10 QUESTIONS WITH EMMA SHIPLEY, BRITISH GRAPHIC ARTIST & DESIGNER
1.) Good morning Emma, welcome to The Mayfair Musings! Can you tell us where and when your graphic art journey very first began?
I’ve always loved drawing and painting, and went on to study textiles at university. After completing my BA I knew I had more I wanted to develop of my own unique view on textiles, and this led me to doing an MA at the Royal College of Art. It was there that I developed my signature style of fantastical, nature-inspired detailed artwork.
2.) Who is your favourite artist/artists? And who has been your biggest inspiration?
There are so many that inspire me for different reasons, but some I come back to again and again include Albrecht Dürer, Hieronymus Bosch and M.C.Escher.
3.) What struggles have you had to overcome as a woman in business? And What would be your three tips for aspiring female entrepreneurs?
I think there’s definitely an element of not always being taken seriously, and people assuming I do the drawings and someone else runs the business when in reality I do both… However I’ve definitely been lucky in having the support of many brilliant mentors and support networks, so I do think things are improving. The best thing women can do is continue to be bold and show that we will not be held back by outdated expectations and limitations!
4.) How does the natural world inspire your work? And where has been the best place you’ve visited?
The natural world is the constant inspiration for my work. I love to travel to see animals in the wild, and have been to some incredible places around the globe. It’s really difficult to pick a favourite, but one of them has to be a trip I took to the western cape in South Africa, to see thousands-of-years-old rock paintings, followed by Victoria Falls and a camping safari in Botswana. There is something magical about Africa.
5.) Talk us through your process for creating a new design?
When I’m travelling I take lots of photographs and do some sketching. When I get back, I pull together my favourite photos from the trip, and research other areas of inspiration, which often come from films, books or artists. I start pulling together this diverse inspiration, before sketching a really rough design. I then work on the ‘final’ artwork, which I create by hand in pencil, before scanning this into the computer and adding colour. Once the digital design is ready it can be printed and made into different product in our range, such as cushions, bedlinen and fine china.
6.) How important is Circular Design and Sustainability to you and your brand now and moving forward?
Sustainability has always been at the core of the brand from the start. For me, one of the best things we can do as consumers is buy less and buy better, so that we are not over producing and ending up with all the millions of items than currently go to landfill. This also means valuing products more, which enables people to be paid properly at every stage of the process.
I have always wanted to create pieces that last and would be enjoyed for years. We try and show as much of our different manufacturing processes as possible, as I think most people have no idea how a lot of everyday items are made. Just showing how many steps, the amount of skill and the number of people involved in the making of our pieces, hopefully educates people on why things cost what they do, and ultimately that you get what you pay for, especially in terms of quality and ethics.
7.) If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be with?
I would love to collaborate with Fender Guitars or a car company like Tesla - I would be wild to see my patterns on something completely different!
8.) What are your ambitions for the brand over the next 5 years
I would love to continue growing the brand and gaining more fans in the UK and internationally.
9.) Best advice you’ve received? Advice you’d give? What you wish you’d know?
Figure out what it is that’s completely unique about what you do and share that with people’ was great advice I had from a tutor at the Royal College of Art which really resonated at the time, and I think is great advice for any business. In a way I wish I’d known how hard it would be starting and running a business, but on the other hand there is something to be said for naivety sometimes, as it might have put me off completely!
10.) When you're not busy working, where can you be found and what might you be doing?
Either in my garden with my cats (two sweet Ocicat sisters) or travelling to my next exotic location!
