I've known resolutely since I was 12 that I wanted to be a designer. I love the physical process of creating and how good design can enhance the experience of living. I've always been fascinated by how people are affected by the aesthetics and haptics of objects - how materiality is intrinsic to our emotional response.

When I qualified with a degree in Product Design, my interest in the aesthetic and haptic elements naturally led me to specialize in Colour and Material Design.

I developed my creative career working for huge luxury brands for 25 years, and for 15 years consulting in-house on exterior paint and colour palettes for Jaguar Land Rover and most recently McLaren.

But when I became a mother in 2020, everything shifted. I wanted flexibility to be present for my son during his early years and to transition my expertise into work that creates emotional response in a more artistic way.

I started creating fine art again when Monty was around 12 months old. I wasn't sure of my exact path, but I had inherited my mum's sewing machine and began experimenting with textiles I'd collected over the years.

My mum has been a seamstress for over 4 decades -always working late into the night when we were young. The sound of her machine would lull me into safety and to sleep; so when I pressed that pedal, time rewound and working with textiles felt like coming home.

Now I too work through the night while Monty sleeps, hoping he'll recall with fondness the memories my artistic practice leaves on him.

PHOTO CREDITS: JUSTYNA KULAM