Bazaar Muse: Sharnee Thorpe
To celebrate our newest sun soaked collection Wonderful World, we sat down with our ever-so-talented friend, and creative muse Sharnee Thorpe to discover her must haves in creating a Wonderful World amongst the chaos of owning a business and being a mum of two. We hope you love getting to meet the beautiful soul that is, Sharnee.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF - WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU'RE FROM AND WHAT SETS YOUR SOUL ON FIRE?
I’m Sharnee, the founder of Wandering Folk and a Textile Designer by trade. The place I call home is a tiny little coastal town in the Northern Rivers called Hastings Point. Being able to create is what sets my soul on fire, from painting to designing new products to planting a new little garden at home.
IT’S NO SECRET THAT YOU’RE ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE CREATIVES. WHEN DID YOUR PASSION FOR CREATING BEGIN?
Aww thank you, for as long as I can remember I’ve loved to paint. My grandma was a beautiful artist and I would spend hours painting flowers and birds along side her. I found so much joy in art and didn't really think it could be a career apart from being an art teacher. So when I discovered Textile Design after doing a design course at Tafe, I was so excited to study more and follow my dream of creating a job out of it.
HOW DOES ART POSITIVELY IMPACT YOUR LIFE? AND WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR ANYONE LOOKING TO INCORPORATE MORE TIME FOR CREATIVE PURSUITS?
When I get to paint is my most treasured time, it truly makes me so happy. Most of my work is on the computer so stepping away from that clears my mind. The more time you spending doing something you love the more you improve. When I first started as a textile designer my painting was not great, I’ve improved over the years because I love it so much and have perfected the art over the years and im still perfecting it. Yes I know how hard it is to find the time, last week I was working on a new print for Wandering Folk, I was painting with my baby in the rocker at my feet, then he wanted to go to sleep so I put him in the carrier and kept painting. It’s very hard to find time, but if you're truly passionate about it and it makes you happy, carve out an hour a week for your creative passion.
YOU RECENTLY GAVE BIRTH TO GORGEOUS ZEPHYR. HOW ARE YOU FINDING THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING A MUM OF 2, A BUSINESS OWNER & FITTING IN YOU-TIME?
Little Zephyr is now 3 months old, I’m loving life with him so much more the second time around. I have a great team at Wandering Folk who are looking after it so I can have some slow time at home and my husband now works in the business so he has taken the reins so I know the business is in good hands. My maternity leave looks like me working from home haha, Zephyr is a much easier baby than my first so I can find pockets of time to do urgent work as he is so happy to just lay there and smile. Being a Mum of two is quite a juggle, at the moment my alone time is just time away from my wild toddler which is a break but i still have the baby ha! I can sneak away for a swim in the ocean or a yoga class here and there which is really nice, but for now I'm just enjoying all the moments of Zephyr while he is so tiny as they grow up SO fast!
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE WANDERING FOLK AND HOW DID YOU TAKE THE LEAP INTO THIS BUSINESS JOURNEY?
When I started Wandering Folk 8 years ago, camping/glamping was not a trend but I’ve always loved camping. When I went camping as a kid we had a great set up, my mum was the ultimate glamper. All the camping accessories out there were so ugly, they were either camo or black. So I set out to create a beautiful high quality camping mat/ Picnic Rug using my skills as a Textile Designer to hand paint the artwork for them. I was working as a freelance print designer for a few years and while I loved creating prints for other brands, I wanted a project that I could truly call my own and one that I had the creative freedom from start to finish. I kept freelancing for almost 5 years after I started Wandering Folk, it was my side hustle for a long time before I took a proper wage.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED JUGGLING MOTHERHOOD, OWNING A BUSINESS AND FREELANCE DESIGNING?
Gosh there are many challenges, the juggle is real! It’s hard to think of one particular challenge. The biggest challenge is just not having the time you had before kids. There is always something to do and my work days can be all over the place, most of my work is done on my phone while I’m breastfeeding these days. Also not being able to switch off when you come home from work or go on holidays as work follows you and you're the boss so you need to get it done or it won’t happen.
HOW DO YOU INTEND ON CREATING A WONDERFUL WORLD FOR YOURSELF THIS YEAR?
Planning some fun holidays this year, an overseas trip with my little fam and a girls (& bubs) trip is already on the cards.
WE ADORE YOU IN THE BONNIE DRESS! HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
'70s inspired, Colourful, Floaty, Feminine
DO YOU HAVE ANY DAILY RITUALS THAT HELP YOU STAY GROUNDED AND CONNECTED?
Things look a little different now I have a new baby at home, I’m very lucky to live across the road from the beach so I try to get out of the house daily and take Zephyr for a walk with my morning coffee.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3 TIPS FOR LIVING A WHOLE AND HAPPY LIFE?
1. Always show Kindness
2. Follow your passions
3. Find your tribe
WHAT’S NEXT FOR SHARNEE?
Hmm I have some exciting new products I’ve been working on for a while launching this year and some fun collabs in the works for Wandering Folk that I can't wait to share with the world.
