Well, firstly, it's probably necessary to clarify that I am not a real designer.
I know. This is a bit awkward. But honesty is important.
I did 3 months of a design degree and nearly went insane. And no offense to the degree or the institution which ran it. After 4 blissful months on a remote Indonesian island where I was sleeping on a sweaty polyester mattress, showering out of a bucket, playing late-night cards (no TV) and helping look after some super gorgeous babies with a local NGO, being plunged into the hyper-superficial world of design with a throng of angst-ridden first year uni students who took themselves and their design very seriously, was all just too much.
I quit. And did a BArts with majors in Indonesian Language and Development Studies instead.
This was a bit of an unexpected tangent in my life-direction, but probably one for the better.
And in the same vein of honest confessions, I'm probably not a real artist either. I can draw because I spent most of my childhood drawing to avoid other things (maths especially), and was lucky enough to have a nutty mother who taught me and my FIVE sibloids at home for primary school and let us make as much art and mess as we wanted.
I did Visual Arts in years 11 & 12, and after a bit of a directionless phase in year 11, just thought that I might try a paper-collage style. So I did. It worked and I had somehow stumbled into my niche. And I've spent hours sitting cross-legged cutting and layering tiny bits of paper ever since.
The black and white silhouette style was again, fairly accidentally discovered. I entered a small artworks exhibition at the Tamworth Regional Gallery, and submitted 10 papercut artworks in black and white silhouettes. They sold out in a week, and I realized that this was a recipe for MONEY (yessss), so the silhouettes have turned into card designs.
Who inspires me and influences my work? I love the work of children's book illustrators. Namely Julie Vivas, Shirley Hughes & Pamela Allen. Their work is stunning and packed with life and movement.
I also love the paper work of artists Su Blackwell, Kara Walker & Peter Callesen. They all possess pure genius for skill and detail.
At the moment, I keep the orders shipping out whilst holding down a full-time job for a child rights organization (which I love).
In the future... I don't really see myself as a posh designer with a business empire in paper products. Although this would definitely not be a bad option. I would love to be a facilitator for art which includes people and generates individual and social change. I really believe that creativity can change the world.
I also think that creative talent is a gift. And gifts are not for keeping, but for giving away.
So we'll see what happens.
If you would like to contact me, please don't hesitate to shoot me off a quick email!
And (for serious), if you are a shop owner who can think of a kind of card that everyone asks for but no one makes - let me know! I'll make it. Feedback is always a plus.
Thanks for dropping by!
Mia xx
PS - Miriam is my real name, but lots of people call me Mia. Either is fine. x
