Hazel is the editor of Hazed magazine and the Blog hazel loves design. 2013 was a huge year for Hazel, working on quite a few projects - getting Hazed magazine from an online magazine to print, growing her blog hazel loves design, creating the Craft Love Festival, helping organise The Encraftment Market, The Emporium and Pay it Forward (just to name a few!) She is a humble wee soul which makes her all the more inspiring and what better way to start My Inspiration Monday this year with someone who oozes inspiration. I had a little chat with Hazel to see where her inspiration comes from, how she fits it all in and what 2014 will bring.
How did Hazed/Hazel loves design come about? The
Emporium? And all your other projects?
Honestly, out of boredom. My
husband was working a lot of nights and I was spending a lot of time in the
online world chalking up shopping points on the credit card, one day I happened
across a blog I really enjoyed and decided to give it a go! Fortunately it
helped saved the credit card from extinction - much to my husband's
delight.
Hazel Loves Design first
started life as a blog sharing fabulous images that I had discovered during my
online journeys, when Pinterest came about I found that simply re-posting
images was no longer a valid and current way of blogging and my following had
dwindled. Which is how the evolution came about, I looked to develop the blog
into a niche, firstly that came in the form of 'Hazed' my online magazine which
is dedicated to New Zealand's indie design world, but then I decided to push it
a little further and now the entire blog is focused on New Zealand's hidden
talent. Then when that was working out I pushed it further again branching out
to include The Emporium and starting a market 'Craft Love Festival'. Now I often am asked to
collaborate on exciting projects, for example 'Pay It Forward' a co-operative
store which just opened in my neighbourhood and I've also been involved with
committee's instigating some of Canterbury's largest craft markets.
What are
all your projects?
As of 'right now' I'm actually
not working on all that much, it has been time to admit 'enough is enough'. However Hazel has worked on the following projects below making 2013 very BUSY!
Plus working full time for
Westpac and keeping my hands full with two year old Brooklyn.
Where do
you find time to do all of this with a full time job as well? (Are you
superhuman?!!)
Ha. If you had of asked me
this question six weeks ago I would've said 'I've got an incredibly supportive
family who empower me, and push me to achieve my dreams.' and while that is
still very, very true, I'm feeling less romantic about it all, and a whole lot
of exhausted. So my answer today is 'I don't', I am known to push myself to the
point of absolute exhaustion and make myself sick as a result over the course
of 2013. Some absolutely AMAZING things have been achieved by Hazel Loves Design
and I couldn't be more thankful, but right now I'm feeling empowered by the
motion of saying 'No', that less is definitely more. For 2014 I'll be focusing
on doing a few things extraordinarily well and focusing less on the
extra-curricular.
Where
did the name come from?
A lack of imagination! I had
been developing my own brand of clothes (terribly - I don't think I ever sold
anything except to family) under the label 'Hazel Design', when I took to
blogging that name was already taken so it grew to include the 'loves', anyone
who knows me knows two things, everything I admire 'I love' and I have a tragic
affinity with exclamation marks! As a side note 'Hazed' was named after I
posted the question 'What would you call a magazine' on Facebook! I can't even
take credit for it!
How long
have you been writing for?
Only as long as I've been
blogging, I don't think that I'm terribly good at it, but I enjoy it and find
it therapeutic.
One of my dreams for Hazel
Loves Design and Hazed is to develop a book about being and selling indie in
New Zealand. Although that is an incredibly romantic notion that may never
eventuate - although never say never - 2013 has taught me that.
Where
does your inspiration come from?
I always feel most inspired at
local craft markets. That is where you see the talent in the flesh, can touch,
feel and smell the great products produced in the community for the community.
In the online forum I have a couple of must visit websites and love the way
that I have formed relationships and friendships with the talented lovelies
behind them, Paper + Lace, Toodles Noodles and Sophie Slim are just a few of my
favourites.
What do
you love about what you do?
When I was little I'd often be
seen chopping up Mum's magazines and making them into my own, playing my own
little version of 'The Devil Meets Prada'. Here I am twenty five years later
playing a similar adult version of that game. I never in a million years have
thought that I'd be doing this, but it is something I enjoy, I love that I get
to meet so many fabulous artisan's and designers who use their hands to create
beautiful, beautiful things. And it is the polar opposite of my day job as a
'Professional banker'.
Rest! Well almost, am working
through the holidays with the day job! 2014 should bring an opportunity to just
keep chugging along improving and developing the things that are already under
way, I don't anticipate taking on anything new!
One HUGE
goal I have to take on next is deciding if the time is right to start cutting
back on my hours at the 'day job', then after that I'll be deciding if the time
is right to take on a shared workspace - I get more done when I have to work
away from home, at home I consistently make excuses and often don't start my
day to 11am!
I love making a visual
manifesto of my goals for the new year and this Pinterest Board does a great
job of showing the world my goals for 2014 by
sharing them with the world it definitely makes me more accountable for my
targets for the year. (p.s. totes love this idea and am going to do the same!)
Happy Planning for your 2014 to be inspiring!
