Hello!
I'm really happy to share with you this new interview.
Isabella is one of the really talented designers I had the fortune to meet in person in a few occasions. I'm also the proud owner of one of her fantastic rings!
Enjoy!
tell
us a bit about yourself..
Hello,
I'm Isabella, from Bologna, northern Italy. I'm really
curious, really shy and I
always have more ideas than time! I've started a lot of projects in
the last years, every time under a new name/monicker.
I'm into
DIY, (horrible) music, visual arts and illustration, graphic design,
jewelry making, homesteading and radical living, hiking and of course
handmade.
tell
us about your label and where the name "Cindy Leper" comes
from?
Well,
I had some previous names and projects before becoming “Cindy
Leper”. It's a name I used everywhere on the Internet in the last
6 years. It all started as a joke when I runned my own DIY music
label with some friends, we all had silly nicknames, and I choose
Cindy Leper because it well describes me. I'm a Gemini, such as you
(and many other creatives and readers I think!), I have a “bipolar”
style and taste, from really colourful & happy to very dark and
macabre. It always been like this, with everything I do, so I
realized I liked this name more than any other brand names I could
find. And it's part of me!
Speaking about the project, I started
as a freelance graphic designer, with a strong DIY and experimental
attitude, and then my work became more and more handmade. So one fine
day I decided to actually start a new activity, under the name
Officine Microcosmo (with my father, who's teaching me 101 of
woodworking) and then Cindy Leper.
what
is your background and how did you get where you are today?
I
always loved art, music and nature, these things always had a special
place in my life. After art school I've studied anthropology, and in
the meantime I runned a small music label with some friends. We
published some records and put toghether some shows and festivals. In
2009 I left Bologna and moved to the mountains, after some months
away as wwoofer. A wwoofer is a volunteer in organic farms, basically
you work with them as a member of the family/community as long as you
stay in a place. This opened my eyes a lot about the kind of life I
want to do, it helped me get closer to my, let's say, dreams. I lived
in a small village on the Apennines for 2 years more or less, and
I've started working to my personal projects, looking after to get
them become my job (those days diaries at
sibillagraphics.wordpress.com). This is my background, more or
less. About where I am today, it' totally random I'm afraid!
where
do you get your inspiration from?
Everywhere!
I use a lot Pinterest and Tumblr as moodboards and inspiration
boosters. I also follow a lot of blogs. But in the end, inspiration
is impredictable, is shows up when unespected, like on the bus,
walking or seeing something on the street. I always have a notebook
in my pocket but most of the times I'm lazy and I don't use it :)
what
do you love most about what you do?
As
a design junkie, I love the first step of the process. Doing
research, having ideas, write and draw down everything comes into
mind, shaping a piece or project. I'm way less good at “get it
done”.
what
new things can we look forward to from "Cindy Leper"?
It's
a brand new project so it's still evolving. I'd like to merge my
several activities under a single form and label. I know this is pure
utopia, but...”I want to believe”!
what
is your workspace like and what is an essential aspect of your
working day?
My
workspace is my home and it's essentially MESSY.
I used to live
in a big old house last year, I had a real home studio and it was
really good for my work. Now I live in a shared flat and have stuff,
sheets, notes, supplies all over my desk. I'm looking foward to build
a studio soon, hopefully in a co-working area. I think it'll be
inspiring, it's an interesting solution for creative workers.
what
do you love to do on your days off?
What's
a day off? :)
I
read/browse/think/plan a lot but when I really need to take a break I
go out and walk, love the fresh air! And I'm totally into action,
sci-fi and superhero movies and tv series, the dumbest they are the
most I like them.
tell
us 3 handmade projects/brands that you really admire.
Right
now I've a huge crush in jewelry making, most of my favorite
designers are jewellers. I don't know if this could be properly
called handmade, by the way :) I think Viktoria Münzker is my favorite jeweller at the moment, as well as Terhi Tolvanen. And talking about projects
discovered via Etsy, I really love Giardinoblu.
