‘note’ pages inserted here and there, written by my Pa, Frank. He doesn’t agree with everything Marion recalls and wrote. It’s such a nice insight into the lives of my grandparents and great grandparents.

What are you looking forward to?

  • The release of some fun client and collaborative projects I’ve been working on and also starting work on some new exciting projects, collabs and big fun things. Can’t wait to share.
  • Fieldtrip’ Jacky Winters creative conference in Sydney! It will be a nice and mini creative break.
  •  I’m also starting to plan for my first proper holiday in years – hopefully Bali this time next year with my little guy.

Can you share your go to resource for motivation?

Typography Mother's Day

What is your local area’s best kept secret?

Hmmm… I’m not sure it’s really a secret anymore, but my favourite place in Geelong for a delicious feed, yum drinks, good music and a nice crowd is ‘There There’ – Bar + Restaurant. Love it. I also love heading down the highway to Melbourne for my city culture fix. I can’t wait to move home (Melbourne) in January and discover some cool new places. It feels like I have been away for a very long time.

To see more of Laura's work or make contact with her please visit: website www.laurablythman.com.au webshop www.laurablythman.bigcartel.com email laura@laurablythman.com.au instagram @laurablythman twitter @hellolaurahere facebook www.facebook.com/LauraBlythmanishere

 Andrea McArthur has a passion for all things visual. Type is her true love and goes weak at the knees over beautiful design. Andrea works as a freelance graphic designer in Brisbane by day and lectures in graphic design by night. You will find her sharing design related goodness via @andyjane_mc

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Interview: Alex Kingsmill of Upstairs

By Andrea McArthur Alex Kingsmill

Have you ever met someone who lives each day to its fullest potential, who has clear direction in their life and career?

With guidance you can also sculpt your life into a more authentic one and become the person you really want to be. Alex Kingsmill is a Creative Women's Circle member with a difference. She does not create with her hands but she moulds with her words. Alex is the founder of "Upstairs" an evidence-based Coaching and Counselling Consultancy. In short Alex helps thinking women work out who they are, where they want to go and how they want to get there. She is a designer of sorts, helping women design great lives.

What led you down your current path?

I had always lived a ‘should’ life, doing what I thought was expected of me. I did well at school, I went straight to uni and studied law because I had the marks and I got a ‘proper’ job even though it was boring and the people were uninspiring. I was doing everything I thought I should do but I was dreading getting up in the mornings.

So I started to look more closely at how I really wanted my life to be, at who I really wanted to be. And I transformed almost everything: I met new people, I moved to a new area, I re-trained, I quit my job and I set up my own business. Now everything is the way I always wanted it to be and I feel really happy. My coaching work focuses on helping other women transform their lives in similar ways.

Upstairs Business Cards

Who do you admire?

There’s not one single person who I turn to for inspiration. I just generally admire people who live truthfully, folk who have the courage to live a life that is really truly them, one which will make them happy and allow them to be the best person they can be.

It sounds super cheesy but my partner is someone who does that really well. He’s completely honest in who he is; he lives authentically. He also has the biggest heart of anyone I know. He’s a constant reminder for me, of how to Live Life Well.

What has been the biggest / most positive / successful change you have seen in a client?

My clients often amaze me with the exciting and bold steps they take: leaving soul-destroying jobs, starting businesses, pursuing positive relationships, travelling to amazing places, igniting creative projects.

These achievements are inspiring but the most powerful changes I see are the internal shifts: when a client starts to know herself better; like herself more; grow in confidence. I think it takes a lot of courage to really look inside and ask yourself what is needed, to become the person you want to be. So those are the changes that I find most exciting.

Upstairs is:

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

There were lots of things I hated when I was working a nine-to-fiver but the biggest ones were having no flexibility and working in a grey office. Now I love my days: I work from home in an office that has art and books and flowers and that looks out onto the street – I like watching people walk by.

On a typical day I’ll spend my mornings seeing clients, responding to emails, reading books and writing my blog or an article. Mid-morning I always break for coffee and cinnamon toast and usually get distracted by Twitter, Facebook, Instagram... In the afternoon I might swim or go for a walk or meet a friend – something to clear my head and make my heart happy. Then I see more clients, after they finish work.

What future plans do you have for your business?

I am crazily excited about the future for Upstairs! I am looking forward to meeting more clients, developing group projects, writing a book and hopefully, forming a collaboration. I’m not sure yet who it will be with or what form it will take but I have a feeling it’s taking shape!

Flowers

5 Questions in 5 minutes

Getting Personal

Studio Sounds, what's playing? It’s super nerdy but I actually work best when it’s quiet… so nothing’s playing!

What are you currently reading? My bedside table is always piled with self-help books… but it’s ok and Not Creepy because it’s for my work! At the moment I’m reading Hugh Mackay’s "The Good Life" which was recommended by a friend, as well as "How to Change the World" and "The School of Life" both by Paul Flintoff.

What are you looking forward to? I just had a little baby girl and I am ridiculously excited about all the changes she’s going through. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better.

Can you share your go to resource for motivation? Whenever I’m feeling flat or unmotivated at work, I drink good coffee and watch a TED talk www.ted.com. It always gets my brain firing again. Otherwise, I hang out in the psychology section at Readings Bookshop in Carlton.

What is your local areas best kept secret? My local best kept secret are the junior entrepreneurs who set up on the bike path near Edinburgh Gardens during the last school holidays. They make their chaperone (Dad) sit (sort of) out of sight, behind the bushes while they sell Chocolate Crackles and Honey Joys to folk who pass by. They drive a (hilarious) hard bargain but their produce is top notch.

Take some time and ask yourself are you living truthfully?

You can contact Alex through the following channels: Email: alex@upstairs.net.au Visit: www.upstairs.net.au Like: www.facebook.com/UpstairsCoaching Follow: twitter.com/Upstairs_Coach

 Andrea McArthur has a passion for all things visual. Type is her true love and goes weak at the knees over beautiful design. Andrea works as a freelance graphic designer in Brisbane by day and lectures in graphic design by night. You will find her sharing design related goodness via @andyjane_mc

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Interview: Fran Mether of Mooku

By Andrea McArthur Fran Mether

 

For as long as I can remember I have been in love with statement jewellery pieces, pieces that 'speak' to you. Fran Mether of the Melbourne based accessories label Mooku designs and crafts such pieces. All Mooku pieces are handmade from quality materials including: resin, bamboo and sterling silver. Each piece a statement in itself.

It’s Fran's love of simple clean lines, modern design and colour that guides the flow of inspiration for each piece. In working closely with local and international craftspeople, Fran’s unique jewellery range stays both contemporary and original.

fran-img-sketch

What led you down your current path?

I studied Industrial Design at University of Canberra and then went on to work in packaging and homewares design. Trend and colour forecasting became a major part of each role I had, and now I utilise these skills and my love of colour to build collections and stories through Mooku’s jewellery.

Working for some of Australia’s major retailers was an excellent training ground for me as a designer and helped me develop a specific set of skills. Through Mooku I now love the fact that I can design my own ideas and use sources of inspiration that aren’t necessarily part of any commercial trend.

Where do you feel most inspired?

My mind is ticking all day long with new ideas - admiring a shade of colour, a typeface on the side of the bus, or a cool silhouette of a 1970’s lamp shade. But at the end of each day I need a calm corner or a cosy bed to sit back and reflect on the things I’ve seen during the day. One inspired form can ignite many pages of drawing in my sketch book.

Who do you admire?

I am constantly attracted to some amazing independent local designers, producing their pieces and being able to make a living from it. Labels such as Ella SandersSiskenStudio Antic and NancyBird.

Mooku

What has been your most favourite project in recent years?

Designing my latest range. Whilst not due out until August, ‘Cabin Retreat’ will bring to life some new exciting pieces I have been working on for the last six months.

During the first two years of my business I worked with a number of suppliers and crafts people. Today I have now established great relationships with many of them and am able to explore new techniques and materials with them and my new range highlights this important evolution.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

First thing in the morning my husband and I take turns at getting up with the kids whilst the other sleeps in – both of us are night owls so our mornings are typically very slow.

A few days a week I get to concentrate solely on Mooku. My day usually consists of coffee (an absolute necessity in the morning), emails, printing out new orders, then I knuckle down to work on big projects for the week – this may be updating my website, developing new packaging artwork, preparing for a market or designing my next range… the list goes on!

My working hours often continue well into the evenings after the kids are in bed and I’m usually emailing suppliers, packing orders or working on the accounts (or I ask my husband to!).

What future plans do you have for your creative business?

The next big plan is to launch my new range at this years Melbourne Life In Style. At Life In Style I am aiming to meet some amazing independent retailers that I can introduce my label to. The event will be a huge learning curve for me but I am really excited.

Mooku Rings

5 Questions in 5 minutes

Getting Personal

Studio Sounds, what's playing? For me - The Audrey’s For the kids - Justine Clarke

What are you currently reading? ‘The Whole-Brain Child’, by Daniel J Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson. I’m trying to make sense of my three-and-a-half year old!

I am also reading a series of recently discovered letters my Finnish Grandfather wrote to his own father. The letters date from 1919 when he was not yet 16 as a Finnish soldier and they continue on through his life when he moved to Australia. There are over one hundred letters in total.

Can you share a few of your go to inspiration resources?

  • Gems
  • Pinterest
  • And a whole bookcase of historical design and interior books I have collected over the years.

What is your local areas best kept secret? Nearly three years ago we moved the family out to the leafy suburb of Montmorency (in the north-east of Melbourne, west of Eltham). It seems like a country town at times and we absolutely love the local shopping village on Were Street. Some of the best coffee in Melbourne can be found at The Were Street Food Store or Espresso 3094.

You can contact Fran through the following channels: Email Fran: fran@mooku.com.au See Mooku's range: www.mooku.com.au

 Andrea McArthur has a passion for all things visual. Type is her true love and goes weak at the knees over beautiful design. Andrea works as a freelance graphic designer in Brisbane by day and lectures in graphic design by night. You will find her sharing design related goodness via @andyjane_mc

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Interview: Madeleine Burke, freelance web developer and designer

By Andrea McArthur Madeleine

"I make websites." This is how Madeleine Burke would answer if asked the question "What do you do?". Yes she is a girl and yes she codes. From her own admission she loves computers and has made the transition to focus on web development full time with her own business based in Sydney, Australia.

"I love working with small to medium sized business as well as with other designers on both digital design and development projects including custom Wordpress, Shopify and SquareSpace development, SEO and Google AdWords and social media management." 

What led you down your current path? I started learning about web design and development as a hobby when I was 13 and my parents first got dial-up internet. School went on and I started a degree in Psychology (don’t ask me why!). After a few years of, I admit, a pretty boring degree I decided to switch to a design degree and pursue my old after-school (and sometimes into the wee hours of the morning) hobby.

As far as working for myself goes I think thats largely been due to my upbringing. My parents have always had their own business – a nursery – when I was little and now my Mum has two restaurants, accommodation and wedding venues in the Hunter Valley and my Dad a landscaping company (no he isn’t the man behind Jim’s mowing!). For me, working for yourself, doing what you are passionate about has always seemed normal. I had a pretty great upbringing.

Where do you feel most inspired? I’d have to say something boring like on my couch in front of my laptop or iPad. I’m a tech junkie and I love the internet. I can always learn something new just by reading around a bit. I love learning, always have and the fact that there’s so much out there that is changing and evolving that I can learn about is what gets me up in the morning.

Who do you admire? I really admire strong, independent women that run successful, profitable businesses. I love Ita Buttrose. I really admire women that don’t let emotions step in the way of their success. That’s probably been the biggest learning curve for me in starting my own business and whenever I read a blog telling people to stop treating their business like a free clinic I really admire that strength.

Website

What has been your most favourite project in recent years? Probably doing the branding for my Mum’s second restaurant. I was just finishing up my degree and they had just bought the property. I got to be involved in every aspect from soundboarding with Mum about the decor, the logo which was my first experience with trademarking, getting creative with packaging and branding, signage, menus and of course the website. Close second was developing my first responsive website. That was really cool!

What does a typical day at work involve for you? Depending on the day and whether my partner is going for an early morning bike ride I wake up somewhere between 5.30 - 7am. I usually start work shortly after, I’m more of a morning person and starting earlier usually means I can take a longer lunch break if I want to get out of the place for a while.

I usually start by answering any emails that have come in overnight (yes I get a lot of 2am emails from clients!), reconcile any accounts and get to work on that day’s projects. I always do a bit of work on my business every day whether that be social media work, adwords, SEO or some branding collateral or even a blog post. I think it’s important to put as much effort into your own business as you do into everyone else's.

Of course the day is broken up with other emails, Twitter (bit of an addiction to that as well!), quotes and phone calls but I try to tick off a few of my to-do’s every day to make sure I’m actually achieving something. The day usually finishes around 7pm so it’s a longer day than an average full-time job, but I love it.

iPad

5 Questions in 5 minutes – Getting Personal:

Studio Sounds, what’s playing? Always something cheerful. We just bought a record player so that’s getting a bit of a workout. The biggest on my Spotify are definitely “How Will I Know” Whitney Houston and “Lights” Ellie Goulding. Anything by Fleetwood Mac ranks pretty highly also!

What are you currently reading? “Work for Money, Design for Love” by David Airey. I love reading business or design books, they make me feel productive but I’m also breaking it up with Alkymisten, The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo in Norwegian.

What are you looking forward to? The weekend? Ha, um learning. I know I’ve said it before but learning, expanding my skillset, maybe teaching one day? I’d love to teach girls how to code, it’s something that I’m really passionate about.

Can you share your go to resource for inspiration? I get a lot of inspiration from my Twitter feed, blogs like mashable, siteinspire, good inc. and fast company. I also love getting out of the house, going to great restaurants, bars and shops.

What is your local areas best kept secret? We live in Erskineville in Sydney’s inner west. There’s so many great spots around here. Probably my favourite is Bloodwood on King St. They have great polenta chips and the best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had.

You can contact Madeleine through the following channels online: hello@madeleineburke.com madeleineburke.com.au Twitter: @minburke

 Andrea McArthur has a passion for all things visual. Type is her true love and goes weak at the knees over beautiful design. Andrea works as a freelance graphic designer in Brisbane by day and lectures in graphic design by night. You will find her sharing design related goodness via @andyjane_mc  www.andyjane.com

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Interview: First of the year

Interview_title By Andrea McArthur

Welcome! This year I am honoured to be bringing you the "Interviews" column and background information on some of our highly regarded Creative Women's Circle Full Members. I must say that after looking through the Database I have been forming some major creative crushes on the members.

What truly inspires and interests me for this blog series is finding out people's unique journey, what drives them to be creative and to stay inspired. This is what I'll be digging for in the interviews to come.

Firstly I will be using this space to introduce myself, so that you can get to know me a little better.

 What led you down your current path?

I have always known that I wanted to work in a creative field, my mother was an Art School dropout and vowed that I would finish what she had started. Back when I was in high school Graphic Design was then called Commercial Art. So after graduating I enrolled into the Bachelor of Design Studies –Graphic Design at Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Brisbane. I found my first job (Graphic Design Junior, In-house at Thiess) as part of a Professional Practise unit with the College. From there it has been a road of many studios and in-house departments. True for many creatives I need to stay motivated and 4 years ago I found myself teaching Graphic Design at a private college, Shillington College. Over the years the most fulfilling aspect of this job is watching the "light bulb" moment happen for students. Teaching is a rewarding path which I currently juggle part time, whilst freelancing and taking contract studio positions. I honestly believe that all creatives should take the challenge to work for themselves at least once in their career, I know that it has been an eye opener for me.

 Where do you feel most inspired?

Currently I am working on a personal project called "Mrs Gibbs" with a good friend and colleague Renee Rogers. We have bought basic screen printing materials and have had two sessions of printing to date. I am loving the back to basics aspect and the nature of craft inherent in a hand created art. The freedom to experiment and make mistakes is inspiring me at the moment.

MrsGibbs

Who do you admire?

It's going to sound corny but some of my students have been the biggest inspiration to me in the last few years. Yes I continue to have creative crushes on beautiful typographers like Jessica Hische and Gemma O'Brien aka Mrs Eaves but these young creatives blow my mind.

 What has been your most favourite project in recent years?

My most favourite project is probably one of the smallest and most incomplete designs that I have worked on. However, I was given a lot of creative freedom and was able to concept up several very complete ideas with an element of hand lettering. This has also been one of the most discussed pieces in my folio in recent interviews. The project was a freelance job for Volt Design, for an Artisan travelling exhibition called "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor".

TTSS_Thumbnails

TTSS_WIP TTSS_Final

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

At the moment I am juggling a short contract position at an in-house department, rushing off to teaching 2 nights a week and catching up on my freelance client work whenever I can. Phew!

 5 Questions in 5 minutes – Getting Personal:

Studio Sounds, what's playing? Art of Sleeping, new Brisbane band on the block.

What are you currently reading? The Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes.

What are you looking forward to? Getting back to full time client work and investing more time in building my website and side projects.

 Can you share your go to resource for inspiration? designspiration.net and Twitter (@andyjane_mc).

 What is your local areas best kept secret? The South Side Tea Rooms, Morningside and The Rabbit Hole Ideation Cafe co-working hub, Fortitude Valley.

Do you also have a creative crush on a Creative Womens Circle Full Member? If so and you would like to learn more about them or have a specific question that you would like to ask them, please email me hello@andyjane.com and I may be able to facilitate your crush.

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Organise Me Andrea McArthur Organise Me Andrea McArthur

Organise Me: Wrap Up

December Wrap Up By Andrea McArthur

Coming full circle from where we started this year with Organise Me. In February I began by writing about the humble To Do List. Now in December after much research on the subject of organisation I have realised how pivotal a good To Do List is for your productivity. Writing yourself a To Do List is my number one piece of organisational advice.

Organise Me has followed alongside the mishaps of setting up a freelance business this year as I delved into the freelance world. I have hopefully shared some knowledge with posts such as Backing Up: Don't invite trouble in, It's Tax Time and  Email Inbox-ification to help other creative freelancers with their businesses.

Before I wrote Organise Me, I thought that people were either inherently organised or disorganised and that being disorganised was a trait hard to change. Being organised takes time but if you have the correct advice and put into practice those skills such as list writing you can conquer the disorganisation. I have only scratched the surface of the many techniques that professional organisers use to help clients. Previous posts about professional organiser Angela from Creating Order from Chaos and David Allen Become a Productivity Ninja share some of their professional organisation techniques.

I am leaving you with some wise words in which to wrap up Organise Me for the year. Designer and Art Director James Victore has his own You Tube channel where he imparts advice. One series that he films is Q+A Tuesdays, recently he posted an apt Q+A video On time management and organisation. James Victore shares my love of To Do Lists, he says "A good day starts the day before" by making a list for today (tomorrow), a list for the month and a list for the years goals. Other ways James Victore says to use time wisely is to stay focussed and ignore distractions as well as give up the control freak title and learn to delegate. Watch James Victore's Q+A Tuesday video here.

Hitting this busy time of year both in your personal and working life, remember to take care of yourself and don't 'burn out'. In order to stay organised and focussed through this time, make sure you get enough sleep, that you eat well and also exercise. Remember things will happen and somehow it all gets done!

 Andrea McArthur has a passion for all things visual and a soft spot for organisation. Type is her true love and goes weak at the knees over beautiful design. Andrea works as a freelance graphic designer in Brisbane by day and lectures in graphic design by night. You will find her sharing design related goodness via @andyjane_mc  www.andyjane.com

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