For me, “hereness” is that quality of being fully absorbed and present in the moment. As an extension, “thereness” is when your imagination runs wild and free; tumbling unfettered from one idea to the next — the places where your mind goes when you’re creating and playing. Children do this quite naturally when they play — they don’t censor themselves — they just allow their ideas to unfold, fully unhindered.

The belief that the power of the imagination is limitless is a guiding force behind all the things I create. Magical things can happen when we give our imaginations free reign.

I am greatly inspired by the lush illustrations of children’s books — those fantastical, colourful worlds where anything is possible. Long before a child can read on their own, they see those pictures, and those images come alive in their minds, and remain in their memories (or at least they did for me!). Similarly, I create fun and whimsical toys out of fabric printed with my own illustrations (dimensional storybooks?), that I hope will inspire stories and scenes and fantastic worlds, providing the backdrop for hours of immersive, imaginative play.

There is something about physically creating something stitch by stitch, or adding a detail one brushstroke or pencil mark at a time — that concentrated, hands-on work — that is so immensely satisfying.

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