1. Please tell our readers more about yourself and also about Sew & Such?
I live in Cape Town with my husband and our very entertaining toddler. My husband and I work mostly from home, which we love because we get to spend a lot of time together as a family. I grew up with very creative and innovative female role models, from making their own clothes or baking very elaborate birthday cakes to business owners and everything in between. That influence has pretty much paved the way for Sew and Such. I never really planned on starting a business it was just a natural extension of who I am. I love having the ability to create something from scratch, from screen printing my own fabric to making my own earrings. To make money from that is just the sweetest cherry on top. I'm working towards making Sew&Such a one-stop gift shop, one space that sells all my creative makings.
What inspires you to get creative?
I love seeing a project grow from an idea to completion and to know I did that. I'm very much a " Let's try and see what happens" type of person, so I'm easily inspired to get creative. I'm always busy with something. My favourite thing to do when I feel a bit low on inspiration is to put away my phone and pick up colourful pens and my journal and just write and draw. I've recently started listening to podcasts ( I love Awesome with Alison, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard and Bouwer Bosch's Narratief.) and it is such a perfect way to get quiet and get inspired by the thoughts and ideas that come up when someone else leads the conversation and you can just listen.
What do you enjoy most during the process?
There's always a moment when things start coming together and you get a glimpse of the end project, that makes me really excited. I'm very impatient when it comes to the planning phase, so even after doing this for a few years I'm still surprised every time I manage to make and sell something!
Where/How can people purchase your unique products?
All my products are available online at hellopretty.co.za/sew-such.
Our theme for the next two months is “I am not what I do.” It is so easy to attach our worth to our craft/gift or what we do? (We are human beings not human doings) Do you agree with this statement? and What do you think should define one’s worth?
Oh I absolutely agree. After my daughter was born I struggled so much with balancing work and this crazy newborn-phase and I felt like such a failure because I kept missing deadlines and my work wasn't up to standard. Part of me kept thinking "Take a break, it's okay to step away for awhile", while the other part kept thinking "but if I give up my work, who am I?" I had invested so much in this business, I had built an entire identity around it, it was almost impossible to separate business success/failure from personal success/failure. I felt like if the business took a break, that means I failed in my personal capacity, which is such a horrible lie to believe.
Defining your worth is an extremely personal thing. Something that really changed my perspective on worth was travelling to different countries. We all have an idea of what is worthy, depending on your frame of reference, how you were brought up, your immediate circles, your social influences, etc.
We measure our worth in context of our relationships, parenting, our jobs, financial status, our religion, being a "good person", etc. Let's call that your little worthy checklist. So now you take that checklist to a country that lives in a completely different way to what you are used to. And you realize your list doesn't mean anything. They don't value what you value, they don't add worth to what you find worthy. They have a completely different checklist. All because of THEIR frame of reference. So what it comes down to is, if you define someone's worth based on what YOU value and what YOU find worthy or if you try to find your worth based on external influences, then somebody is going to come up short. Somebody is going to feel worthless because they don't measure up to what your idea of worth is.
Focus on the truth that you are already worthy, not because of who you are or what you do or what you have, just as you are right now you already have worth. Done. What you bring into this world by just being your own authentic self, is worthy. And then you go out and you remind yourself that every other person you interact with, whether it's a beggar or the president, is also worthy. The moment you realize that everyone's idea of worth looks different, you will see that defining your worth is a personal journey and completely up to you.
Creating has a lot to do with community - building and working together. What similar artists/creators inspire you?
Creating has a lot to do with community - building and working together. What similar artists/creators inspire you?
Oh, plenty! I've started a #LocalCreativesZA tag on Instagram for the exact reason that I love seeing other creative people's work and how they manage their businesses. I have a few friends with their own businesses, and it's really inspiring to see how they balance their work, families and social lives. It's very humbling too, because you get the 'behind the scenes' scoop, and you realize everyone is just trying their best with what they've got.
Do you have a heartwarming story behind one of the items you made?
A friend's mother was quite sick so she asked me to make a blanket and a little quilt for my friend's soon-to-be born baby. She chose all the fabric and I made it, and it was very emotional to work on this project, to know that she might not have a lot of time left and this might be the last homemade gift she can manage for her new grandchild. It's very special to have a hand in something like that.
Inspiring quote/verse/poem that hits home at this time?
"Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." I've never read any of Terry Pratchett's books, but this quote really resonated with me. Being a entrepreneur comes with a lot of mistakes and starting over and feeling like you are falling behind. And yet, this quote has taught me a different mindset for when I feel defeated or overwhelmed. Every time I start over, I start with more knowledge and experience than I had the previous time. Falling and getting up a million times is still a whole lot better than never trying!
Visit her website: Sew & Such
Instagram: @sewandsuch
Facebook: Sew & Such
a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.
Opmerkings
Plaas 'n opmerking