SOUL JUNKIE: BIO

As the eldest of a fabulous family of two sisters and brother I was always recognised as the artsy creative sibling. From as young as I can remeber on those spring afternoons when my brothers and sisters would be playing or doing homework I would be out in the garden with my dad gardening, collecting natural wonders like leaves, pebbles, feathers and putting them into a shoebox to draw later.

I had a wonderful upbringing, I was taught to appreciate what I had and even from such a young age I understood that the happiest people in life didn't have the best of everything but they made the best of everything. I would always fantasise my dream bedroom and draw it in my sketchbooks, adding unlimited possibilities, after a while I realise I was good at drawing interiors and I had fun designing them.

At the age of 12 I knew I wanted to become an interior designer. I took a lot of pride in my art, making it my main focus in my study (as you can imagine Papa wasn't too pleased) as he obviously prioritised maths english and science..and I sucked at them all. After high school I went to college studied business, fine art, graphic design and film studies (film studies was my favourite lesson, it got me into thinking about set design) . I then participated a third year in a Foundation art and design course, which from all my years of study was my most favourite. It opened my eyes to the variety of arts and crafts and allowed me to learn new techniques and discover new talents, such as fashion design and photography. I have always had an eye for fashion, I have always dressed differently and understood trends and until I studied fashion I would have only let it be apart of my lifestyle, I would have never thought about taking it further.

After my National Diploma in art and design I then enrolled at the University of Salford Manchester studying interior and spacial design. In my first year I managed to get a place of my own, living with such a big family in a small house was difficult getting older, so managing to get my own place at the age of 20 was a proud moment for me ( and decorating was pretty fun too) to pay for my flat I had to take on two jobs, one at my local Italian restaurant where I have worked since I was 16 and working for my mum doing believe it or not... garment design! My mum owned her own made to measure boutique, where she designed and made garments specifically for the customer, my sewing skills were not amazing to begin with but with parctice I found myself to be a natural at it! My creativity is what drives me, I worked on the floor advising customers and helping them come up with a design by sketching ideas for them. Who knew!

I am currently in my final year of study in Interior Design, and I have loved every moment of it. Ideally I would need to be looking for jobs in interior design industries and then work my way up in the world. However I have had new ideas, thinking about the idea of going all corporate just isn't me, and like I was taught growing up, do what makes you happy. And this is where SOUL JUNKIE comes in.