Meet Angela from Ms Amelia's Cabinet. Purveyor of quirky t-shirts!
When did you begin
making and what was your inspiration?
I have probably wanted to do this forever. I began playing
with creating images on tee shirts in my late teens but it was a lightweight
fancy at the time. Then I got more serious about life and involved myself in a
series of more conservative preoccupations. Luckily, the sojourn into the
mundane didn’t last overly long and here I am, back to my creative self.
I began designing tee shirts for Ms Amelia’s Cabinet, in
earnest, mid-way through this year and I am glad I did. A friend rang me and
told me to look at some of the tee shirts at AS Colour. I bought some and it
all flowed from there.
I guess the designs are a certain taste. I get a real kick
out of watching the people who like them, smile and light up when they see them
for the first time. That is what being in a market like the Devonport Craft
Market facilitates. You are up close and personal, not sitting behind a murky
web browser somewhere.
With regard to inspiration … I have a proclivity towards
mixing retro and nostalgic elements with slightly off-beat or surreal ideas.
The manufacture of nonsense and randomly associated ideas seems to be, to all
extent and purposes, a serious business.
Where did your brand
name come from?
"Oddly, the name “Ms Amelia’s Cabinet (of Fabulous
Things) is derived from an amalgam of ideas. Ms Amelia, herself, is a
children’s fictional character who has been nesting inside my head for the past
few years. Amelia has yet to make her debut into the public realm but when she
does, it will be in the form of an illustrated children’s book.
The second element relating to the invention of the name,
heralds back to a time when I was considering establishing a range of
fashionable and quirky coats. At that time, my idea was centred around a
playful character named Mr Friskee who owned a magical cupboard of marvelous
things where he would find new and interesting things to wear and engage with.
I guess playfulness is the key. I hope that doesn’t sound
too mad!
Who has been the most
influential in your craft?
They say that no art evolves out of a vacuum and that is
true. I am influenced all the time by things around me – ideas, colours,
shapes. Half of what I pick up on I am not even conscious of, very often, until
after I have designed something.
As far as a love of craft, I definitely inherited that from
my grandmother and my mother. My grandmother, in her younger days, taught
handcrafts locally. I fondly remember a magnificent dark room in which she kept
all manner of fabrics and cane and googley animal eyes (plastic of course). It
was the embodiment of my imaginative childhood Mecca.
My mother, also innately creative, was in turn, inaugurated
by my paternal grandmother into the ‘womanly arts’ of leathercraft and handcrafts
in general. Some of my happiest memories are of all three of us (as well as my
brother) sitting together knitting, crocheting, or making furry toys, which we
affectionately called ‘gonks’, for some reason.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by a lot of things: courage – people who are
just out there doing it; giving their ideas a go.
-Narrative – experiencing stories that make us realise
something about our own humanity.
-Feeling connected to my community and sharing time with my
wonderful friends.
These things refuel me.
Along artistic lines, I have a surrealist bent. Surrealist
painting that isn’t too dark in its emotional tone and German abstract
expressionism excites me. Rene Magritte is a favourite.
I also take great pleasure in absurdism.
What is your
favourite book?
Milan Kundera’s ‘Immortality’
And your favourite
food?
I love big helpings of home-made vegetable soup and French
bread in the winter.
In summer, I love crumbed calamari on salad. I have to also
confess to possessing a fondness for moussaka too. I think I my love of
moussaka is an inherited gene – my great grandparents were Greek.
Where do you find your online inspiration? Favourite blogs /
websites?
Listening to comedians such as Bill Bailey.
For inspiration in in real life – Life Coach Natalie Bryce …
I totally recommend her. Ask me, if you want her number - her website is still
under construction.
I also recently listened to a speech by Mexican author and
screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga that blew my socks off. Don’t ask me how that
relates to tee shirts but it was inspirational, none the less.
What music is on ‘high rotate’ on your stereo or ipod?
Oooh – Confessions! I
guess it would have to be Adele (21) and the movie sound track to Baz
Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.
What handmade
possession do you most treasure?
A beaded, crocheted rectangular shawl that my grandmother
made for my mother. It is exceptionally elegant.
Apart from
making/creating, what do you do?
Luckily for me, I get to do a lot of creating. Outside of Ms
Amelia’s Cabinet, I work as a photographer. I also like to read, play tennis
and go to the gym when I get the chance. Having enough time, on top of that, to
play golf would be a dream.
When you are not at
the Devonport Craft Market, Where do people find your work?
"When I am not at Devonport Craft Market or the
Crafternoon Tea Market (Kingsland) I can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/msameliascabinet
My new shopping website is expected to be up and running by
the end of November – just in time for Christmas. The address, when the site is completed, will be
www.msameliascabinet.com
Special Offer!
Everyone who comes to my upstairs stall at the Devonport
Craft Market on Sunday November 17th and tells me that they read this blog will
receive a 10% discount on any purchase that they make on the day at the Ms
Amelias Cabinet stall.
No comments:
Post a Comment