Close Up with Hand Bag Designer Sasha Faint

 Sasha Faint
Faint Impressions Copyright 

I first met Sasha last year at the Sydney Stitches and Craft Show. Sasha came to one of our business seminars for creative people. The one about "How to creative a successful business from doing what you love". After that seminar Sasha signed up for our three month coaching programme.  

Sasha is fun to work with, full of energy, and understands her DPP (desire, passion and purpose). As a talented designer Sasha creates beautiful  hand made handbags well finished with plenty features and details.  Sasha certainly has a great eye for colours and fabrics too. On of one Sasha’s strength is an eye for colour and fabric coordination. You can rely on Sasha to create something unique and beautiful.

So the next time you’re looking for a handbag for someone special or if you’re planning to give yourself a treat, may I suggest you to drop by Sasha’s online boutique and check out the Faint Impressions' range of handbags and other accessories.

To connect with other creative souls and hand bag lovers, Sasha also runs hand bag making workshop in Sydney. The workshop is limited to four people, so there’s plenty of one to one teaching. And that means Sasha has plenty of time and opportunity to share her creative skills and knowledge with all workshop participants. The workshop also includes a delectable high tea with french music playing in the background to inspire your creativity...

 Bag Making Workshop

Faint Impressions Copyright

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

Three years ago I would have told you I didn’t have a creative bone in my body. Since buying a sewing machine three years ago that has all changed and so has my life. What started out as a hobby has now become my occupation and given me the chance to own my own business doing what I love, which is something I NEVER thought possible.

I’m a designer and maker of all things bag and I also run bag-making workshops. Occasionally I dabble in the odd Bedside Organiser or Jewellery Travel Pouch but bags are my main creative outlet.

I sell my bags at artisan markets in Sydney and Melbourne, online and also selected retail outlets.

 

The Conargo Bush Market

Faint Impression Copyright

Who (or what) inspires you to do what you love in your own creative business?

Amy Butler was my inspiration for starting to make bags. Her amazing bright and beautiful fabrics drew me in and her fantastic bag designs taught me many a bag-making trick. She continues to surprise and inspire me with her ever expanding business empire.

My partner Cameron also inspires me. Owning your own business can be an emotional roller coaster ride and Cam offers me incredible support and encouragement. I honestly couldn’t do it without him.

 Sasha & Cameron 
Faint Impressions Copyright

Where do you get your inspiration from when you design?

Fabric is the thing that excites me and makes me want to create a new bag. When I see a fabric that stands out from all the others with it’s beautiful colours, patterns and prints, I really want to design a bag that will show off its best features and make others adore it too. Once I have an idea for a new design, I have to make it straight away. I can’t wait to see the finished product with the complementing colour combinations in all their glory.

What are the five words that people who know you would use to describe you?

Hmm…determined, patient, stubborn, fun, caring.

Tell us about your very first job and what path have you taken since then?

Well my first real job after I completed a Bachelor of Business-Hospitality Management, was a hotel receptionist. I didn’t find it very fun so I tripped off overseas for 3.5 years. Lucky I went to university for three years to find that out!

I love the Japanese culture and language and have studied Japanese since year 9, so I went to Japan and taught English in Osaka for 1.5 years. I have only recently quit my full-time job as an Administration & Accommodation Manager for an English language college for international students. Now I’m the bag lady!

Custom made Baby Bag
Faint Impressions Copyright

Describe a typical day in your studio space?

I get up at 7.30am and go to the gym, that’s my human contact for the day and keeps me sane and healthy.

My day changes all the time, I could be writing for my blog, designing a new bag, organising a workshop, sewing sewing sewing, updating my online shop, approaching magazines or doing a bag photo shoot. Amidst all of that I am having cups of tea, eating lunch in the sunny spot on the carpet, stretching (as I sit down a lot) and thinking of ways I can grow my business.

The beauty of it is that I can choose what I want to do and I love it all.

As an Designer, what is your biggest frustration?

Putting a lot of hours and effort into making a bag and not being able to charge the right price for it.........yet.

Tell us about how you prioritise your studio work.

I have a white board I write my weekly goals on. I then break them down in to daily tasks I need to do to achieve my goals. I love the satisfaction of crossing things off my list.

Since you are working at home, can you please tell us about how you connect with other artists, and your customers (i.e. how do you network)?

At the moment I don’t do enough of it, it’s something I really need to focus on.

I chat to other stallholders at markets, through my blog and facebook group. I’m looking for a regular networking group at the moment and would love to attend a social sewing group once a month.

What advice can you offer other creative people who are just starting out and following their passions?

-Take the risk and ask, they can only say no. Fear is not a growth strategy (Terry Hawkins)

-Love what you do because you are going to be doing it for many hours a day.

-Have good systems in place that keep you organised; costing sheets, goal lists etc

-Create a nice workspace that you enjoy being in.

-Talk to as many people in your industry as possible; you learn so much from others experiences.

-Surround yourself with people who believe in what you are trying to achieve and support you all the way as you will doubt yourself often but only for short periods.

What dreams do you still want to achieve or fulfil in your life?

To have a shop in Sydney in a pretty suburb full of gorgeous hand made products from makers all over Australia, including my own. Upstairs will be the studio where we have weekly classes on things like sewing, screen-printing and photography.

A decadent afternoon tea would definitely be involved and I would be living among this lovely creative community where people really love to visit and I look forward to work each day.

What is your proudest moment so far?

Having one of my products accepted to be in the next issue of Frankie Magazine.

Keep an eye out for my Bedside Organiser; next issue out June 23rd.

  Bedside Organiser 
Faint Impressions Copyright

Who do you most want to meet and why?

Myself at age 17yr to tell myself to do something creative at university.

What is the most important lesson in life that you have learned?

Respect and trust, they’re sometimes difficult to earn but once you’ve lost them they almost never come back, so take care of them.

What book are you reading right now, and do you have a book you would like to recommend?

I’m reading Frankie and Notebook magazine and I just ordered a book from the USA called The Handmade Marketplace, which is all about running a creative business.

I would recommend you buy the next issue of Frankie!

Where do we find you and your products?

Web-http://www.faintimpressions.com/

Online shop- http://www.faintimpressions.bigcartel.com/

Stockists- Monsterthreads, King St Newtown.

Cause and Effect - Which one are you?

I remember that when I was a child, my father asked me one time if I was responsible for something that had just “happened to me”. I won’t tell you what is was....

At the time I was furious, defensive, and annoyed with his question. I did not want to face the real truth.

After all I thought, the event was just "one of those moments". It was not my fault. I was playing a “Blame Game”.

Looking back now I realise that at the time I was playing a “Victim” to the situation.

Being in that “Victim” space is not a good position to be in.

Instead of taking the responsibility for ourselves it seems a good idea at the time was to blame someone or something else. That way we don’t feel so bad about it. In other words, we’re passing our responsibilities to someone or something else. And we’re no longer in control of our problem.

I am sure you understand what I mean, we all do it, is this sound familiar?

So let’s look at Cause & Effect...

Which one are you?

Are you the Cause or are you the Effect?

In our day to day lives we have a choice to be the “CAUSE” of events. Or we can merely react to the “EFFECT” of events.

Which would you rather?

Being at Cause means we are actively creating events.

Being in Effect, means things just happen to us and sometimes it means us playing the victim, “the poor me” that I chose to play that time when I was a child talking with my father. I wanted people around me to feel sorry for me.

But here’s the thing... Playing a victim will never move you forward to where you intended to be. It will set you back as you let everything around you consumed you and eat you up.

Choosing to be at Cause is an active choice. It really is a decision and an action. You take full responsibility for your destiny. It can give you more choices and opportunities as you will explore different options to improve or change your situation right now. In other words, it has the effect of actively empowering us to create our lives in each moment.

As a Business Lifestyle coach, we see some clients stuck in the Effect side. They’ve been there for a long time. It’s a comfortable, familiar place to be for some. Being in the Effect is easy, you don’t have to take action, just blame your circumstance on the other things around you. It’s never YOU.

Being in effect means we often feel like we are disempowered by our life's events. Not in control.

Now we’re not suggesting blind optimism. Not every one starts in the same place, and there’s real and systemic disadvantage in the world. All the “secrets” and “affirmations” and “visualisations” will not move someone out of poverty. Nor are we saying there aren’t genuine victims in the world. We’re discussing victimhood, and cause & effect in the context of your Business LifeStyle.

We’re talking about practical and honest assessments of our current situations, and real action towards making lasting change.

So, how exactly can you go from being in effect to being at Cause?

Make a conscious decision to be aware of whether you’re in Cause or Effect

Handling all situations as if you create everything in your life is a great starting point.

So if something not so positive is coming your way, ask yourself this question; "If I really did create this, what could the ‘bigger purpose’ be?" As tempting as it may be, your head chat will say to you, "Impossible, there's nothing 'bigger' or positive about this event.."

Reframe your thoughts and look again. Then ask the next question: "OK, I know that I can't see it directly, but if I could, and if there was something to be learned from this, what would it be?"

Sometimes, we need to step out from our situation and be an "Observer" looking in at the situation from a third person perspective. Then you will set the situation in a different perspective and you could realise that what you may need is to change from being the victim to being in control and take positive action.

These questions are a great starting point to get you focused in the right direction (consciously and unconsciously), setting you up for finding new answers or finding alternative solutions.

Want to learn more about goals and action planing the Quantum Compass way?

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1: Sign up for free and join the ArtSHNE network community hptt://www.artshine.ning.com

2: Come along to the next Quantum Compass workshop. E-mail Quantum Compass Workshops@QuantumCompass.com.au for details of the next half day session near you.

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session. http://www.quantumcompass.com.au/free-coaching.php

Close Up with Julie Nelson from Aromatique Essentials

 

Julie Nelson 

Aromatique Essentials

 Image courtesy from
http://oursurprisingworld.com

I met Julie through Facebook about 12 months ago. Since then we have been connected and chatted on facebook. As you may have noticed, I like to keep an eye out for  creative people who have taken their business from a hobby into a sustainable business. I am particularly drawn to Julie Aromatique Essentials' page in facebook, it has lots of great tips about aromatherapy and organic gardening.

Julie Nelson frequently updates her web blog with Aromatherapy tidbits, news and great tips for organic gardening. Follow her web blog to keep up to date with the latest information on Aromatherapy and Organic Gardening with Aromatique Essentials.

Visit her blog here: http://aromatiqueessentials.wordpress.com/

Aromatherapy is the use of pure plant extracts to promote a sense of well being for the body, mind and soul. Julie's aim is to revive the knowledge of the medicinal and energetic use of aromatic plants and essential oils, a truly holistic professional art and science. Aromatique Essentials specialises in personalised handmade products to suit each individuals needs. Julie also runs a unique series of workshops for Aromatherapy and Organic gardening. The workshops are held in Laguna, Lower Hunter Valley only 1.5 hours drive from Sydney.

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do. 

I have been involved with aromatherapy for 14 years or so and a practising Aromatherapist for 12. I have lectured and contributed in both the design and delivery of aromatherapy and beauty programs with two of Australia’s leading natural therapies colleges.

My passion has also extended into writing for publications, including ‘Pharmacy Trade’, ‘Pregnancy Magazine’, ‘Cleo’, ‘For Me’ and various newspapers. I have featured in ‘Body & Soul’ and appeared on radio.

Aromatique Essentials is a great passion and I am dedicated to supporting anyone who chooses to walk with me and beside me on my journey.

Joseph Campbell once famously said that all humans should “Follow their own Bliss”.

Well I am very happily doing that today!

Aromatique Essentials offers a unique product range and series of workshops to suit your individual needs

Each personalised aromatherapy product is luxuriously tailored to suit each individual’s needs, with ease of use, effectiveness and pure indulgence.

Aromatique Essentials Copyright

Who (or what) inspires you to do what you love in your own creative business?

Initially Vinh I was wanting to support my daughter who was born with a congenital illness and even though orthodox medicine was her main treatment sometimes she would plateau, and I felt there was something more I could do as her mother, secondly I was going through a major transition in my life and knew there was more out there for me to do and here I am! I love working with essential oils, the power of smell is amazing, beautiful and transports us to another place for healing, spiritual work and so much more. Aromatherapy is safe easy and simple to use in our everyday lives.

Where do you get your inspiration from  when you design and create your products?

Loving what I do is enough to inspire me, the essential oils themselves give me great inspiration. For many years now I have been a part of the Aromatic world and experienced amazing results emotionally, physically and spiritually.

What are the five words that people who know you would use to describe you?

Creative, determined, passionate, supportive and cheeky.

Tell us about your very first job and what path have you taken since then?

Wow! My very first job, was working in a laboratory as a technician where we made contact lens... then I went on to take an apprenticeship in fashion design. Then went to technical college in New Zealand for pattern making. When I arrived in Sydney in 1978, I worked in a pub pulling beers, while I went to tafe and continued with fashion. I studied fashion design, and related subjects, more pattern making. Then I felt that I wanted to have fun so left all of that and worked in a great little cafe in Paddington, then went to the Cauldron, from there Juliana’s at the Hilton and so on.

I had my beautiful daughter in 1988, gave up work to be with her and as I mentioned above began searching and found a new beginning for my daughter and I.   

Describe a typical day in your  creative business?

At present I spend a lot of time, writing for my eBook/s, as I am launching two of my workshops online later this year, I am at this moment getting ready to launch live webinars on basic aromatherapy for use in the home environment. I spend a lot of time networking and connecting with beautiful people such as yourself and of course creating personalised product for my clients. I absolutely love every aspect of what I do. I am also attending events and seminars, continuously learning!

Mmmm actually I am not so keen on the admin stuff like tax...

As a solo-preneur, what is your biggest frustration?

I guess sometimes keeping up with everyday stuff, I am working on having balance, in saying that I am 100 % dedicated to my business and passion.

Tell us about how you prioritise your work in your business.

Well it varies and changes, I have no set program, when orders come in I do them, if I need to write I write, etc.

At the moment writing and organising my webinars are on the top of the list, however if a client needs to discuss something with me or they need a product that will become the priority.

Since you are working at home, can you please tell us about how do you connect with other artists, and your customers (i.e. how do you network)?

I use social media which I love! I live in the country where we are fairly isolated, which I love. I am involved in setting up a networking group of women entrepreneurs and I run face to face workshops and Aromatique pamper packages, where I go to my client’s homes.

What advice can you offer other creative people who are just starting out and following their passions?

Have a plan in place, find a mentor or business coach, know where you are going and where you want to be, use strategic visioning and goal setting, stay focused, connect with like minded people and friends. Don’t be afraid to ask for or accept support from others

As Christopher Howard would say ‘Have Furious Curiosity!’ Network, network, network and get you’re marketing in place!

What dreams do you still want to achieve or fulfill in your life?

One of my goals is to start a charity for T.O.F children, this has been a long time goal and I will achieve it.

To grow Aromatique Essentials and have an Aromatherapy Bar! I love sharing my knowledge and supporting people with this Amazing complimentary modality. I am sure more will come as I journey through life.

Signature Perfumes

Aromatique Essentials Copyrights

What is your proudest moment so far?

I have had many, the most important one is my daughter I am so proud of her for every step or goal that she has taken in her life for she has been my greatest teacher and I will be forever grateful! Also the many positive results using Aromatherapy to support my family, friends and clients.

I am proud to be a part of the Natural therapies industry and I am very grateful for everyone that has and still does support me!

Who do you most want to meet and why?

I love to meet positive people and people that I can learn from.

If you are talking about someone famous there are many, that I would love to meet. The Dalai Lama would be an absolute honour and for fun David Bowie!

What is the most important lesson in life that you have learned?

That we are only here for a short time and we need to live our lives to the absolute fullest, love and be loved.

Be Kind to Others.

What book are you reading right now, and do you have a book you would like to recommend?

Well I tend to pick up books randomly and read bits and pieces all of the time. There are two books I have read recently ‘The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity’ by Catherine Ponder and ‘Instant Wealth, Wake up Rich’ by Christopher Howard. They are highly motivating books, that for me personally have helped me to break through old belief systems and believe in myself. They are full of positivity and are very empowering. You can use these books to create wealth in every aspect of your life!

Where do we find you and your products?

I have a website and business pages on the internet where I can be easily reached, also I am on Skype.

I welcome Enquiries and am very happy to answer any questions, about Aromatique Essentials.

Signature Perfumes

Aromatique Essentials Copyrights

http://www.aromatiqueessentials.com.a/

http://www.facebook.com.au/aromatiqueessentials

Julie@aromatiqueessentials.com.au
http://au.linkedin.com/in/aromatiqueessentials1

Signature Perfumes

Aromatique Essentials Copyrights

Signature Perfumes

Aromatique Essentials Copyrights

Close Up with Artist & Designer Chris Chun

Artist & Designer 

Chris Chun

 Chris Chun Copyright

 Chris Chun Copyright

 

"Celebrating the Joy of Life" 

Welcome  to our very first ArtSHINE  Close Up  with artist and designer Chris Chun. Chris and I met over 15 years ago. I have been working with Chris for the past 5 years helping with his creative business. And in that time we have become very good friends.
Chris is a talented artist. His work  is about celebrating  the joy of life. It's colourful and full of happiness.  He also has a range of homewares which is all made with integrity, purpose, and soul.Chris has also licensed his artwork  around the world. Some of his beautiful artwork  have been licensed in ceramics, fabrics, and stationery. I would not be surprised if you owned  one of  Chris' creations. And if you do, I'm sure you love and treasure it.

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

I am an artist and designer who is living their dream. I have my own business. I exhibit as a full time artist at galleries approximately every 18 months and I also license my artwork & design for various companies around the world. This can include anything from ceramics to stationery to fabrics. I am also producing my own range of homewares and working on my first book. The best part is that I only work about 9 months of the year – the rest of the time I am usually travelling.

Who/ what inspires your work and why?

I am inspired by my travels, my cultural background, different artists & designers, films, music, TV, magazines, blogs…..basically anything and everything but the central core of all my work is ‘celebrating the joy in life!’ My work is happy, colourful and optimistic.

What was your previous job?

Previously I was working as a freelance designer working for different companies and retailers in homewares – bedding, cushions etc.

Describe a typical day for you at the studio

On a good day, I get up early to go to the gym or do a yoga class. First hour is spent going through emails and reading up on blogs etc. Then I work until 1pm where I have lunch with Oprah. I work from home so I can watch TV and I love Oprah!! Some of the shows are quite inspiring. I then work until about 6pm then cook dinner. Then aound 9pm, I am often either sending emails or calling clients in the USA/ Europe about current projects etc. I never paint at night as I like painting with natural daylight so I only paint during the day and design at night on my Apple Mac.

As a Solo Artist, what are the pros and cons about working on your own?

The advantages are that I am my own boss so I work to my own beat and I don’t have anyone telling me what to do. Working at home, I can put on a load of washing while I’m waiting for the paint to dry, I can take days off if I want and have complete flexibility. Probably the biggest thing I miss, is working with other people; bouncing ideas off other people and general chit chat. My cat Caesar only talks to me when he wants to eat. You have to be really disciplined to work on your own.  I think deep down I’m really lazy so I take on as much work as possible so I don’t slack off. The thought of not completing a job and letting down a client far outweighs the laziness of just doing nothing!

When did you discover that you can make a full time career from your artwork?

I guess when my first exhibition sold out, I knew that I could paint full time as a career and people liked my work. Around the same time, I was approached by a company in the UK who wanted to license some of my paintings onto greeting cards.

How important is networking in your creative business?

Networking is really important to my business as it is just me working on my own. I find it really beneficial connecting with other like minded designers/ artists. It’s really great to share ideas, stories and even contacts like suppliers, galleries etc. Word of mouth is a powerful thing. Never underestimate this. I also find networking groups online such as LinkedIn really helpful; I am part of a group of artists who license in the USA who have been very generous with their knowledge about working in the States.

What advice can you offer other creative people who are just starting out?

Do something that you love and follow it with all your heart. Part of being creative is being able to connect with people whether it’s a design or a painting. It’s all very well doing what you love to do but if no one else likes it then you’ve got a problem. At the end of the day, you want to be able to make a living from it so people have to like your stuff and want to buy it.

What is your proudest moment so far?

I think being able to make a living doing what I love.

What is the most important lesson in life that you have learnt?

Never stop learning new things, always challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone. You’d be amazed what you can achieve when you thought you couldn’t do it.

Where do we find your work?

You can find my work at www.chrischun.com and in all major and independent retail stores.

Chris Chun Copyright

Limited Edition Silk Satin EYE PILLOWS

For each online sale of an Eye Pillow made from Chris' online boutique, Chris will donate $25 to The Fred Hollows Foundation. $25 can restore sight in the developing world, so as well as buying something special, you have also contributed towards giving the gift of sight to a fellow human being. Namaste.