As an alumni member of Oyster Workshop - having completed one of their partnership programmes looking at export into Latin America markets - I had the privilege of being invited to join their Oyster + Moon initiative. As part of the launch of Oyster + Moon we had the option of creating pieces to be exhibited and/or providing products to be sold in the retail space at Depot Artspace in Devonport Auckland. I've always had a dream to have my design work displayed and part of an exhibition so this presented the opportunity for this to happen and to do this within the safety and support of the Oyster Workshop whānau.
An unexpected but welcome add on in preparing for this exhibition, retail experience and launch was being asked to create a commissioned piece for Oyster + Moon - one of four Oyster Workshop/Oyster + Moon artists and designers to do so. The brief for the commissioned piece was succinct, "to create a sphere that represents Oyster + Moon" - the world was literally my oyster to conceptualise and design a response to this. After consultation about the direction of the piece the size of the sphere was settled at a 750mm round - the largest size I've designed to date!
If there's one thing I've refined since launching MISS MAIA four years ago, it's designing and creating at a small scale which is very different to designing and creating at a large scale and for exhibition display. I absolutely loved the design challenge that this posed and got to work responding to the brief and the story for which the design would represent.
The design represents the whakapapa (genealogy) of light and the beauty in creation. The central diamond koru depicts the union between Tangotango (darkness of night) and Wainui (the ocean) with the four outer quadrants representing their offspring; tama-nui-te-ra (sun), marama (moon), whetū (stars), hinātore (phosphorescent light). The whānau of light provides lessons and helps us to make sense of our own journey of self-actualisation, illumination and collaboration.
Once the story was finalised and linkages made, I started working on ways to represent this visually and thinking through how the sphere would be constructed. I'm a lover of acrylic and laser cutting so staying in my lane as far as my design process and use of contemporary materials was very important. I started to consider new ways of construction at scale and decided to take the design and repeat this by making two rounds which slotted into each other, meaning the design could be viewed at 360 degrees, by quarters, halves or as a whole. Thought was given to etched and cut areas of the design to compliment and attract attention.
Using my visualisation skills and some crude mockups, I knew I wanted the piece to be suspended and for the colour to pop within the exhibition space. Orange translucent acrylic has always been a favourite material and colour to design with but it made absolute sense when considering the narrative of this design, the placement and the scale, that I would use this colour/material for the commission piece. I'm aware and have observed that others are drawn to this particular colour and acrylic - so the only thing left to do was laser cut and etch (and cross my toes and fingers that my design decisions would maintain function and design integrity once hung).
This project provided a new opportunity to work with local NZ suppliers for materials and laser cutting services because of the time constraints. Did I mention that we had roughly 6 weeks to complete our pieces for the exhibition, the retail shop, as well as this commission piece? An absolute bonus of deciding to be part of this opportunity is now having built local business relationships to create more of this kind of work at scale, when, and should, the opportunity arise.
I've always wanted to create and construct wall art rounds for home or office interiors so to compliment the larger commission piece, a smaller round (292mm) was constructed. This round was made up of different acrylics, composed together visually to acknowledge the many layers of whakapapa (genealogy) and the narrative of the design.
The final contribution for the Oyster + Moon launch and exhibition was the option to include our MISS MAIA products in the retail space for sale during the four week exhibition. Bespoke pieces were included for sale which highlighted specific parts of the overall design. These were made into earrings, some with handmade hooks to complement the designs. We also debuted our first MISS MAIA necklaces and these accessories were all true to our bold, high fashion and culturally considered style.
If you're interested in owning some of these bespoke MISS MAIA accessories, you can purchase these online through www.oyster-moon.com website. These accessories are exclusive to Oyster + Moon and only available to view and purchase through their website. You'll find the stories and offerings of so many other amazing Pacific and Māori creatives here too, so it's worth a look and shop.
To finish with, if you managed to see the Whānau of Light in person I'd love to know what you thought. And if you're looking to engage us for your own bespoke/commission piece(s), please reach out to us by emailing me (Tracey) at: kiaora@missmaia.co - I'd absolutely love to work with you to create something unique, memorable and impressive for your own spaces.
Proudly,
Tracey x
Images captured by Depot Artspace and Tracey Gardner
I love this succinct definition of resilience:
'Advancing despite adversity'.
It's that attitude of pushing forward even when the odds may be stacked against you, or when you may be limited by resource or capability, or you're not sure what the outcome might be.
I can recall some key memorable moments in business where my resilience as a business owner have been tested and built.
This wasn't for the faint hearted but we survived, and live to tell the tale. My partner, son and I had been living in Melbourne Australia for 8 years prior to our move to New Zealand. Our son was born and raised in Melbourne and we'd established a solid life, careers, relationships and MISS MAIA. But when the pandemic hit, like many others, that work and life balance became very muddy.
The commute to the office and work separation had stopped for me, and working remotely from home, while home schooling, became the norm. My partners mahi (work) was classed as 'essential' so he was out of the home during the week and sometimes on the weekends. As primary carer to our son I had to figure out how to juggle an 8 hour work day remotely from home, while homeschooling a 'preppie' (first year at Primary/Elementary School) while Victoria/Melbourne implemented the longest and harshest lockdown and pandemic protocols across Australia.
I remember quite vividly having a minute break between Zoom meetings, looking over at my son and realising that he'd been sitting and watching TV for three hours. My attempt at home schooling him (because he was too young to self-direct his learning) had been abandoned and the demands of the day job had taken priority. This had actually been our reality for many days before this moment of realisation and it was in that moment that I thought, this isn't sustainable.
I loved my job (which was relatively new position at a company I enjoyed working for) but I loved my whānau (family) more, and so my partner and I hatched a plan for moving back to NZ. A huge consideration was ensuring that MISS MAIA could still operate in NZ. I undertook lots of research to ensure I could source materials, supplies and maintain the supplier relationships that I'd established in Australia. Then there was understanding the formal structures of starting a business in NZ and what had changed since we last lived in NZ.
From the research phase I was satisfied that MISS MAIA would not only work in NZ, but had the potential to thrive. So dismantling 8 years of accumulated 'stuff' began and figuring out the logistics of packing up our house/life and also the business, began...during a pandemic and strict lockdown!! We gave ourselves three months to prepare for the move back to NZ and returned to NZ in September 2020. Our whānau in NZ also gave us reassurance in our decision to move home, my sister offering space in her accounting business for me to set up and hit the ground running with MISS MAIA and my mum providing a safe place for us to live while we found our feet.
The lessons in resilience from this experience were:
What gave us the impetus to push through these moments of adversity was our goal to prioritise our whānau wellbeing. By putting our whānau wellbeing first, we all built resilience through the experience. As a business owner I now have the skills and unique experience of running a business in both Australia and New Zealand, which I'm super grateful for.
Another (ongoing) example of resilience and adapting to change has been making the decision to go full-time in MISS MAIA. To move from hobbyist to business owner. I talk about this journey in another blog post which reflects on the first year of going full-time in MISS MAIA.
The shift from side-hustle to main-hustle has required a mindset shift, loads of mental and emotional resilience and a solid strategy. One of the biggest areas to guide me in this journey of business is, self-belief. It's also trusting in my experience and skills, acknowledging my role as a leader and recognising that I have an amazing network and community of people to call on when/if I need it.
Building financial resilience for MISS MAIA is an ongoing educational exercise to build capability for me as a business owner. It's my responsibility as a business owner to understand the numbers and financials in my business, even though this isn't my area of expertise. MISS MAIA has been built from the ground up, with some initial investment from personal savings, determination and lots of passion. I'm proud of this, but I'm also realistic about making a living to support my whānau, therefore, I'm accountable for doing something about my blind spots.
The lessons in resilience from this experience were:
What has kept me motivated to push through moments of personal doubt is my vision to prove that against all odds, creative businesses can succeed and thrive in Aotearoa (NZ). It's a slow game and it can get exhausting breaking down perceptions along the way, but I'm so blessed to be growing relationships and networks with other Māori and Pacific creatives so collectively we can show up, share our creativity and thrive in this world together.
As a creative business, creativity is our lifeblood! It's a key resource needed in our business and for the products we create. So when NZ businesses had to scramble to make sense of the new traffic light COVID-19 alert system, navigate lockdowns, vaccination mandates and gathering restrictions, it was harder to find mental space for creativity.
As a business owner it became a relentless period of reactive communications to customers to manage expectations about delivery and accessibility of our products because of the various government pandemic responses and changes. We had summer events cancelled - our busiest period of the year - and had to think of ways to weather this stormy patch.
Our greatest strength during this time was that MISS MAIA had a strong digital and operational base, so our systems were well established and enabled us to focus on our social media presence and our MISS MAIA community, to remind people we were here! In Whakatāne we have the type of community that staunchly supports local and local retail initiatives through EPIC kicked in. We adapted to event cancellations by holding Pop-up Shops at our office in Whakatāne during the month of December and in the lead up to Christmas.
The lessons in resilience from this experience were:
What has helped me to overcome feelings of creative guilt or disruptions to creativity are dedicating time for creative activities. Also acknowledging that these activities don't always have to be in regards to designing new products for MISS MAIA. All creative activity enriches the work I do for MISS MAIA so making sure I'm fuelling that creative fire. For me it's a great antidote to overwhelm, which means better decision-making in my business.
If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! If you have any resilience stories to share please add your stories below, or if you think this post might be of value to others, please share xxx
]]>The vision for MISS MAIA (our why):
To help others (re)connect with their culture and turangawaewae - to help others feel strong in who they are - to ignite their inner power, authority and expression - to help others feel complete.
]]>The vision for MISS MAIA (our why):
To help others (re)connect with their culture and turangawaewae - to help others feel strong in who they are - to ignite their inner power, authority and expression - to help others feel complete.
Today I had an epiphany....
I don't think I've ever really articulated with great clarity my 'why' or vision for MISS MAIA. I believe this is because I was going through my 'why'. My dad had passed away very suddenly from Cancer the year before launching MISS MAIA in 2019. 2018 was a complete blur, the trauma of reconciling my dads treatment (and us, his family) in the NZ health system especially towards the end of his life and also having regrets about not having enough time with him, or him getting to know his moko (grandchild), because we lived in Australia.
It was also one of the most profound years of reflecting on my own life, how I was spending my time, where I was putting my energy and what I was placing value on. In unpacking all these things I realised that I had lost my creative expression and so in a huge sense, I'd lost the essence of myself. This creative depreciation had been going on for years, even before dad passed away but I suppose sudden loss can make you see life clearer and act upon blindspots with a sense of urgency.
A lot shifted in the year after dad passed. I started MISS MAIA because it helped me to process the grief by expressing myself creatively and therefore reconnect with myself again. I understood that I needed to leave the comfort of my job of 7 years because it wasn't serving me and so I moved to another role with a company whose values aligned, with strong female leadership and work that had material impact on the financial futures of others. At the same time the MISS MAIA brand continued to grow and reach more people in Australia, New Zealand and overseas.
It felt good to be taking radical action both professionally and creatively. Being far away from whānau and Aotearoa I wanted to feel closer to my culture, my creative expression and home. Wearing the MISS MAIA jewellery gave me that feeling. When people started to learn about the brand, I realise now that others needed this too. The pandemic kicked off in Melbourne not long after I started my new role.
Our motivation for raising our son in Australia was to give him a good head-start in life and up until the huge disruption of the pandemic we felt like we were nailing that. Globally we all experienced a huge sense of loss in this time and for us, clarity (once again). We knew that a huge missing piece for our son was having physical connection to his whakapapa and so we made the decision to move back to Aotearoa in 2020.
I'm grateful everyday I get to show up in my business and create pieces that connect with the essence of our customers. I'm still working through our business goals for this year and it's the first year I've really hit a road-block with them. I think the lesson this month has been to take a step back and acknowledge the growth, get clear and buckle in for the year ahead. I feel in my bones that MISS MAIA will be hitting a 'new season or new phase 'over the next year and I'm so pumped for all the goodness and greatness yet to be explored.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me share these pieces of me x
]]>Being New Zealanders living in Australia and during a pandemic was quite a vulnerable position to be in. We were highly aware that there was no safety net or any close family support available to us should one (or both) of us lose our job, or become ill. The risks and uncertainty were too high, and the pull to be back in NZ and closer to family and friends had grown stronger over the years. It was a global pandemic that gave us the urgency to finally set things in motion to move countries.
Over the last year, I've had to pull on loads of mental resilience and determination while trying to keep an optimistic and inspired mindset for the growth and success of MISS MAIA. This has been the biggest test as so much anxiety and uncertainty has played out externally in our lives. As the honeymoon phase of moving home to NZ subsided we were confronted with a process of reverse cultural shock, as we navigated life in NZ as different people from the ones who left here in 2012. There's some major areas in NZ that are broken, like housing and the increasing cost of living (to name a few) which our family have been impacted by as we resettle here.
There’s been many times in the last year as a mum, partner and provider, I’ve questioned whether I needed to go back to a 9-5pm job as MISS MAIA sales ebbed and flowed throughout the seasons. With whānau and peer encouragement, and lots of reality checks, I’ve managed to stay the course because the thought of moulding myself into a limited role or job description feels like a major step back. The thing that’s kept me going has been my belief that I have more value to add and contribute in my mahi with MISS MAIA and my service-based business Hīwai Creative.
Even when financial goals have waned I’ve continued to invest in business capability building, the expertise of others and marketing efforts. I’m a firm believer that it’s so important to understand your strengths and invest in the things that you’re not qualified in. In the early days of MISS MAIA I DIY’ed everything so that I could launch this online business. It’s just what you do when resources are limited but your passion and belief is so strong. But there always comes a point in business where in order to grow you'll need to invest, either in yourself, or the shorter route, which is investing in the expertise of others to help you get there.
In the last year, I’ve recognised the areas that I need help with and so I’ve connected with people qualified to provide advice and/or services. These connections have helped to elevate our brand and every investment so far has paid off. If that's one key takeaway and you've read this far, spend money on services and expertise if you want your brand and business to continue to grow and succeed.
After one year running a business, I'm working towards understanding the numbers! This is a fundamental mental shift in moving from side-hustle to main-hustle - I do not have the financial buffer of a job to carry the business in a lull, so I need to build a self-sufficient sustainable business. By understanding the numbers I want to be able to set realistic goals in the business not fumble my way along - that's some side-hustle energy! Building community is also something I really want to nurture. This is where I need to dig deep and show up. Another challenge that I have is putting myself out there. Ugh, it's an old story and something I want to work hard on moving passed.
One year on it's definitely been a process and a journey understanding myself and acknowledging areas where I need support. The challenges that small business face during a pandemic is not for the faint hearted. I take my hat off to so many others, whether by choice or circumstances, who are taking their passions full-time during these pandemic times. Please find ways to support these businesses because we need to have more local businesses coming out the other side of this pandemic for our communities and country to thrive.
If you need some words of encouragement or want to connect over something you've read here, please reach out to me at: tracey.gardner@missmaia.co
Thanks for reading our first blog x
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