Grace Dlabik is the founder of BE. ONE Creative (a creative agency) and BE. Collective - two hubs in the BE. ecosystem that exists to empower and platform creatives of colour. As well as being a creative director, community leader, mentor and advocate, Grace is also a mother. She and her son Elijah have a formidable partnership, and their relationship has been the guiding force in her life for nearly two decades. Elijah is a wheelchair user and in the 18 years of his life, they have never lived in a home that suits his accessibility needs.

Her fight for greater awareness and action around Australia’s accessible housing crisis has gathered momentum, speed and legions of people in the past year, and has now made its way to the Victorian parliament.

In this episode, Lucy talks to Grace about building a creative community, being vulnerable in the public eye and tackling the country’s accessible housing crisis.

EPISODE LINKS:

Grace, Morganne + Elijah's 'Family' story on The Design Files

Grace's public call-out for a house that meets Elijah's accessibility needs

'Safe Passage to Reclaim and Revive the Memory of Concealed Culture' at the Sydney Biennale, 2020

Pip Newell was still at university when she accidentally started Curated Spaces after re-selling some dining chairs to a local Facebook group with great success. While she was getting by on a mish-mash of nannying and hospitality jobs on the side of a photography degree, the online world had quietly heralded a new age for vintage furniture. With a natural flair for styling and a sincere joy for hunting the internet for new finds, Pip would go on to completely redefine the vintage furniture selling space with the power of social media.

Now, her platform is a nation-wide dealership with over 120,000 followers (including Ariana Grande!) and a network of sellers all around the country. In this episode, Pip talks with TDF’s managing editor (and her old housemate!) Sally Tabart about the past, present and future of the Curated Spaces universe.

Elle has been in the Australian fashion industry for over thirty years, moving from Cherry Lane to Myer and Sportsgirl before her landing her current job. She's been shaping fashion (and you!) in ways you probably didn't even realise.

SO, what is involved in transitioning one of the biggest retailers in the country towards ambitious new sustainability standards? And how exactly DO you guide a whole team through a global pandemic? Elle answers all these questions and more in this excellent conversation.

From podcasting to interior design, editing the ‘Style’ section of Inside Out to food styling in the Italian Alps (!), Jono has worked in nearly every corner of the interiors biz. Or so he thought. When the pandemic hit last year and he was thinking of ways to pivot, he launched his own affordable art business to sell the vintage-inspired prints. Now with Palette by Jono Fleming added to his repertoire, the super stylist seems like an unstoppable force in the interiors world!

In this super fun chat, Jono shares everything about the grit, the glamour and the grind of building a creative career.

https://palettebyjonofleming.com/
https://thedesignfiles.net/2021/06/a-visit-to-the-blue-mountains-with-jono-fleming-and-ford-puma/

There's something special about Bobby Clark. Originally from a small town in Scotland, Bobby arrived in Melbourne ten years ago - and swiftly immersed herself in Melbourne's vibrant creative scene.

With the optimism and dogged determination of a new immigrant, Bobby worked unbelievably hard at a huge array of creative jobs (from house painter, to wedding photographer!) before she launched her own solo art practice in 2016, with nothing but an Instagram account, and a Squarespace website.

In the years that have passed since then, Bobby has built a loyal following of fans and collectors across the globe, and she's learnt a great deal about the business of being an artist. She shares a little of that wisdom with us, via this very entertaining podcast episode!

Jenna Holmes wears many hats. Despite having been both a photographer, a PE teacher and an Uber driver in previous lives, right now, her career revolves around plants... and pasta! As the co-founder of plant styling business Plant Mama, and Pasta Mama pasta club, Jenna is a prolific, and impossibly versatile creative.

Both Jenna's businesses live on one colourful website, which she built herself, using Squarespace. In this podcast conversation, Jenna talks candidly about her experience of building not one but two successful businesses online - her energy is infectious!

Gina Lasker is one of Melbourne's most talented independent florists, with an intuitive, layered and textural approach to floral installation. She's worked in the floral game for more than a decade, assisting a number of established florists in both Melbourne and Sydney, before opening her own floral studio, Georgie Boy, in 2015.

Georgie Boy initially launched with a portfolio website, built using Squarespace. But earlier this year, when lockdown restrictions seriously affected Gina's business, she turned to the website building platform again, this time to create an online store for a flower subscription service, which turned out to be an unexpectedly successful side hustle!

In our latest podcast episode, we chat with Gina about her career journey, and the pivot project that re-energised her floristry business in 2020.

Tantri Mustika originally trained as a hairdresser, and spent a decade cutting hair, before she accidentally discovered ceramics. That was just four years ago! Like so many creative start-ups in the Instagram age, Tantri’s brand was launched with a simple website and online store. Fast forward to today, and Tantri is one of Melbourne’s most successful ceramicists, with a loyal following of collectors Australia-wide, and her very own dream studio + retail store.

In this podcast conversation, we chat with Tantri about how she built her brand online, the importance of seizing opportunities before you REALLY know what you're doing, and what she's learned about the business of craft and design.

This episode is supported by Squarespace.

Award winning interior designer Mim Fanning shares her journey, from solo design consultant, to Founder and Principal at Mim Design, her award-winning design studio.

Mim Fanning launched her business 20 years ago, and over time, Mim Design has expanded to become one of Australia’s leading interior design studios. Recognised nationally and internationally, the studio’s diverse portfolio spans hospitality, residential and commercial interiors, always favouring timeless design over fleeting trends.

In addition to being a talented designer, Mim is also a remarkable businesswoman, who now leads a team of 29 staff. In this conversation, Mim shares her journey, from solo design consultant, to Founder and Principal Designer of one of Australia’s leading design firms.

This TDF Talks episode is supported by Lexus, proud principal partner of the Lexus Melbourne Cup.

Find links and other show notes at  https://thedesignfiles.net/podcast/