DESIGN
BECI ORPIN // DESIGNER AND ILLUSTRATORMy strongest memory of drawing as a kid is that every time I got
to do it, it was fun – that was the most fun thing I could do. So,
I knew I wanted to do it as my career. I got into fashion design at
RMIT, which was a great course, but I didn’t like it at all, because
it was far too technical. It didn’t have enough drawing for me.
Then I discovered textile design, which was perfect because it was
design-led, but it had a really strong drawing component. It was a
way I could combine my drawing skills with design, which was the
clincher for me, because all of a sudden I was like, “OK, there’s a
way I can do these two things I really like.”When I graduated, I kind of accidentally got into freelance
work. I had a friend who got a job at Factory X, which is a
big Melbourne company that’s now home to Gorman and
Dangerfield and Princess Highway. She started designing
there and got me in to do t-shirt prints for her. Then it kind of
snowballed. I got more and more freelance work, but it took a
good five years after graduating before I could support myself
from freelancing. I also ran the clothing label Princess Tina for
nine years. We were terrible at it, but it was really fun. Now I say
I operate in a space that is DIY, illustration and design, with a
few other things around there.I think it’s strange when people ask how I developed my style.
I didn’t develop my style, it just was that. I was definitely
influenced by a very specific time – the early ’90s and all the
things that were going on then. There was this explosion of
streetwear. I don’t know if streetwear is even a term anymore,
but it was definitely an explosion of that middle market of fashion
where it wasn’t surf wear and it wasn’t high-end – I was really
interested in that. I’ve also always been into childlike naivety,
and being simple and clean.My one piece of advice is to work hard. I’m not saying to
work yourself to death, but I do think you need to work hard
to get anywhere – in particular, in this age of Instagram fame,
which is often based on photos, not actual work. I’ve made
so many sacrifices, especially after my children were born.
There was a bunch of friends I didn’t see for years. But I feel
so privileged to have found something that I 100 per cent love
doing, and that it is design. Yesterday, because of what I was
working on, I was shaking with excitement. It’s like a drug –
it’s the best drug...................
SPONSOR: Shillington knows good design. They run a range of
creative courses in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and abroad,
and graduates not only come out with top-notch skills, but also
a polished portfolio. Oh yeah!SMALL BUSINESS
TESS MCCABE // DESIGNER, PUBLISHER AND PODCASTERI always wanted to work in magazines when I was younger. I studied
graphic design in Brisbane and, after graduating, I got into book
publishing. It was a lot drier than cool, funky magazine publishing,
but it was also such a great training ground as a designer. I was
always doing freelance stuff on the side, and one day, after working
at my part-time job then coming home and working on freelance
stuff all night, I was like, “Maybe I should just freelance all the
time.” I thought, “I’ll do it for six months and if I make no money,
I’ll go back and get another job.” But it really took off.
Taking that leap and announcing I was now open for business as this
solo person meant that people were like, “Oh great, finally. Now we
can contact you during the daytime and not have to wait overnight.”
It was weird thinking of myself as a small business, because, the way
I saw it, they have a place of business and more than one person.
I was just working at my desk at home. I was also in Melbourne,
a new city where I didn’t know many people, so I wasn’t meeting
anyone day-to-day in my work life. That led me to start going to
Creative Women’s Circle meet-ups.
Creative Women’s Circle was started as a way for women to come
together and share what they had learned, while talking about all
those little challenges and issues you have as a self-employed
person. When the original founder became too busy with her young
family to keep the meet-ups going, I was like, “I’ll start organising
them.” Through that, I started to meet a lot of other creatives who
I could collaborate with, and some became my clients. I built the
business up from there, learning a lot along the way about quoting
and invoicing, and all those other small business things you don’t
realise you have to take care of when you leave an employer and go
out on your own.
The best business ideas come from a really authentic place. Think
about how many start when someone is like, “Well, I was looking
for this and I couldn’t find it, so I created it myself.” Even with my
books, I think, “Would I buy this book? Yes, because I want to read
this content.” Any time I’ve veered from that and overthought, it just
hasn’t really worked. Also, if you’re going to start a small business,
it’s a real slog, so you’d better like it. You don’t want to get into
something that you weren’t passionate about to begin with, because
the actual passion part, the bit where you get to be creative, is often
minuscule compared to everything else. There’s got to be some sort
of beacon that you’re following.
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SPONSOR: MOO launched in 2006 with one goal: to reimagine
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