creatives – The Interiors Addict

Creative entrepreneur? Get 25% off tickets to Soul Safari!

A special event series for creative entrepreneurs, Soul Safari hits Sydney this weekend and Melbourne in early June, providing a great opportunity to network with like-minded creatives and learn from the best in the biz.

Created by Vanessa Holden (whose formidable CV we’ll get to later), the 2017 line-up features Indira Naidoo and Dinosaur Designs’ Louise Olsen amongst many others. “I started Soul Safari to drive radical transformation by creating a space for people to come together in an active, creative environment that focuses on purposeful, sustainable and ethical practices,” says Vanessa who debuted the event last year in Sydney and New York.

“The dynamism of the Australian creative community is constantly evolving. I can’t wait to get back to Australia to bring to life our next series of events, sharing the stories of an even more diverse group of leading creative spirits and established and emerging business leaders across a broad swath of industries,” says Vanessa whose career includes stints as creative director at west elm and Donna Hay magazine and as the editor in chief at Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Weddings.

Vanessa Holden getting inspired in Morocco

“It’s been a real thrill to see our first two events in Sydney and New York bring together a tribe of the world’s leading artists, makers and creative minds and propel them forward in new projects and collaborations. It’s been humbling and inspiring to shape an empowering space for attendees to discover the next opportunity and fuel their journey toward their dreams, especially at this moment of global instability and uncertainty,” says Vanessa.

The Sydney event will be held at The School this weekend and the program will feature 20 speakers over two days with keynote addresses from Dinosaur Designs’ co-founder Louise Olsen, broadcaster and founder of The Edible Balcony Indira Naidoo and artist Liane Rossler. The two-day event will also offer the opportunity to collaborate with artist Elliott Routledge on a massive on-site art installation.

2016 Sydney art installation in progress

Soul Safari Melbourne will also bring together 20 speakers over two days and will feature keynote addresses from the designer Rae Ganim and the director of The Jacky Winter Group, Jeremy Worstman. Stylist and creative director Tamara Maynes will lead an on-site craft collaboration too.

Soul Safari Sydney
26 & 27 May, 2017 at The School, 85 Dunning Avenue, #2, Rosebery, NSW 2018

Soul Safari Melbourne
2 & 3 June, 2017 at The Establishment Studios, 23 Grattan St Prahran, Victoria 3181

As a special treat, Interiors Addict readers can purchase tickets to the event at 25% off using the discount code TRIBEVIBES.

Purchase tickets | For more

The Etsy Design Awards 2015 are open and I’m a judge!

I’ve been a massive fan of Etsy for years. In fact, I don’t think I’ve stopped shopping from its sellers since I discovered it, including half my wedding (read about my top finds here)! So I was really honoured to be asked to be a judge of this year’s Etsy Design Awards and I can’t wait to discover some new local makers and small businesses. As a fellow online business owner and supporter of Australian creatives (we’ve featured many Etsy store owners on the blog), it’s something close to my heart. I’m pretty much a disaster zone when it comes to making stuff, so I have huge admiration for these clever folk!

2014 New Talent winner Carl Holder of Foreply

Now in its second year, submissions just opened and you can enter up until 13 July 2015. This year, the awards are also open to New Zealand sellers.

This year’s categories are:

Art, Illustration & Papergoods
Home & Lifestyle
Fashion & Accessories
New Talent
Business As Unusual.

A winner will be selected from each category, along with a sixth Community’s Choice winner voted by the public. The Business As Unusual category rewards sellers that run their shop and create items in ways that are socially and environmentally responsible, a nod to the Etsy mission: ‘to reimagine ecommerce in ways that build a more fulfilling and lasting world’. The New Talent category aims to showcase creatives new to Etsy who have opened their shop in 2015.

Last year’s new talent winner Carl Holder (above) of Foreply, says: “Winning the award and the resulting media exposure generated masses of interest in my Etsy shop ‐ I went from a few dozen visits a day to literally thousands with interest and encouragement coming from all over the globe. It’s given me confidence to continue what I am doing and allowed me to venture into selling my pieces outside of Australia.”

Helen Souness, managing director, Etsy Australia and Asia, says: “We were so thrilled to see that the Etsy Design Awards, in their inaugural year in 2014, really helped the finalists and winners to grow their creative businesses on the Etsy platform. Perhaps as importantly it gave many emerging talents the confidence to know their work was world-class and that they really could make a living from pursuing their passion for making. We hope to discover many new talents in this year’s Awards and welcome new makers and designers onto Etsy.”

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Although the recognition alone is a pretty big deal, the prizes on offer aren’t to be sniffed at, including a trip to Etsy’s headquarters in Brooklyn, New York for the New Talent and Community’s Choice winners, as well as coverage on Etsy’s social media and a feature in the October issue of Inside Out for all category winners.

This year’s awards are in association with Inside Out magazine. Editor in chief Claire Bradley says: “These kinds of awards are a rare opportunity for smaller businesses to have their beautifully crafted products seen by a design‐focused audience. It’s exposure to the very people who treasure true craftsmanship and attention to detail and it’s an acknowledgment of what’s often been years of hard work and sacrifice. Personally, I’ll be looking for entries that raise the bar in terms of materials and finishing details. Quality execution is a must for me. And of course, style that moves past what we’re currently seeing in the market.”

Fellow judge Claire Bradley of Inside Out magazine

Alongside Claire, Helen and I, Ewan McCoin, senior curator at the National Gallery, makes up the judging panel. We can’t wait to see the entries!

For more information and to enter.