Thursday, April 29, 2010

The Path Less Trodden - Interview with Miss-Tic

It was a warm humid afternoon. I was glad I was in the cool respite of an air-conditioned hotel lobby lounge. Seated comfortably in the armchair opposite me was she. Jet black curly hair cascading onto her shoulders, sunglasses perched atop, sexy red dress with ruffles. I was here to interview Miss-Tic, French stencil street artist, who is currently in Singapore for her exhibition, Parisienne, part of the VOILAH! French Festival Singapore. Miss-Tic's work is known throughout Paris, and exhibited all around the world. In her earlier days, she had to play hide and seek with the police. She kept her identity a secret then, letting only her stencil art which popped up here and there in the streets to speak for themselves. In between smiles, laughter and ponderings, Miss-Tic had a little chat with Cookie Cutter. I picked her brains on taking a path less trodden:


CC: You were a poet, a newspaper critic, and a street theater performer. Why did you turn to street stencil art?

MT: Even when I was in those other jobs, it always involved the more alternative in those fields eg. underground magazines. I had already started going by the stage name, “Miss-Tic” then. I went to the States in the late 70s and got acquainted with the Hip Hop and graffiti movement. I took my new found love with me when I returned to France in 1983.

CC: And the rest as they say is history.


CC: Did you always have a talent in drawing? Were you self taught?

MT: I was always doodling even when I was a kid. I took some classes here and there. It was the same with writing, I’ve always loved it even as a young child.


CC: Do you ever find yourself in a creative rut? Where do you draw your inspiration from?

MT: We can’t always expect ideas to just magically pop up in our heads. I think creative work calls for a lot of hard work as well. I look for inspiration in my everyday life-- movies, music etc.


CC: Is there a message that you want to convey through your work?

MT: (in English) Freedom, love, eroticism. These are good energy!


CC: Was it difficult doing something unconventional and even having to hide from the police especially in your earlier days?

MT: Well, stencil street art was like a natural choice for me. And when you’re young, you’re rebellious, full of energy. I had lots of pent-up emotions, feelings and thoughts I wanted conveyed.


CC: What advice do you have for someone who wants to pursue a creative dream instead of mainstream occupations, especially in a conservative society like Singapore?

MT: Work around the system. There would be “loop holes” which you can leverage on. Find like-minded people for support. Then add lots of determination to the recipe!


CC: This is your first time in Singapore. What’s your impression so far?

MT: I’m finding it interesting, many ethnic groups living together. I love the food. Yes, even the spicy food! Not so much a fan of the humidity though.


*****

I enjoyed the interview and walked away feeling inspired. It was wonderful to meet someone who fiercely lives the life she wants, regardless of what society dictates. I see in Miss-Tic someone who’s so comfortable in being herself. And because of all these, she is happy. Isn’t that what we’re all after? Happiness.


If you are in Singapore, Miss-Tic’s exhibition, Parisienne, is on at the Ion Art Gallery from 1 - 16 May, 10am - 10pm, admission is free. Check out http://voilah.org.sg for more information.


*Special thanks to Nabs for this.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Book making love - Creative Escape

Did you catch my tweet yesterday about my going to a short book binding workshop? As I was rushing to get out of the house, T asked if I brought my camera along. It totally slipped me so I ran back in to get it. Thanks to his reminder, I have some pictures to share with you!


The workshop was in a studio called Creative Escape. Being me, the moment I stepped in, I was gawking at the interior (gosh, I must have appeared rude, not maintaining eye contact as the friendly owner/teacher, Arden, said hi). The studio wasn’t huge but it was spacious enough to house lots of crafty supplies and art materials. It felt so good to be surrounded by these! Believe me, you can get inspired just so! The walls were kept mostly white since they were accented by the colourful tiles, bottles of paint, beads, art works etc. And these were neatly organised with some Ikea furniture.






I especially liked Arden’s personal working space which was an extension of the place we worked in, separated only by glass panels. Loved the two work desks which were placed near the windows and hence bathed in gorgeous natural light. I can’t empahsise enough how great it is to be able to do creative work with natural lighting. Between the two work desks and windows was a glass door which opened to a beautiful plot of green outside. Certainly lovely for a house in our land deprived city!



Arden’s a wonderful teacher. She’ll be relocating to Sydney very soon. Hopefully, she’ll find someone who is as passionate at this to take over. Here’s my little book with Japanese binding.




I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the workshop. It’s been quite an exciting week for me so far. Other than picking up book binding skills, I’ll be heading out to do an interview later with French street artist, Miss-Tic. Be sure to read about it here soon!


Happy mid-week!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Blue Letterpress wedding invites

I can’t believe I’ve been married almost 4 months. The good thing is, we still feel as though we’re dating, still doing the fun (and boring) stuff we used to enjoy doing (yes, we enjoy both). So, all’s good. Hmm... maybe except that the travel bug's biting again but since we should be saving after spending so much for the wedding, I'll have to bear with it for now.


I haven’t actually done a wedding post since last year and I thought why not? Especially since I am constantly impressed by the images of gorgeous weddings I see online. And of course the related stationery (hands up stationery/paper lovers!)! Check out these two blue wedding invites/save the dates. Very different feel but I love both of them! Of course, they’re letterpressed. There’s some debate on impression but from an aesthetic point of view, I totally love them! Want to run my fingers across the surface.




I thought the solid colour areas were printed so wonderfully. No easy feat! From Beast Pieces



Such sweet pale blue with lovely damask details. From See Saw Designs (via Oh So Beautiful Paper)


[images: from source]

Monday, April 26, 2010

White and Light - Laura Day Living

If you’ve followed Cookie Cutter for a while, you would have probably noted my love for rustic, eclectic and vintage-inspired interiors. I’m not the biggest fan of the modern sleek minimalist look. But well, there are always exceptions.






Some tips on how to create a similar space.


When I saw this space, my first natural response was that I wanted to sink my toes into the lush carpeting! Love love love the contrast in textures and tones which are employed so perfectly! The generous lighting both artificial and natural contributes to the elegant but also cozy ambience. Designer Laura Day also painted the ceiling with a dark color so your eyes are drawn up to it, highlighting the height of the room. Gorgeous, isn’t it? Ok, I’ll have to admit that the Sakuras in the first image kinda had me right from the beginning.


Happy Monday, lovelies!


[images: Laura Day Living]


Thursday, April 22, 2010

Cheerful & Colourful - Rice

So the sun is out, the flowers are basking in its glow and blooming in mirth (biased special mention of the Sakuras). If for some reason you are still not feeling Spring, this will put you in the mood for it:














Bright happy colours and fantastic styling by the awesome folks from Rice. I hope that cheered you up a little :)


[images: Rice (via fee-amore)]

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Japanese Kitchen Love

I used to be a little obsessive about keeping the kitchen uncluttered. Bottles, cans, utensils must all be kept away and not be seen lying around. Right now on the contrary, I feel that such kitchens lack warmth and character. It’s the little things lying around that tell people about the family who lives in the house. Afterall, we want to furnish our homes in a chosen way/style so that they tell our stories, isn’t it?







There is something about Japanese kitchens and dining areas that I so love. Maybe it’s because I’m intrigued to find out about the space where all that delicious food was prepared. Maybe it’s the generous use of natural materials. But you know what? They are all filled with things, some more functional, others more decorative. And they never feel cluttered to me. In fact, I am charmed by them! What about you? What’s your kitchen/dining area like?


[images: personal scans]

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Letterpress - Did I say I love it?

It looks like a lovely day today and I’m wondering if I should work outside. Afterall, I was pretty much indoors the whole of yesterday (you might have read my tweet about the kim chi fried rice I made for dinner). I need to find someplace with good internet connection though. It’s a total drag when I find a comfy seat, buy myself a drink/snack and am ready to start work when alas, I turn on my Mac to realise that the connection is unstable!


One of the things I enjoy doing when taking a break from serious work on the laptop is to browse Etsy. Before you jump into thinking, it’s shopping again, I’ll like to clarify that it’s pretty inspiring too! Just earlier on, I was looking at letterpress. I am always as ever, blown away by this traditional craft. Here are some pieces I’m hearting: