Recycled Interiors Podcast 014: The Importance of Buying From Local Makers, Creative Flow & Staying Mindful
Today we are talking about the importance of Buying From Local Makers, Creative Flow & Staying Mindful. Kyme is a furniture maker, surfer, creator, explorer, coffee and Kelpie lover living and working on Phillip Island, Victoria. Originally from Lake Tyers in East Gippsland, a country coastal lad at heart, Kyme has worked in a few different industries over the years but has always come back to making and creating with his hands. Kyme says he lives a modest life with his partner and dogs on Phillip Island and spends as much time as possible floating around in the local ocean waiting for waves to appear. Kyme is always looking for the different and doesn’t accept the norm and he runs a small furniture business called Theory of Willow, which mainly uses recycled timbers. We get into all sorts of topics here, not just the beauty of recycled timber and working with your hands, but also the ways that we can stay happy and healthy in the face of adversity.
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Things you will want to remember from the Show
- Kyme has a history of creativity and people making things with their hands in his family, as well as a do it yourself mentality. Kyme made his first surfboard as a teenager – think about what your history is with making – does it go way back?
- Learning by watching and doing is something close to Kyme and often the way children learn – they are soaking up all the things you do around them so be sure to show them things you would like them to take on board as adults
- Even Kyme’s business was upcycled!
- He makes commission based furniture – mostly recycled timber, some metal. He does have his own designs but does a lot of commission projects, the things you would like in your home
- He tries not to conform to the norm – he prefers to look at things from a unique perspective and something creative – it is nice to have functional and classic pieces we will all like and want to keep, but it is nice to have unique pieces that really stand out
- To commission something for your home, you can go directly to Kyme – he finds a lot happens through social media and word of mouth. You can come with the exact idea, or let him work with the basic concept or material, such as the timber you have lying around, and he can come up with something
- It is great to have people being open minded but anxiety can kick in then for Kyme! Deliver day can be hard but he has not had a bad reception yet!
- Having something handmade just for you is very special – there is a resurgence of people wanting bespoke pieces for their home, and not just their home – the bespoke jewellery industry has gone up 700%!
- However there is a long way to go with so much fast fashion and unethical pieces in the furniture and homewares industry still out there being consumed
- Kyme chose to focus on recycled timbers – there used to be a massive forestry area where he grew up. Lots of trees were being cut down and eventually this industry was decimated because the trees were gone….the reality is there isn’t always going to be more…
- It hits home that we do not need to go and buy new timber when there is scrap and recycled timber available at salvage yards, building sites etc Builders will often accept a beer for taking away the timber – great tip!
- There are also more businesses now with recycled timber – check out our episode on Hydrowood
- You can also find timber in rural areas that people may be happy to sell to you – Kyme often does this just like a timber picker!
- It is great to see that there is an industry of people growing who are rescuing salvaged timbers from building sites etc
- Kyme likes lots of timber but particularly loves Banksia – it is a timber you can not buy easily but he gets it from a local Arborist when they are knocked over – he stores them and dries them for use in his work and it has a beautiful fiddleback – where the timber changes direction and looks like flecks through the timber
- Growing up in the bush, Kyme’s family farm backs onto a state forest and he spent many days on the beach surfing. He is a lot calmer when out on the ocean, or in the bush – I could not agree more
- We need to be in nature more – it relaxes you and is important for health and wellbeing, as well as connecting you to what matters and appreciating what we have for nothing
- Planet Ark have shown that timber in our homes increases our wellbeing
- Kyme has researched Feng Shui a bit in his work – he was introduced by a Chinese couple who explained the principles to him and finds it interesting to consider in his furniture dimensions and placement
- Working in an environment with access to the outdoors helps with productivity as well as health and wellbeing
- Kyme’s partner is a Naturopath and they try to eat organic food as far as possible, they are setting up a vegetable patch, and they are always trying to keep active – he gets up every day and either goes for a surf, or does relaxation and breathing exercises to start the day properly – he says a routine that makes you happy first thing in the morning gets you in the right mood to continue through your day
- Returning to the place of calmness you have created in your mind, helps when you come up across stress during your day
- Kyme says surfing is the one thing in his life he just has to do and brings him complete mindfulness where he can zone out
- Running your own business is all consuming – but you need to have regular time out, exercise, make time for you, for sleep and for mindfulness
- Kyme has suffered with depression and these things have helped him considerably – take 15 minutes a day to just breathe – we also need to teach our children these practices so they can grow with resilience and appreciate being alive
Life is not easy and we are all different = be sustainable in your own body before you can worry about a lot of other things
- Access to the internet where everything is available all the time can lead you to forget that you have to work to get where you want to go and time taken to be steady and focused on one thing is important – get in the zone – you are a lot more efficient when you are
- Try clocking out of social media when you are creating something – focus on the thing at hand
- Creative flow helps increase your health and wellbeing – allow yourself to be in that flow
- Work out what works for you, what you are passionate about, what is working and what isn’t – stick it up on the wall and return to that regularly so you can remind yourself
- Kyme can send furniture anywhere in Australia and can help organise that for you
Links from the show
Just love this episode! Do you have an activity that gets you into flow? Please head to iTunes to subscribe and leave us a review if you love the show as it helps us to get it out there and make a difference. You can also listen on Stitcher and leave a review over there, or just sit back and listen on the blog.
Helen x
Hayley Smith this shelf is beautiful