What led you to what you are doing now? Can you share a little bit about your creative journey? 

I’ve always been the type to light up when I’m working on something creative. So when I stumbled across graphic design it completely captured my attention to pursue as a career - with the intention to keep my other passion of sewing/fashion as a side hobby. A handful of years later after studying and working in the design industry, I managed to work up enough freelance work to establish my own branding studio, The Binding, full time! I love working with clients to create a visual identity that captures their project/business unique personality. But it also has me glued to the screen all day, so to help hold me accountable to get creative away from the screen and instead focus on something tangible I began The Essentials Club. Originally it started out as a very casual blog to share my handmade pieces and over the years has turned into it’s own ‘thing’ where I run workshops, share DIY tutorials online and weave in my passion for sustainable living. Now I spend my days balancing out working with clients for TB projects and bringing content to life for TEC!

What's your favorite part about what you do? 

With each business the most rewarding part would have the be the community and personal fulfilment it’s provided. I’m excited to get stuck into each day because whether it’s a TB or TEC workload ahead, I’m doing something to positively impact someone else. That could be working with a client to help bring their vision to life or sharing a new tutorial that allows others to get creative. Each gives me so much purpose and drive! Daily I get to be a part of people’s journeys in their own projects and watch on as they start a new business or discover the world of making their own wardrobe essentials. 

What about the most challenging part? 

I love working for myself, but it definitely can be challenging when it comes to juggling all the different hats you have to wear. It gets quite overwhelming being pulled in all the different directions and managing time to work through things efficiently while balancing out having a life and attempting to maintain my own wellbeing. 

The biggest thing I’ve learnt is to make the most of those days where things are flowing and energy seems endless. Then try not be so hard on myself when things aren’t quite going to plan (these are definitely more common than the other). Sometimes that involves having to be stern and remind myself to be more realistic when planning. We’re only human and as much as I’d love to get everything done now, sometimes that’s just not possible. I’ve found self acceptance and a realistic point of view to be key when dealing with this. 

What are you currently working on & how can we get involved? 

I’ve got a heap of fun client work going on behind the scenes at the moment with TB and will finally be getting the chance to start sharing the outcome of these! It’s always exciting when a project wraps up and I get to send all the final designs to the client and begin the unveil online - especially because of the anticipation built up from months of working on it.

Then with TEC I’ve got an endless list of ideas for DIY tutorials I cannot wait to bring to life and start sharing over the coming months. So many cute garments I’ve been dreaming up which I’m beyond ready to add to my own wardrobe and share the steps for others to be able to create it for themselves too!

The best way to stay in the loop with each of these would be to follow along on Insta and use these upcoming unveils as inspiration for your own projects! 

What advice would you give to anyone that is starting out? 

It can be so daunting getting started for so many different reasons, but don’t allow the massive mountain in front you to become a burden. Let that end goal at the top drive that deep desire and inspiration within you, then break it down into achievable steps to reach the top. With perseverance you will get there, but don’t forget to look back and celebrate what you’ve gone through and actually enjoy the milestones along the way!

Get excited. Be realistic. Make time for loved ones. Back yourself!

What's next for your business? 

To be honest, I’m at a point where I’m really excited and proud and content with each of my businesses. And reaching that stage has come from being selective with the work I take on and channelling more energy into enjoying this life - because the to-do list will always be there in comparison to the chance to create memories with loved ones! 

So moving forward I’m committed to making space for the things that light me up and the projects that give back. That means continuing to work with clients that are passionate about doing good things and using my platforms to even more so encourage creativity and sustainability. 

I know that’s super vague for ‘what’s next’ but I’ve learnt that sometimes expectations and rigid plans can cap our full potential. Don’t get me wrong, I have goals! I just also believe why limit ourselves. I hope that whatever opportunities are around the corner are beyond what I could even comprehend right now!