Women Who Create is an ongoing portraiture project all shot in B&W in my studio in Woodstock, Cape Town. I love to connect with other creatives and see what motivates them and find out what is behind there work.
Swiss-born Anna-Tina, a creator deluxe, moved to Paris after school to study fashion design and ended up living and working in the French capital for 7 years. She met her now husband in Key West, Florida, whilst on holiday and never left Africa again after she visited him in his home country Namibia the following year. With their two children, aged 5 and 8, they live in Woodstock, Cape Town now. We are dear friends.
There is never a dull moment in our lives: juggling the demands of kids, our home, my business and our social life; it keeps us rather entertained.
Anna-Tina loves making things with her hands and what started out as a hobby of hand-made gifts for her friends, has turned into a small business. She makes big high-quality handmade blankets, cot blankets and ladies clutch bags.
Every piece is an original, unique in its colour, textures and fabric combination.
Besides selling online via Instagram and Facebook I’ve also participated in Kamersvol.com in Cape Town and in Johannesburg over the last years. The best thing about my business is that my hobby and passion became my work and I feel privileged for that. Juggling the business with my family’s activities and everyday errands and still trying to find time for myself is the biggest challenge.
I’d describe Anna-Tina as passionate, a perfectionist, a highly creative being and a real “do-er”. Not just does she make each of her products to the best quality and with the highest of standards but she also somehow finds the time to make things like pasta from scratch and cook bread with her kids on a daily basis.
She’s a wonder women.
You can find her website “Anna-Tina Original” right here.
And you can find Anna-Tina’s Instagram feed here for all her latest makes and inspiration.
Now for a Q&A:
Why do you create?
I create because I have to, to be a happy person…
Do you have pet peeves?
It drives me mad if people don’t do things properly and with care.
Your worst trait?
I guess I drive people crazy because I expect them to do things with great care, attention to detail and to the absolute best of their abilities.
What is/are your greatest extravagance/s?
To sneak out for a morning in the ocean
What do you think is overrated?
Ugly expensive things…
On what occasion do you lie?
When I have to deal with authorities I don’t trust. So often their rules don’t make any sense to me!
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Why?
When and where are/where you happiest?
Somewhere warm by the ocean.
What is your most treasured possession?
My children (even if they are not a possession really).
What do you do to help put you into your optimal creative space?
I start doing and that brings me there.
What does your (physical) creative space look like?
Currently and mostly an organised mess.
What do you get huge satisfaction out of doing apart from your primary creative outlet?
To be in the ocean to clean my head and then to clean up the mess (in my house): to create order and a beautiful space.
When creating what is your biggest frustration?
Having to deal with admin that is attached to most creative processes.
When you’re in your ultimate creative space what word would you use to describe the experience?
Peace and happiness.
The above is a new range of super handy up-cycled zipper ‘pouches’, they’re similar to her clutch bags except these are much more low-key and great to stash things away in an organisational manner in your cluttered handbag. They’re all made with 100% off-cuts from her blanket making business, so cool!
