CREATIVITY + INNOVATION Page 20 of 38

The finished product – a very special business sign

Posted on 2013-01-10 at 9:00 am.

Noren are beautiful, functional curtains traditionally used outside business premises in Kyoto to show that they are open, and also to provide a simple divider between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. In yesterday’s post I shared a glimpse into the special 1-1 workshop I had with kimono designer Miura-san, who taught me how to make my very own noren for Do What You Love.

Today I want to share the finishing touches – which were added with the help of an artisan who makes her living adding the gold and silver flourishes to hand made silk kimonos (see above), from her attic studio at the top of her narrow wooden Kyoto house. It was a true privilege to see inside this cottage industry, and be shown the ropes by a veteran of 50+ years.

Firstly I was shown how to create a stencil of my design using sticky back plastic…

… then we added a kind of glue and carefully laid the silver leaf in place.

This was hoovered off…

and left my design, precisely outlined in silver. The long strip of linen was then cut into the original three panels which were sewn together and looped at the top to allow the curtain to hang from bamboo.

And here is the final result! The two birds flying towards the moon represent possibility, support and freedom.

In the bottom right hand corner the letters ‘DWYL’ are written in the style of a Japanese hanko-seal.

It is my very own handmade noren from Kyoto and I love it!

The magic of noren

Posted on 2013-01-09 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Making my own noren in a Kyoto studio

One of my most precious experiences in Japan was designing and making a ‘noren’ curtain under the watchful eye of the brilliant designer Miura-san in Nishijin, the traditional textile district of Kyoto. I started writing about this some time back in this post (‘Behind the scenes’) and this post (‘Sketching out’), but did not get round to finishing my story. However I really want to show you the rest of it, so here we go…

A noren is a fabric divider which hangs across the entrance of businesses all across Kyoto, providing a layer of privacy when the door is open, as well as protection from the sun and wind, and advertising space to announce what the shop or business sells. They are hung up at the beginning of the day to show a shop is open for business. Often made of linen and strung from bamboo, they usually feature delicate ink paintings or beautifully drawn Chinese characters. They are at once mysterious and inviting. And I really wanted to learn how to make one. So I asked Miura-san if he would teach me, and I made one for Do What You Love.

First I sketched it out, then I stretched the linen onto a genius contraption (below)…

We mixed up some rice wine ‘neri’ (a gluey solution which isn’t actually glue, but blocks the colour penetrating the fabric)…

…spread it over the areas of the design I wanted to keep the colour of the linen…

…and then brushed a sandy substance over it

Once that was dry, we brushed off the excess sand and were left with a perfectly masked version of my design…

The next stage was the part which saw the most stunning transformation – dyeing the linen in indigo dye. We cooked up the dye in the little kitchen at the back of the studio…

Painted it on with a wide bristle brush (note the bare feet – no shoes allowed inside in Japanese studios!)

These bamboo spreaders helped keep it taut as the linen dried. Love the stunning kimono backdrop – such an inspiring place to work.

We then covered it in a kind of resin to make the colour stay fast….

… and then left it to dry again.

The curtains are now nearly ready – they just need a bit of sparkly Kyoto magic, courtesy of an artisan who works from the attic of her tiny wooden house. Pop back tomorrow to see what we got up to, and what the final product looked like!

Where Women Create Business

Posted on 2013-01-08 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Don’t you just wish there was a magazine which shared business insights from creative women, along with practical advice, real stories and inspiration… as well as being beautiful? Well now there is!

Where Women Create Editor-in-Chief Jo Packham and Stampington have just launched Where Women Create Business. I am thrilled to have been invited to co-author a column with Kelly Rae Roberts (featuring gorgeous photos from Tracey Clark). The first issue is out now, and our first column is in it!

You can download the first two pages of our six-page article for free here: hellosoul_WWB0113

In this first of our four-part series we talk about the importance of understanding WHY you are doing what you do. As it says in the opening paragraph:

“Just as our individual lives become soulful when filled with purpose and passion, we believe businesses are also living, breathing things that thrive when infused with these powerful elements. We believe in abundance — that you can achieve your dream, and when you do you’ll inspire every inch of your life and all those touched by it. Nurturing a successful, soulful business — however large or small — can transform you into an influential leader and make you a force for positive change in the world. It can be one of the most exciting and rewarding things you will ever do; however, it can also be one of the toughest. It can be stressful, complicated, frustrating, and risky, especially if you take a traditional approach. We are proposing a whole new way of building a smart, soul-based business, which is the opposite of how most businesses are shaped.”

The magazine is available from Barnes & Noble, Costco and other major magazine sellers across the US, or via international subscription direct from Stampington. This first issue features all sorts of fascinating articles, insight and entrepreneurial inspiration – from Amy Butler talking about working with your husband, to Nancy Soriano guiding you through the book publishing maze. I think you are going to love it!

Last chance to enter for the Print & Pattern design scholarship (worth $1000!)

Posted on 2013-01-04 at 1:00 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

**PLEASE NOTE THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED AND THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED. FIND OUT MORE HERE.**

Entries for the second Print & Pattern Scholarship for The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design close at midnight GMT on Tuesday 8 January. This is your last opportunity to be in with a chance to win this prize worth $1000!

The winner of the scholarship will be given a full place on all three modules of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design, beginning on April 29 2013. The winner will also be featured in a future edition of MOYO. This prize is worth around $1000 and could be the catalyst for you to make headway in the exciting world of surface pattern design. See Issue 2 of MOYO Magazine for more details.

Simi Gauba, one of last year’s winners, is featured in the latest edition of MOYO here. Read her interview and find out what a difference the course has made to her design career.

To enter for this valuable opportunity please follow the submission guidelines detailed in Issue 2 of MOYO and complete your application by Tuesday 8 January 2013. The winner (chosen by Marie Perkins of Print & Pattern) will be announced in the third issue of MOYO, out in February 2013.

Someone has to win it – why not YOU? Good luck!

The small print

The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. By submitting your work you agree to be featured online by Rachael Taylor Designs, Do What You Love, Print & Pattern, MOYO or any other third party chosen by Rachael Taylor and/or Beth Nicholls exclusively in relation to this opportunity. By submitting you give your permission to have your email address added to the mailing lists of Do What You Love and The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design. There is no fee payable to enter. You will retain all rights relating to your images. See Issue 2 of MOYO Magazine for more details.

We would like to thank Marie Perkins of Print & Pattern for her continued support and championing of emerging designers.

***

And if you are already on your way with designing but want to learn how to Create Your Professional Identity or Monetise Your Designs then join us for one of our courses:

Module 2 ‘Create your professional identity’. Find out more and register here.

Module 3 ‘Monetise your designs’. Find out more and register here.

PS In case you missed it… something very exciting is coming soon. See here for a sneak peek!

Shhh… a sneak peek into what is coming… (Hint: It involves the very awesome Lilla Rogers!)

Posted on 2013-01-03 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Doing what you love means different things to different people. For some it is about the way they make their living. For others it is a way of life. Whatever you take it to mean, there is no denying that if you can monetise your passion, you get to do what you love for a big chunk of every day, week, month and year. And that has got to be a good thing.

So many of you in the Do What You Love community are artists, and time and again we are asked for advice from those of you who want to make a living from your work. So we decided to do something about it.

There are many courses and sources of advice out there on how to market and sell the art you have made – and many of them are helpful. But we have decided to come at it from a radically different perspective, and start much earlier in the process. Rather than advising how to sell the art you have made, our brand new course will give you industry insight on how to make art that is commercially viable in the first place – i.e. how to make art that sells.

This is not about selling out – it’s about staying true to yourself whilst making informed choices about what you create. And it is going to change everything for you.

This is your chance to learn how to make art that sells, directly from someone who has sold art for products worth over $100 million!

For the past year we have been working with Lilla Rogers – one of the world’s top illustration agents – to create ‘Make Art That Sells’. For the first time ever Lilla will be sharing three decades’ worth of knowledge and experience through this pioneering two part online course, which will teach you how to make art that sells in the most lucrative markets in the world. You do not want to miss this!

Course registration formally launches on February 26, but places are limited so jump on the waiting list if you want to be the first to hear when registration is open (and to bag an exclusive discount)!

The course will begin in June (specific details to be released on Feb 26). Be sure to register your interest and tell all your artist friends!

PS You can hear an inspiring interview with Lilla (by Monica Lee of Smart Creative Women) here and here. Please note the dates Lilla mentions in this interview are no longer accurate – as stated above registration opens on Feb 26 and the course will begin in June.

The Simple Things

Posted on 2012-12-20 at 2:47 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Have you discovered this beautiful magazine yet? I have been a subscriber since issue 2 and I absolutely love it. The magazine is a celebration of all simple things in life – from gathering round a bonfire to eating with friends, from making gifts by hand to exploring the countryside. There are delicious words, unusual stories, mouthwatering recipes and breathtaking photography. There are wise words, and things your grandparents knew about but have somehow got lost in time. It is a magazine that encourages you to pause for a moment, be grateful, and do something simple just because it is fun, beautiful, special.

I have a feeling you might like ‘The Simple Things’ too.

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Christmas is coming! (+ studio renovation!)

Posted on 2012-12-11 at 10:11 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… For me the Christmas music goes on from November 1 (along with some cheeky fairy lights), and then when December 1 comes round the tree goes up, the mince pies go in the oven and the merriment begins.

I love all the build up – the hours spent choosing the perfect presents and wrapping them, going for long walks in frosty nature, singing carols with gloved hands wrapped around hot mulled wine… Christmas is one of my very favourite times of year.

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DWYL final birthday giveaway: Holly Becker’s ‘Decorate Workshop’

Posted on 2012-11-30 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

DWYL final birthday giveaway: Holly Becker's 'Decorate Workshop' HB book

***PLEASE NOTE THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED***

As the final giveaway of the week celebrating DWYL’s 2nd birthday, I am excited to offer a copy of Holly Becker’s fab new book ‘Decorate Workshop’. I am using this book myself to plan the redecoration of our house, and am already in love with it.

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Want to be a surface pattern designer? Win the Print & Pattern Design Scholarship (worth around $1000!)

Posted on 2012-11-29 at 10:00 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

We are absolutely thrilled to launch the second Print & Pattern Scholarship for The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design, in collaboration with Marie Perkins of leading pattern blog Print & Pattern.

The winner of this scholarship will win a full place on all three modules of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design, beginning on April 29 2013. The winner will also be featured in a future edition of MOYO. This prize is worth nearly $1000 and could be the catalyst for you to make headway in the exciting world of surface pattern design. See Issue 2 of MOYO Magazine for more details.

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Issue 2 of MOYO is here! Featuring Marie Perkins, Khristian A Howell and more!

Posted on 2012-11-29 at 7:41 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Issue 2 of MOYO is here! This bumper second issue of the world’s only online magazine dedicated to surface pattern design includes exclusive industry insight with Marie Perkins of leading blog Print & Pattern discussing the changing face of surface pattern design, and designer Khristian A. Howell talking colour and collections.

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