Jess d’Abadie - designer, business owner, artist.
Her purpose.
‘I think above all I’m a very creative person, and I’m definitely one to take action on ideas that I have, I’m not a dreamer in that sense, I’m definitely a generator. I create in whatever ways feel fulfilling to me at the time, whether that’s personal hobbies like gardening, ceramics or painting, or in my career. I’d say foremost I’m an interior designer – and have been for about 12 years at a company I co-founded called We Are Triibe. But about 2 years ago after having kids I started a side project which has recently become much bigger – it’s called Milk Label. It has nothing to do with interior design, but rather it was a solution to a problem I experienced breastfeeding that I was desperate to solve for myself and others - leakproof breastfeeding bras. Together with some friends, we patented the idea and launched Milk Label. What used to be my Friday side project now takes up much more of my time as it has grown a lot over the years. Although it may appear as a pretty different realm to interior design, what they both have in common is an outlet for me to be able to express myself creatively.
My family gives me purpose. We have two boys, Solomon who is 5, and Julius who is 3. They literally light up my life and nothing else really matters when I’m with them. Being in their presence grounds me like nothing else. Having two boys (and a very outdoorsy husband!) get us outdoors a lot and it makes us realise how light life can be when we just experience moments as they are. I try to be present with them and it’s the best switch-off from work to just be in their company and to spend time as a family.’
Her process.
‘I often have a big list of things I need to do for either brand, whether it’s a client presentation for Triibe or some creative work I need to do for Milk Label, one thing I do each morning is pick something from my to-do-list that will bring me joy, I often find if I start my work day on a task I feel excited about, that the rest of the tasks slot in with ease after that and I get the momentum I need to keep going.’
What keeps her inspired.
‘I’m currently 6 months pregnant, my husband Josh thinks I’ve entered peak nesting mode – and he’s not wrong! we’re currently working on finalising plans for our new house extension which starts in the new year, and this weekend I decided it would be a good idea to paint the existing house white! I grabbed a can of paint, three brushes (for me and the two kids) and just started painting the poles around the house. It was so messy but so fun doing that together.
It’s been a big year with lots of interior projects we’ve worked on, and a second collection of Milk we launched a couple of weeks ago. It feels like everything is finally winding down now as the heat of the summer rolls in, and it feels like a great way to end the busy work year on a project that’s really close to my heart and one which will bring our family so much joy.
Often for me the things that keep me inspired are the things that are actually quite different to my work - nature, other creatives, stillness, cooking - they give my thoughts some time to quiet, and often better ideas are born from a place of rest.’