Wearable Art

Since I have been a child, one of my favourite things to do was create gowns... yes the most luxurious, classic dresses I could imagine. Perhaps Disney influenced my creative spirit, but I loved to make something I felt luxurious in, even if it began with turning a bath towel into so much more! If you were to look back at my school notes, you will see dress upon dress on the pages. I did pay attention, but found I was more attentive in ways when my hands were occupied... and what occupied them was creating beautiful dresses first drawn from the back. At 10 I was creating my own magazine filled with these images, and other how-to etc sections. And yes, I was that child and teen that cut my clothes to create something a little more interesting. As you might imagine, when I learned to sew I was ecstatic! I could finally bring to life what I was creating in my mind and on paper. I must admit that my skills to translate my mental images didn't translate precisely to patterns, so I sought out help with this from a dress designer when needed. She and I worked closely and she taught me some tips and tricks, including helping me to translate my grad dress design.

A Creative Career

As you might have realized, I dreamed of pursuing a career in fashion and had my sights set on Parsons. My ever-wise and practical mother who fostered all of our creative spirits, encouraged me to take a more practical route and pursue my Bachelor in Business, for which I am incredibly grateful. She knew my gentle, sensitive nature was no match for the often ruthless fashion industry. While I was disappointed, I took her sage advice and continue to pursue my creative hobby of creating wearable art in my spare time, and draw in lots of creative elements into my work as an entrepreneur.

Imagining the drape and flow of beautiful fabric, where it is cinched to accentuate a curve and leave a little to the imagination, and the ability to bring this to life is inspiring and uplifting to me! I love creating something I can hold and feel, even better if you can wear it! I love the practice of letting the mind go and flowing with pen and paper to create a beautiful image, choosing just the right fabrics and being able to cut out the pattern. To me, this is also a form of meditation. As a yoga and meditation instructor, I really believe art helps us let the mind go so we can tap into our intuitive and creative processes. We can all create beauty or bring to life something from our imagination, and there's nothing more fulfilling in my opinion than to be immersed in it, as you can be with clothing or creating a space! While we all access and display this creative process in different ways, for me, creating a garment or something that can be used is the most fulfilling. Since I have been a child I have created jewelry, eye masks, dresses, draping shirts, skirts and so much more - and yes, with Fiskar's scissors.

There's No Such Thing as Impossible

For our wedding, I searched high and low for something that was just right - but being the kind of person who knows exactly what they want, cut, design, materials - I wasn't able to find it. Being pregnant also made it tricky, as I needed something that could grow with me. In a last minute panic and due to time constraints, I went to many dress alteration stores or those who said they designed dresses but they all had issues with my design or said something wasn’t possible. I should mention I don’t believe in the word ‘impossible,’ anything is possible if you want it enough. Having this skill allowed me to create (and make many size adjustments to) my wedding dress. And although it's not exactly the dress I envisioned getting married in, it was perfect for me at the time... and just means we need to throw another party and I get to create a dream dress!

One in A Line of Many

As it turns out, I later found out in life that my Gran also had aspirations of becoming a fashion designer, but left Ireland and became a mother to 6...which did involve a fair bit of mending (especially with 4 boys). While she did continue her creative passion when she had the time and energy and shared these skills with my Mom who made us many amazing dresses and costumes, as a mom myself, I can really appreciate having limited time for my passion. But I am very happy to currently devote my time to my family and re-creating my business (which encourages others to tap into their inspiration and creative potential)... and I can see my two year-old daughter may also be one in a line of many aspirational designers!

Cultivate Your Creative Potential

Taking the time to cultivate your creativity allows you options and a space to imagine and connect with your Inner Child! If you have children, get creative with them. This is a beautiful opportunity for both of you to get out of your mind and daily grind, and immerse yourself in creating something you will have to keep for years to come! When we take the time to do this, we allow ourselves to process thoughts and emotions and more deeply connect with ourselves, and maybe others. Being creative truly is a form of meditation.

With love and inspiration,

Katie