Way back before children, I got my dream job. I had been working in an office and I had developed some pretty good admin skills, but I was bored to snores. I remember one weekend, I was sitting under a tree at a beautiful park in Melbourne with my then boyfriend (now husband) and a notebook, trying to work out what my next move was. I had two pages open in front of me with the skills I already had on one side, and the things I loved to do on the other, and it was like a lightbulb went off. I wanted to use my admin skills, but in a creative industry - to be someone's right hand behind the scenes. So, I set about making that dream come true. I was pretty excited when I landed a job working for a children's wear designer in Richmond. It was a small business, so I got to see up close how she created the collections, how it all came together, and I felt like I was finally home - it was exactly where I wanted to be. During my time with this designer, one of the things that she passed on to me was her dislike of primary colours - she would not work with them. What this did was open my eyes to the world of possibilities for both boys and girls. Boys don't have to be in blue and girls don't have to be in pink. Another thing I took away, was that she had to spend a lot more time designing the boys wear collection - which makes sense now that I have children, because for me, boys are harder to buy for, without a doubt.
These days, I have three little kids, two of whom are boys, and they are complete opposites. And yet, even though both my boys are into completely different things, and have completely different styles, I could not find anything to suit either of their beds. It baffled me. Why are the same colours and subject matters just repeated over and over - surely in this day and age, boys can be better represented? My eldest loves sport and geography and video games and Harry Potter. My baby boy loves rainbows and music and dinosaurs and magic. Now, I'm pretty handy on the internet; my friends comment that if it is on the internet, no matter how obscure, no matter how small the reference, I will find it. So, when I was searching and coming up with nothing, it set off a spark in me that grew and grew, until eventually I had another lightbulb moment - I should design their bedding myself.
Luckily, in some ways, this all happened during the (shhh, don't say it too loud just in case - 'pandemic'), so I had the time to sit and play with my idea - developing themes and colours and patterns (in between home schooling, crafting and eating snacks). I also had some excellent in house design consultants living with me in Mr 8, Mr 6 and Ms 3, so I was able to get some very helpful feedback early on. But, I am not an artist or a designer or a pattern maker, so what happened after I came up with some design ideas? Well, I went on a veeeeerrrry steep learning curve, that I am still navigating. I discovered there was a lot I didn't know, and a lot that can go wrong, but I am really enjoying the journey. Best of all, I am glad I have shown my kids to be brave, to take a leap into the unknown and to follow your dreams.
A big squeezy hug to you all,
xo
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