SooP on TwitterI have a background in desktop publishing and publicity but I liked to move around a little and travelling the globe was preferable to settling into any one job for too long. I carried (& sometimes dragged lol!) my backpack from country to country, continent to continent and I started living creatively after being greatly inspired by the artisans I met on my travels.
So many people all over the world were making the most beautiful things using their own hands and it occurred to me that perhaps I could do the same
I first encounted “Chiyogami” or Japanese paper when I was travelling through the Czech Republic where I saw a woman making beads using brightly coloured organic textured paper. I assumed that the paper was czech but she told me that it was infact Japanese chiyogami.
When I finally arrived back in Australia (with Scotsman in tow)I spent the next few years working in publicity & graphic design in Perth which satisfied my creative urges but I secretly harboured the desire to start my own business as corporate life was wearing a little thin.
The opportunity came when I ceased paid employment to have my children. As my lifestyle changed to accommodate two youngsters I became acutely aware that I needed to inject some colour and creativity into my life again. I began freelancing - creating logos, brochures and other such marketing bumph - but I had never forgotten the beautiful papers I had seen on my travels and started to search them out for myself.
Well, the rest is history and I now spend my days dreaming up new designs & crafting all manner of objects out of these age old papers. My heart skips a beat when the courier arrives with further deliveries and I just can't see a day when I will tire from working with chiyogami. I feel extremely lucky to be able to spend my time working in a creative capacity and in my chosen field.