Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
To say it’s a balance would not be truthful. I am primary carer and often sole parent to my boys. We have no family close by, and my husband works away a lot. I’d love to find an extra 10 hours in a day, but the truth is I work all the time at strange hours – it’s not uncommon for me to be cleaning the bathroom at 5am and be packing orders at midnight. My boys still nap in the middle of the day, which is a massive bonus!
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
This year has been the hardest. I thought 2020 was pretty tough, but the past 12 months have seen my mother and aunt pass away, my father develop prostate cancer, and really that’s just been the tip of the iceberg. Adding that onto Covid border closures and lockdowns, the uncertainty of retail – it’s been a massive challenge.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
I run my own business because that means I am here for my boys. Fortunately I have that luxury – I know not everyone does. It took us a long time to conceive them, and then they were born 10 weeks prematurely and we were in hospital for 2 months. I decided that there wasn’t any point in going through all that if I didn’t put in the effort to enjoy and raise them myself.
One massive con is that people seem to think when you aren’t heading into someone else’s business, you have ‘all the time in the world’ and don’t really work. When in fact, it’s the opposite.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I started this project not only to teach my boys, but also to take ownership of our amazing Australian wildlife and get them into our vernacular. We see a lot more Aussie animals around now – but still I’d like to visit a store and see a Dibbler or a Quoll on a T shirt, instead of the feral animals that destroy them.
Next year, we are hoping to do some travelling around Australia to show the boys our great backyard before they start school, and also for me to trail conservationists in the field to study and sketch the wildlife and flora more – I’m keen to write and illustrate a book for kids, further elaborating on the flashcards. We will also open up the studio for nature-inspired workshops featuring some of the amazing and passionate local talent in the Scenic Rim region.
Visit the Fabriculture website to find out more about the wonderful work they are doing, and to browse their beautiful range of products. You can also join their communities on Facebook and Instagram.
