Monday Maker - Nu4U

Today we interview Fashion Designer Jo from Nu4U.

Well first we would love to know were you creative as a child Jo?

I have always dabbled.   Sketched, painted and I made my own clothes.

Both my parents actively encouraged me. 

How would you describe your work?

At the moment, a little bit quirky with a dash of individuality.

How has your work changed and grown since you started?

It's evolving as I evolve as a crafter.  I'm working in several mediums simultaneously and discovering that over time, I'm starting to merge them together.

My newer necklaces are probably a good example of that.  They combine my previous jewellery making with my basket weaving, recycling and use of natural fibres and seeds.

How did you start selling on Etsy?

A friend suggested it.  When she saw my jewellery pieces she suggested Etsy as she thought it married well with my style.

Where does your inspiration come from Jo?

Mother Nature!!! ( LOL ) I know it sounds a bit 'out there', but a lot of the materials I use come from nature. I love taking something and reusing it in an unexpected way.

I enjoy making banana fibre into string or adding blue quondong seeds to my necklaces. Each seed or piece of vine dictates how I use it, so I figure Mother Nature inspires me.

Are there other ways you reduce, reuse and recycle as part of your creative process?

My whole philosophy is to reuse and reinvent.

I try to use recycled material as much as possible in my pieces. If it's not recycled it's made and processed by me using natural materials.

These include pandanus, banana or lamandra into string, 

Wonga wonga vine into baskets or included in my necklaces, 

blue quondong seeds in necklaces or baskets, 

material from silk shirts r dresses into my neck cords and necklaces.

Glass and crystal ware are recycled into table lamps.......I'll even recycle wire and findings for my jewellery if I can.

What's your studio space like?

I have a workshop under the house. I LOVE it, especially now that it's got A/C!!!

What is your favourite thing to make?

LOL - It changes all the time. I enjoy making all the things I sell.

How did your business name come about?

I wanted a name which reflected my philosophy of reusing and recycling materials into useable and new pieces. 

During a brainstorming session with a friend and my daughter, my friend came up with 'Nu4U'.

I thanked her by making a special table lamp out of some crystalware.

Where do you see your creative journey taking you in the next 12 months?

I honestly don't know. I'm just enjoying the journey at the moment. I think so long as I can sell enough at any time to pay for my journey, I'll be happy.

Do you have a top tip for others wanting to break into the handmade market?

Love what you do and work from the heart.

Can you describe a typical creative day for you?

Once I am in the zone, I lose track of time, look outside and realise my husband has come home from

work, it's dark, and I can hardly see what I am doing because  I haven't been aware enough to turn the lights on. 

Do you have a favourite quote?

I have two!

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes" - Marcel Proust

and 

"Be silly, be honest, be kind." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Do you like to listen to music while creating?

I actually enjoy listening to birds in our garden.

Do you have a favourite handmade item that you have bought?

Yes, a necklace made locally near where I live.

Where can we find you online?

https://www.facebook.com/Nu4Ufashionandhomedecor 

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/Nu4UDesigns 

How long have you been a member of BrisSyle?

I joined in the middle of 2016, so I am still a new member,

How did you find out about BrisStyle?

By doing an online search for nearby markets and groups.

Why do you craft Jo?

It has always been my therapy where I can tune out.

Monday Maker - Michelle from Two Plums Designs Designs

Hi Michelle and thank you for participating in the Monday Maker series.

Do you you come from a creative family?

As a child my mum used to sit us down with an old sheet (we owned a motel) and gave us textas to draw until our hearts content.  

My brother and I were often at a loose-end because mum and dad worked all the time. Drawing was our go-to.  

Mum is trained as an old school graphic artist, using Letraset and doing all of her designs free hand.  She didn't get to work much at her art during my childhood years because the business and us kids took up all her time!  

I was quickly engulfed by the world of dance, from my first lesson at 4 years.  From then it was dance lessons, travel and costumes until I left home.  

Creativity is a constant part of my life, whether it's in the kitchen, sewing, decorating, drawing, dancing, writing, sculpting, gardening and now silversmithing!

How would you describe your work?

My work is quite simple and elegant, it is also unique and unusual.  

I do not like overly embelished or tizzy designs.  I simply love the metal, and for now, my work honors that.  

I use basic techniques of forging and fabricating to produce my jewellery and I like the bright polished and matt finishes in comparison to blackened oxidised surfaces.  I don't use stones (although I may decide to in the future).  

How has your work evolved since you started?

I started with the bare minimum of tools and skills and worked with what I had.  

My pieces have become more refined and in some cases more complex, yet still quite simple!  My work evolves as I gain new skills and new tools.  

I'm always learning new techniques and although I now produce some geometric and angular pieces, I think I will always be a botanic artist.  

My imagination is endless and every new piece excites me!

How did you start selling online?

I sell through my website out of necessity more than anything.  It seems every small business and artist needs to have a website for legitimacy. 

Where does your inspiration come from?

The small details in everyday things inspire me.  

Nature inspires me.  

Passionate people inspire me.  

Even a rainy day inspires me! 

My work comes from an ever growing library of ideas in my head.  I see things in my natural environment and they often translate to the basis of a design.  Such as bracket fungi and gumnuts.  

Inspirations may also come from a new delivery of silver.  There is something really moving about holding a clean sheet of silver in my hands! 

Do you reduce, reuse, recycle as part of your creative process?  

Treading lightly on this earth is important to me.  As such I only buy recycled silver.  The silver I buy is recycled in Australia from manufacturing off-cuts, old jewellery and industrial silver.  

I have chosen 100% recycled unbleached packaging for my products and I swap harmful chemicals out of my studio for biodegradable options.  100% of my silver is used.  I even collect my filings.

Describe your studio/workspace?

I am a lucky artist who has a separate studio on our ten acre property in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast.  

It is a little self contained space and my husband has recently built a lovely big deck on the front from reclaimed timber.  It was used as storage space previously so I'm still fighting with stored furniture, but this year the make-over continues, I will be getting new flooring and a front door onto my new deck!  

It will be lovely but at the moment it's a bit of a mess.  I love my huge jewellers desk.  My husband and I drove all the way to Sydney to pick it up.  It was previously used in a manufacturing jewellers in the Strand Arcade.  It can accommodate two working jewellers as it is double sided - and I can spread myself out!

What is your favourite thing to make?

My favorite things tend to be quick things as I love that instant gratification from a finished piece.  A little toe ring or a simple bangle can be the most satisfying.  

How did your business/shop name come about?

In 2013 I decided I needed to start selling my creations and I harvested just two plums from our young tree.  I ate one and a bird got the other.  It was so sweet and juicy, I was in heaven!  

It must be the start of good things I thought to myself.  

Now I am happy to say each year my plum harvest is growing, just like my little business.  

Where do you see your creative journey taking you in the next 12 months?

I think my creative journey is going to take me back to university!  I have just enrolled in my graduate diploma of Fine Arts at the Queensland College of Arts.  It may lead to a Masters in Fine Arts (Jewellery and small objects). 

What’s your top tip to others wanting to break into the handmade/creative market?

Go at your own pace - your business relies on you so you have to be able to keep up.  

Describe your typical creative day?

My waking moments are full of ideas and new designs.  I am always inspired to jump up and get into the studio in the morning!  Sometimes at 6am!  

The beauty of working from home is I can start work in my PJ's.  I have regular breaks as I'm often interrupted by one or both of my two Rhodesian Ridgebacks.  

I also structure my other chores around the property in my breaks.  I work to my own flow and no two days are the same.  I'm often in the studio into the night (particularly when I'm home alone and don't have to stop to cook dinner!)

Do you have a Favourite quote?

"I never waste money, I spend it" Oscar Wilde

What type of music do you listen to while creating?

It's often Brazilian Samba music as I also teach Samba.

What is your favourite handmade item that you have bought?

I used to live in Kenya and while I was there I bought an Ethiopian Coptic Cross.  It's one of my cherished possessions.

Where can we find you online and elsewhere?

You can find me at www.twoplumsdesign.com or at BrisStyle Markets and the Young Designers Market most regularly.  Market dates are announced on my Facebook page Two Plums Design.  

The Caloundra Regional Art Gallery shop and Coastal Artisans Gallery Perigian also stock my work.

How long have you been a member of brisStyle?

Two years.

How did you find out about BrisStyle?

By accident on the net!

Why did you become a member?

What a great idea to have a bunch of creatives sharing ideas, skills and helping to launch small businesses!  It was a no brainer for me.

Why do you craft?

Because it's in my blood - I simply do.

Thank you Michelle.