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| from The Silver Thimble Story Book by Rie Cramer |
I was asked to speak at the NZLA conference this past week
and I wondered what direction I'd take. I decided upon 'Blown off Course;
diverting adventures in Children's Literature.' I wanted to impress upon people how a small girl encouraged
in reading and expressing herself both through words and pictures could end up
on a myriad of creative paths, often by accident.
At five years old, I was all set to be a nun (inspired by the
Sound of Music) but realised that a) I was not Catholic and b) I would not
necessarily be allowed to wear makeup, jewellery and great frocks. I had to rethink my career. At this time
I had in my possession (and still do) The Silver Thimble Storybook by RieCramer; retellings of Hans Christian Anderson tales with exquisite
illustrations. I copied these drawing
again and again to see how they were done- and it was the first book I can remember
reading 'All by myself'. My parents also provided me and my sisters with weekly
comics and annuals. I learned to read and interpret visual and written text through the English
editions of Robin, Bunty and June.
I drew and made things all the time as a kid; it was a place of comfort for me, and by the time I was in high school I knew I wanted to be an artist, but
didn't want starve in a garret- I wanted to be rich and famous. So on leaving
college I went to Wellington Polytech Design School where I majored in
illustration and advertising. I was all set to go to Auckland and be a junior
art director in a flash advertising agency and make lots of money but instead I
fell in love and followed my heart, not my plan and moved to Christchurch.
I couldn't get a job anywhere- the old case of not enough
work experience for the cool jobs and too creative for the uncool jobs. So I
went freelancing. I did a bunch of piddly jobs, including illustrating water
wings for dogs and designing posters for friends. I knocked on doors, talked
to every designer and illustrator in town, took my portfolio to ad agencies
repeatedly. Luckily I was young and cute so the art directors didn't mind
giving me the time of day. I was broke but looked good in op shop chic.
Just when I was about to give up and get a sales job at
Whitcoulls, a copywriter from What Now called and asked if I would like to art
direct a club magazine. (I had been doing a few graphics for the programme). My
motto is that if something is offered that is above your skill set, then
someone has offered it because they see your potential. So say yes. You'll
learn on the job.I art directed, illustrated and sent things off to print on
that mag for 2 years until they ran out of budget. Then the producer asked if
I'd like to do art and craft spots on the show (because of all the arts and
crafts bits I did in the mag) and I said..yes. I'd never done work to a camera
before and there was plenty to learn. That became 7 years of regular TV spots.
In that time I had 2 babies, tutored design and illustration at Christchurch
Polytechnic, illustrated children's books and did lots of illustration for
advertising and design companies.
Eventually I got fed up with TV land (yes you can) and
resigned my contract. One day I wrote a poem and doodled an illustration and
send it to Next Magazine with a note saying that I saw they didn't have a
regular verse column and this would be a good idea. The editor took it up and
this became an 8 year monthly column. At
this time I also started entering the World of Wearable Art.
In this time we moved to Wellington, I wrote a junior fiction novel
(Verity's Truth), moved to Bristol for 2 years and moved back to Wellington
where upon I did a Masters in Creative writing at the IIML. As part of my work placement
requirement I did a stint at Weta working on Jane and The Dragon coming up with
storyline ideas. Then I decided on my bucket list was working on making things,
so politely campaigned Richard Taylor with
my Wearable Art portfolio until he gave me a job in the workshop on The Lion
The Witch and The Wardrobe. I sewed metres of fabric and riveted things and
drank a heap of coffee. In this period of my career, I wrote and had a two more
junior fiction novels published with Scholastic, Janie Olive and Glory.
Film work is exhausting and I left to write another novel
and illustrate more books. Then I was asked to come and talk about wearable
arts on The Good Morning Show and do a craft demo. This led into 6 years of
weekly spots; fantastic stuff. In the past few years, I've worked on The Hobbit as a
costume illustrator, had garments in every WOW show (since 1995) - WOW have
toured me around the countryside to give inspirational talks to designers, I've
run workshops at schools and festivals, illustrated more books- the last two in
particular I'm really proud of; The Red Poppy by David Hill and Far Far From Home by Elizabeth Pulford.
I'm nowhere near rich, I probably never will be. But I'm a
little bit famous and I will never die wondering. I have a ridiculously diverse
portfolio and CV which has made me unemployable in the ordinary world. And
that's o.k, because being creative isn't an ordinary thing to be.I've found being blown off course each time I set sail, one
can transform from a mere deck hand into
an adventurer. In literature: reading, writing, poetry, blogging. In commercial
art and illustration. In costume design and props making, in film, television
and radio. In teaching and handing on the knowledge you've gained to new,
young explorers in the worlds ocean.
In Wearable Wonders, my new book, all my past creative experience comes together. It is a safe ship. I hope to
interrupt linear navigation and have young people set sail, following their
hearts, not the map drawn up by others. To find courage in the stormy seas and
serenity in the calm waters of a creative life.
