Bedroom Stories

Bedroom Stories is the continuation of our show Comfort in September 2019.

Comfort was a semi-choreographed interaction between our models and bedroom sets, showcasing the contrast between our sustainable, handmade and delicate range and the brutal rawness of one's private and intimate space. At first glance the venue presented a beautiful, floral and ethereal series of bedrooms. Although upon closer inspection the audience were confronted with the reality of everyday living bedrooms, noticing used condoms, cigarette butts and dirty crockery.

This year we will recreate the same feeling but on an even more intimate level.

We, Kate and Rosemary, are the Creative Directors of CREASE and with the help of technology, over the past few weeks we have been interviewing close friends and collaborators who inspire us, teach us and are growing with us on our journey.

Bedroom Stories have come at a time which we can all relate to during isolation. We are forced to appreciate and see the space we inhabit more than ever before, revealing the good, the bad and the ugly of our surroundings. This for many of us, has brought an opportunity for reflection and appreciation for the smaller blessings we receive daily. The confrontation of the sudden unknown and unplanned future has been one that we have both personally struggled with in a number of ways and Bedroom Stories is an opportunity for us to communicate how we’re feeling with our supporters, friends, collaborators and each other. It is something we were hoping to bring sooner, but are so happy to be bringing to you now.

In Bedroom Stories we will shine a light on a CREASE community member in their personal space along with a short interview.

Tyler 1.PNG — Tyler

We have both had the pleasure of knowing Tyler since university and have shared a wealth of memories and unusual times together. (Nothing like a traumatic university experience to bond you for life, ey!)
There is no end to Tylers talent, forever creating new innovative looks for his drag performances as Rosacea Blemish with no detail spared. We highly recommend you check her out at the Queen Adelaide every Friday & Saturday!
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Sarah - About.jpeg — Sarah

Sarah has been a member of the CREASE family from its birth, since meeting at university she has been a pillar of support and encouragement as we have manoeuvred through the dynamics of setting up a business. She has a soul that exudes kindness and creativity and we are so lucky to have her as a member of our CREASE family.
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Anna

Anna has been a member of the CREASE community long before CREASE came to be and continues to be a supporter of our creative endeavours. She is mother to Teddy, Reuben and Betsy who all currently live in Scotland with her Husband Nathan.
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Tyler 2.JPG — Q. Following our collection Titled ‘Comfort’, what does the word ‘comfort’ mean to you?

To feel completely safe to be who you are and how you want to be in a moment, that is what the word means to me. It’s a word that we know from a young age but, in my opinion and experience it’s only a feeling we get to know when we are certain of being uncomfortable, and this is a feeling in constant flux. As we grow up, comfortability will change dependant on the environments we are in. Being queer in today’s world often generates feeling of uncomfortableness, not with myself but knowing that a great portion of society like to oppress such freedom of expression. Anxiety and fear are all too rife in my community's daily life.

Tyler 3.PNG — Q: What would you say brings you the most comfort and how?

For me it's rather materialistic, I like to be surrounded by the things I have gathered over the years. Although the walls are very slowly closing in, I am very much a nest builder, to create a space where I can live, entertain and indulge in. So I guess being at home is probably my main source of comfort, which may seem like an obvious answer but really it's not. I am lucky to be able to find this state of relaxation and safety in my home, as for many this is not the case.

Tyler 4.PNG — Q: Tell us a little about your bedroom or personal space - What have you done to put your mark on it?

Having moved around a lot in the past 5 years I haven’t been able to adorn my walls as I would wish, but I’m working on that. I believe a bedroom reflects who a person is, even if you think it’s simply a space to sleep. The walls are covered in erotic art commissioned/created by queer artists, books are scattered, the laundry basket is forever overflowing, and the bed sheets are stained from skin products. I love to have my clothes exposed on rails in a bedroom, I think it adds great texture to a space without the need for excess furniture. That said, if I had the space then I’d have a chaise lounge.

IMG_3830 (1).PNG — Q: How do you feel most comfortable expressing yourself?

I’m still learning. Back when I was a dancer, the movement really helped with expressing myself, it was therapeutic. When I stopped dancing to pursue other avenues, I lost that gift and am yet to fully return to it. I have found a similar result with my costume and drag, although I find the process of these to be rather nerve racking, being a self-saboteur, it’s the outcome where I find the art of expression. Thinking about it, it’s not too different from the performance feeling from my dance background, although it is shorter lived. To keep moving lengthens the feeling of expression.

Q: What defines a space to you? And how is your home and surroundings currently feeling to you during this isolation period?

During isolation I was home with my husband and dog, right next to a forest, idyllic right? Being an introverted extrovert, being at home is not uncommon. Choosing to start drag at the time I did was unfortunate, with lockdown shutting down the night industry (and many others of course), and not being patient with social media enough to be doing any online gigs, or putting myself forward for such opportunities. I made progress pre-lockdown with getting my craft out there, which had to come to a halt. This started to cause damage to my mental health, perhaps the most immediate space we live in.
So although I had a beautiful, comfortable and supportive, physical environment to be in during lock-down, my brain was very busy with its self destructive negativity.

Q: Are there any elements of your bedroom that follow you into each space you inhabit?

There are a few treasures which tend to stick with me. More so for the emotional relevance or to remind me of people who I have not kept in contact with so much. For instance, an ornament of bottled sand, depicted a middle-eastern dessert, complete with a camel and my name, given to me by my high school friend, Mary. We had a rocky friendship, and this was my fault, I guess I keep the bottle close to remind me of her and how I could have been better to her in my teenage years. It’s also just a very beautiful piece, I like holiday trinkets.
Oh, and my teddy Rufus. He’s shelved for quite some time now but is always around.

Q: Isolation has been a strange and challenging time for many how are you getting through it?

I wouldn’t say I did anything special or had any secrets to keeping myself going, I just did, there wasn’t really much of an alternative. I have what I need and like around me so I just had to adapt to no longer having some luxuries in my life, which was perhaps needed. I was still having therapy during the first half of lockdown so I had that to lean on to help calm my bored and self destructive mind. I did find some comfort knowing that we were all, to some capacity, in the same situation.

IMG_3791 (1).PNG — Q: How important is sustainability in your day to day living? And do you think this has been made any easier since the lockdown?

Sustainability is something that I am trying to be better with, but I am already pretty conscious of my footprint. Lockdown definitely brought a level of thinking, in terms of locally sourcing, reducing waste and buying less; I honestly cannot fathom why people panic bought toilet roll in absurd (!) quantities. My husband and I got through lockdown on only 12 rolls, besides having the option of cleansing ourselves with a shower head.

Q: What are you doing during lockdown to say mentally motivated? New hobbies?

Mostly I was trying to give myself a break and gain acceptance of my sometimes slow, unmotivated work methods. I started a few new projects at the start of lockdown that I still haven’t finished. The work done here was mainly allowing my mind to stop stressing out over a feeling of having to produce work. I did try some home exercises but gave up, same with French, both were pretty inevitable to end up with no results though, however I already knew this and it was a nice distraction at the time. See how accepting I have become?
I did do a lot of cooking though and managed to gain a routine until I started to play FF7 remake.

Q: Many artists are feeling overwhelmed and uninspired during self isolation, how have you found this for your own creative process?

For sure, but I had similar feelings pre-lockdown also. There has always been a pressure to produce work quickly with the constant push of ‘success’ we see on social media, when lockdown started it got worse. People hellbent on using this new, extra time to learn many new things and (wrongfully) insist people be doing the same.
I tend to work better when I have a client or deadline set by someone else, as I’m a bit of a people pleaser. I work better and faster under such conditions, but with my work mainly based around social events, I had very little motivation. I have been taking my time on my own projects, labouring over little details and waiving over my perfectionism in places to ease my impatience, and the results are ones I am pleased with. Now I have work again I am hoping to pick up my production times.

Q: How did you come to start exploring the world of drag?

I guess it was going to happen one day. I come from a performance background, having been a contemporary dancer throughout my pre-uni school years. Combined with my love for fierce beauty, queerness and great, camp clothes, it appears my Venn diagram centres towards drag.
As a teenage emo kid I was very confident in blurring gender imagery and experimenting with make-up. I always used to steal my mother’s make-up from when she was a Virgin cosmetics rep. I was definitely a part of then as it is becoming again now. I draw confidence from it.

Q: Where do you generate your ideas for looks and what is the process behind creating a final look?

It differs, sometimes I will have an idea straight away that I pull straight from my head, or I’ll be inspired by other artists/performers. I mostly sketch out my designs first in a design spec sheets format, and it will end up as something different. Camp is word du jour when it comes to my taste, mixed in with some classic couture and modern runway notes. I try not to be too particular about the finish of the look, as I’m still learning I’m taking my stride in my mistakes and wonky flicks. Why not? Im calling it fucking charming. There’s nothing relatable than a mistake maker, so love me!

Q: Is there anything you have been doing in quarantine that you hope to continue into the future?

No, I’m moving on. Until it happens again.

Sarah - Q1.jpeg — Q. Following our collection Titled ‘Comfort’, what does the word ‘comfort’ mean to you?

Safety. At ease. Peaceful.

WhatsApp Image 2020-05-19 at 21.18.29.jpeg — Q: What would you say brings you the most comfort and how?

Simple, my mum. I can confide in her, laugh with her, cry on her, she’s always there to listen, to talk, to heal my pains. She has and always will be, the one person who can make feel completely at ease when I need it the most.

Q: Tell us a little about your bedroom or personal space- What have you done to put your mark on it?

My bedroom is my thinking space. It’s in here, where I allow myself the time to explore who I am and what I want. It’s true what they say... there is no comfort like home, like your own bed or the smell of your own washing. So I find that it’s the best place to concentrate on my thoughts.
*It’s a relatively small space which is dominated by plants. I like opening my eyes to the sight of nature, I find it enables me to start the day off with tranquility.*

Sarah - Q4.jpeg — Q: Describe your style in 3 words..

*The 3 E’s*
*Experimental*
*Eclectic*
*Empowering*

WhatsApp Image 2020-05-19 at 21.18.24-2 (1).jpeg — Q: What defines a space to you? And how is your home and surroundings currently feeling to you during this isolation period?

*The personal items and people that fill the space. It can be the most magnificent spot in the world but if you haven’t got what defines you there, then it’s meaningless.*
My home has been my saving grace during this period, and no, there’s nothing perfect about it. It doesn’t even have a garden so isolation has been immensely real but thankfully, I’ve been surrounded by things that I enjoy and make me feel at ease.

WhatsApp Image 2020-05-19 at 21.18.27-3.jpeg — Q: Are there any elements of your bedroom that follow you into each space you inhabit?

Plants are throughout the house... my clothes also seem to find their way into every single room (oops), photographs and animal motifs.

WhatsApp Image 2020-05-19 at 21.18.28.jpeg — Q: Isolation has been a strange and challenging time for many how are you getting through it?

I’ve actually been keeping really busy. I’ve rediscovered my love for making clothes which has been really nice. I’ve been making face masks for the community, working with my partner in crime Imogen for upcoming CRIB features (@cribpresents, check us out)! And I have an exciting project coming up so keep your eyes and ears open wide.
Isolation hasn’t been easy though. Of course i’ve had my bad days where I've done absolutely nothing apart from watching Desperate Housewives, or felt extremely low about finances and my personal situation... but that’s ok, I’m only human and sadly so many of us have been affected by this virus, I’m just thankful that myself, family and friends are healthy.

Sarah - Q2.jpeg — Q: In our current time of house isolation, how important is sustainability in your day to day living? Do you think this has been made any easier since the lockdown?

It’s extremely important. Respecting and looking after our planet is our civic duty. One of the good things to come out of this period is that it has allowed time for our planet to heal and for most people, reassess the way that we live our lives and make a change for the better.
Within an industry that thrives on speed and low costs, fast fashion has been having serious repercussions on our environment, producing toxic chemicals that pollute water and thousands of tonnes of landfill(DAILY) emitting more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined. That single fact alone is disturbing and deeply concerning.
*Sustainable companies are our future and we should do everything in our power to support them.*

WhatsApp Image 2020-05-19 at 21.18.28-2.jpeg — Q: What are you doing during lockdown to say mentally motivated ? New hobbies?

It’s been so difficult staying mentally motivated during this time. For me, i’ve found that keeping to a routine, talking to people and staying in touch with loved ones has kept me really grounded.
*Reading and yoga have been the newest additions added to my hobby list! (Thoroughly enjoying both)!*

WhatsApp Image 2020-05-19 at 21.18.30-2.jpeg — Q: Many artists are feeling overwhelmed and uninspired during self isolation, how have you found this for your own creative process?

I’ve definitely had my ups and downs... post bad day I really reflect on why I felt so unmotivated and then encourage myself to turn it around. I’ve found that in doing this, I have created some great pieces of work and planned some super exciting projects which are starting to feel so much more real.
Seriously though, i’ve found that this time has made me understand that it’s OK not to be super productive everyday. Sometimes you just need a day to yourself, and by that I mean phone off, no social media, just you giving time to yourself.

About Anna

Our first post is by Kate about her friend Anna.
Anna has been a member of the CREASE community long before CREASE came to be and continues to be a supporter of our creative endeavours. She is mother to Teddy, Reuben and Betsy who all currently live in Scotland with her Husband Nathan.
She embodies all that I see in femininity and holds so much that I aspire to be in motherhood. Her kindness, patience and ability to connect to whoever she meets are much to be admired and we are delighted to kick off our series of Bedroom Stories with her own.
Shooting with Anna has been a regular occurrence since the age of 15 and she was very much my muse throughout most artistic projects until we left school. The opportunity to collaborate again and share such a personal moment between Anna and Betsy has been incredibly special and I will hold very close to my heart.

Q. Following our collection Titled ‘Comfort’, what does the word ‘comfort’ mean to you?

Comfort evokes feelings of softness, security, peace, stillness.

Q: What would you say brings you the most comfort and how?

I think the moments of greatest comfort are those when my babies nuzzle into me, sleep on my softened skin and I feel their softness on me.

Q: Tell us a little about your bedroom or personal space- What defines a space to you?

I don't keep a lot of stuff out, but there is always a pile of book by the bed, usually a few bibles, a novel, a notebook, and something non-fiction. And a cup of coffee in a mug that makes me happy. This one has female artists round it and it makes me smile. Half on my room has the bed, crib and draws where the other half has a little sewing nook.
Having my bedroom, and a living room that are finished, safe and full of love - drawings from my children, books, blankets, art - makes everything so much better. Knowing there is somewhere that feels like home, that the door can be shut on and we can enjoy each other in, is such a blessing.

Q: How easy is it sharing such a personal space with a partner and 3 kids?

Day to day we spend lots of time drawing, gardening, listening to music and audiobooks, cycling. Nathan takes the children for an hour or two in the middle of each weekday. It gives me time to clean and tidy, journal, drink coffee, sing and occasionally sew. Time where I don't belong to anyone and am only responsible for myself. It helps to ground me, and allows me to be a better mother.

Q: Are there any elements of your bedroom that follow you into each space you inhabit?

I bought the bunting from a little vintage shop before I had children, saying it would one day go in my little girls room, and since she sleeps in with us, it's hung over our bed.
The easel was gifted to me by a close family friend and mentor for my 18th birthday. I used it through sixth form, and the boys have used it too. It reminds me of happy times and happy people.

Q: In our current time of house isolation how is your home and surroundings currently feeling to you?

We were mid way through house renovations when the lockdown was announced, so we're currently without a kitchen and there are multiple areas of the home that are incomplete or stressful or just not how we would like.

Q: How important is sustainability in your day to day living?

We try to be sustainable, but I admit we could do better! We grew a good amount of vegetables, have apple trees and a strong rhubarb patch. I use a mooncup or cloth sanitary products, and we've used cloth nappies with all the children. We limit animal products and try to buy second hand. I want to teach the children to be responsible and kind in how they live in the world. I believe we've been given a great responsibility in looking after God's creation and want them to understand that. We should recycle more though - it's easy to get lazy.