Hi Ariana, how would you describe your work to someone discovering it for the first time?
A celebration of pattern, colour and printmaking. I create patterned stationery and homewares, which I hope bring people a glimmer of joy.
What inspired the idea of setting up your business?
I’d always been creative but hadn’t figured out how to make it my vocation. Whilst emerging from a long period of chronic illness, the first thing I did was start scribbling pages and pages of patterns on paper. Drawing and then learning how to create repeat patterns became part of my recovery and if I’m honest, I had no plans to turn it into a business at that point. But once I started selling greetings cards with my designs, the shop grew organically from there. I’ve also collaborated with some wonderful creative brands, which has helped my business grow.
How did your career begin – what did you do before setting up your business?
I studied a BA in interdisciplinary design and an MA in design history and material culture. I was starting to head down the design history academia and teaching route, when my health challenges threw a big spanner in the works. I’m actually glad now that I didn’t pursue the academic path as I’m much more suited to creating.
Where do you find creative inspiration?
I have a real passion for 20th century design, particularly textiles, graphics and print from the 1920s-40s. So I feel my most inspired when discovering a museum archive of interwar textiles or Art Deco design. Pinterest is a wonderful place to discover obscure gems too – I get lost for hours.
How would you describe your style?
Timeless, joyful and happily trend-free.
Are there themes or influences that you are drawn to?
I have a certain colour palette that I return to over and over – a mix of muted greens and cornflower blues punctuated with vibrant orange and candy pink. I love to incorporate loosely Art Deco-inspired shapes. At the moment I am really into drawing people and figures – expect to see more prints featuring people.
Tell us a little about your work/creative process…Â
I love to draw by hand. People are often surprised to hear that I draw everything in black ink rather than colour. The colour gets added later, either digitally or when screen printed or letterpressed using hand mixed inks. I’ve recently bought an iPad to help me streamline my illustrative process, but I’m keen to maintain the imperfections of the hand-drawn line. I tend to think like a printmaker so I work in layers, using a lightbox to help me create colour separated illustrations. If I’m designing a new product, there will be quite a long process of sampling the materials and colours to get it just right before sending it off to print.
“It’s a satisfying feeling creating an object that you feel excited to look at.”
How did you first discover your love for what you do?Â
Once I had found my style and started designing patterns and products that I was really proud of – things that I myself would want to own – I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. It’s a satisfying feeling creating an object that you feel excited to look at.
Could you describe a typical working day?
I aim to keep a relaxed pace, so will ease myself into the day with a cuppa and meditation before starting work around 10am. I’ll respond to emails then head to my studio, which is a ten minute walk from my house, where there will be music, podcasts and more tea. Here I chip away at whichever creative project I have on the go, whether it’s designing a new pattern, an illustration for a client, or a screen print. In the afternoon I will pack any orders ready for the postman to collect the next day.
“I value honesty and friendliness when it comes to marketing and selling.”
What is the ethos behind your business?
I want to create everything from a place of innate expression and joy, rather than pressure or fear. As a sensitive and introverted person, I value honesty and friendliness when it comes to marketing and selling.
Is there an element of your work that you love the most?
Screen printing. It’s a fickle process but so satisfying when it all goes well. You can create a richness of colour that is impossible to achieve with digital printing.
How valuable is the online community to your work?
For all its imperfections, Instagram has been a wonderful place to share work, receive feedback and make creative connections. When you find a circle of people in the same field as you it can feel like a really supportive space.
Working as an independent – what are the joys, and what are the challenges?
You don’t have anyone telling you what to do, which can be both a blessing and a curse. There are many small design and business decisions to be made each day, which can feel quite high stakes. But the joyful flipside of that is having the freedom to set my own pace and rhythm, one that works for me and my physical capacity.
“For all its imperfections, Instagram has been a wonderful place to share work, receive feedback and make creative connections.”
What’s one thing people would be surprised you do in your work?
Probably just the fact that I’m a one-woman show. I pack the orders, do the marketing, write my blog – you end up wearing a lot of different hats!
Do you have any creative pastimes or hobbies?
I sing in a choir each week, which I find a wonderful way to express myself. Lately I’ve been creating more prints of a personal nature, just for myself, rather than as products.
What does the next year hold for you?
I have new products in the pipeline with two of my favourite collaborators, Archivist Gallery and Cloud9 Fabrics. And a couple of exciting projects that I can’t mention just yet, but will share more about on my Instagram later in the year.
QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS
Books I love: My favourite novel from recent years is Still Life by Sarah Winman – it’s absolutely gorgeous. Anything by Anne Tyler. My most treasured design books are 20th Century Pattern Design by Lesley Jackson and Art Deco Textiles by Alain-Rene Hardy.
Creative Heroes: Some women designers from the 1930s that I really admire are Marion Dorn, Sonia Delaunay, Ilonka Karasz and Marian Pepler. They were so industrious and passionate about their work in what was a male-dominated field.
Shops I love: I love a good museum shop – the shops at V&A Museum, Ditching Museum and Charleston Farmhouse spring to mind. I collect art postcards so bonus points if they have a good postcard selection.
Inspirational places: I feel very inspired walking around European cities looking at the different buildings – the Ixelles area of Brussels or Montmartre in Paris I find particularly beautiful.
Instagrammers I love: I’m partial to a bit of Modernist architecture, so I enjoy @toeristmodernist, @other_peopleshomes, @londonsuburbia and @okolo_architecture.
