Meet the maker – Spiritualistas

Stina Almer or Spiritualistas as she calls herself on social media is a creative soul and “mindfluencer” who combines her passion for well-being with holistic hacks. With a background in the arts and in the fashion industry, she creates skincare products and inspires her readers on how to use crystals, essential oils and how to make yummy treats. Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself, who are you and what do you do

I would call myself a multi-passionate creative. Art and creativity is the air I’m breathing and the whole essence of my being. I come alive through the creative process and I am fully dedicated to the present moment and what I believe brings out my true identity.

I come alive through the creative process and I am fully dedicated to the present moment and what I believe brings out my true identity.

In the creative process, I rest my mind and feel fearlessly fierce and bold. Even if I love to create with a lot of different techniques, like painting with acrylics, crafting dreamcatchers, ritualising with my crystals or making my own chakra balms for my little Etsy shop My conscious beauty, they have one thing in common;  they always reflect my inner power, my intuition and my connection to my heart. I’m completely free and at ease.

How did you come to the creative place you are at today? What´s your creative history?

Ever since I was little, I dedicated a lot of time to crafting. To draw was one of my favorite things as well as working with clay. In my teens, I painted a lot of horses and in my twenties, I decorated cakes at a cafe. While working at the cafe I began painting with oil in my free time, but once I discovered acrylics I preferred them since I want my paintings to dry fast ha-ha. At that time, I sold a bunch of paintings and had a lot of fun with it.

When I moved to Stockholm I started modeling which got me in contact with fashion.  When I was able to participate in the planning of the shoot, it felt like we created art. Unfortunately, the fashion industry treated me badly, so I left.

Tell us about Spiritualistas, what’s the story behind that name?

Spiritualistas is my place in cyberspace where I share my passion for a holistic approach to life. It’s also a place where I connect with my tribe and a place where I feel completely free to talk about my spiritual beliefs (thanks to my amazing followers). The transformation began when I started to meditate. For about three weeks I meditated an hour a day as a complement to the therapy I went through at that time for my mental health issues.

I discovered peace and for the first time in my life, I was free.

After about three weeks something incredible happened. I entered a state of complete detachment from my thoughts and feelings. I discovered peace and for the first time in my life, I was free. That experience changed everything. I started to read books about meditation, personal development, energy work, crystals, and a whole new world opened for me. I had a feeling so strong that I wanted to share the experience with others, tell them about what I learned and give access to this state of being. So, I changed my Instagram name to Spiritualistas.

What do you try to achieve with the work you create?

I want to achieve peace of mind, freedom from my constant brain activity, and joy. For me, the process is more important than the result, but I have noticed that people are interested in buying the things I create. So, that’s a wave I surf on right now. Of course, I love it that people like what I do!

I tap into the creative mode almost every day when I wake up. Even if I don’t feel well I have some sort of idea. I guess that’s the good part of ADHD. My happy place, besides the place I enter while I meditate, is on the floor, spreading all sorts of materials out and just go with the flow and see where it takes me.

What does your craft space look like?

For 1-2 minutes completely organized, the rest of the time creative chaos. I have all sorts of materials like feathers, essential oils for homemade skincare, stickers, pro markers, crafting magazines, crystals and of course some badass quotes on the wall.

If I would like to get going with my creativity, what’s your advice?

Start with a short meditation. Then write down everything that comes up in your mind when you think of the word creativity. Don’t judge just put it on paper. When you have put it down on the paper you can start to look for a connection between the words.

Please share your top sources of inspiration

Pinterest- here is everything you looking for

In the moment magazine: A online and printed magazine dedicated to a more conscious life

Nature

What do you have planned for the future?

I prefer to strive as much as possible to live in the here and now but I will continue to create great inspiring content for Spiritualistas and more mindful products for my conscious beauty. And last but not least, someday I will publish a book, and guess what, I have already started to write it.

Where can I follow you and find your work

You find me at my Instagram spiritualista

My Etsy shop My Conscious Beauty

And on my blog: https://spiritualistas.blogg.se

Meet the maker – Malin Björklund

We first met up with Malin at one of her classes and fell totally in love with her beautiful artwork. Her style is effortless yet complex and after that workshop, we just wanted to get to know her some more. Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself, who are you and what do you do

I work as an artist and surface pattern designer. I work with patterns for wallpaper, textile, tiles, and porcelain for example. What characterises my work is ink paint, floral motifs, and colours- from transparency to pitch dark. Fluid ink suits the way I like to paint, quickly and a fine line between control and uncontrollable.

Fluid ink suits the way I like to paint, quickly and a fine line between control and uncontrollable.

All my relatives talk about flowers and plants, and I do, too. Colour- Ink shades are infinite and even the dirty water has dignity. Regardless of the end product, an upcoming exhibition or a pattern design; my starting point is always ink paintings. I also started teaching ink painting and I really enjoy showing the material and encourage using brushstrokes and body movements.

How did you come to the creative place you are at today? What´s your creative history?

I graduated from Norwich School of Art and Design in 2006. After that, I had a day job and spent evenings, weekends and vacations in my studio. I was one of the artists that Your Wallpaper represented at their big digital wallpaper release in 2009 which opened up for commissions and slowly I built up my portfolio. Today, thirteen years later, I am a full-time freelance artist but there is always a need for new commissions. I think all designers experience that.

What do you try to achieve with the work you create?

To spend a lot of time with a brush in my hand. To carry on a crafts tradition and celebrating the hand made.

How do you get in the right “creative mode” – what does your happy place look like?

To do nothing but walking around in circles in my studio, it makes me focused. My happy place is to start painting in the morning, fresh-minded and un-ruined. My mentor in art school taught me that you have to be able to work wherever you are. But I am lucky to have a studio.

What does your craft space look like?

White walls, old damaged wooden floor, a stone square where the fire used to be, low roof, one window, and grey tables splashed with ink.

If I would like to get going with my creativity, what’s your advice?

My advice would be don’t think about the end result too much, start exploring and do it again and again. Continue. You will get there.

Please share your top sources of inspiration (3 or more…)

Gardens, classic Eastern Asian ink painting and exploring new places.

What do you have planned for the future?

Well, the ink painting courses for the autumn term is up for booking. I am working on an art project concerning my archives, all unseen and unsold paintings. The studios at Bjurholmsgatan 1-11 are open Saturday the 5thof October as a part of Stockholm Craft Week, and the annual Christmas market in our studios will take place in December. My next release is in spring 2020, which is a new collaboration with Duka.

Where can I follow you and find your work

Instagram @malinbjorklundritar

Web www.malinbjorklundritar.se

Ink-paining courses via skillbreak.com

Meet the maker – Mikaela Puranen

Social media tends to be a place where we find inspiration nowadays, and one of the people we follow on Instagram is Mikaela. She makes beautiful ceramics and we get to follow along on her creative journey. But we wanted to know more, so we asked for an interview. Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself, who are you and what do you do.

My name is Mikaela Puranen and I’m a 30-year-old potter and marine biologist from Stockholm. I mostly make functional pottery, such as mugs, bowls, vases, plates, etc. I’m really fascinated by the relationship we have with ceramics, and how we interact with ceramic tableware. I’m also excited by the endless possibilities with clay. It will probably take a lifetime to explore all the techniques and materials I’m interested in, just in the field of ceramics.

How did you come to the creative place you are at today? What´s your creative history?

I’ve always created in some way, although the techniques and materials have varied over the years. My family and my cousin’s family used to have craft nights when growing up where we did something creative together and had pizza. During my teenage years, I stopped creating almost altogether, mostly due to performance anxiety and not thinking that what I made was good enough.

In my early 20’s, I read a lot of craft blogs and that kind of got me started again. First I just made super simple crafts, but the joy it gave me got me wanting more. I got back into drawing and painting, I started to cast concrete (and even taught classes in concrete later on), and I started too long for clay. I had done a pottery class with my mom when I was about 12, but that was about the only experience I had.

Ceramics is not the easiest craft to get started with since you need an expensive kiln, so I signed up for an evening class. And then another one straight after. And another one. I just couldn’t get enough, there were so many ideas and techniques I wanted to try. I kept thinking about clay all the time between classes. 

After finishing my master’s degree in marine biology, I found myself without a job, a broken heart and nowhere to live after the summer. The one thing that had made me happy during that chaotic spring finishing my degree and dealing with heartbreak was clay. So I applied for full-time education in ceramics at Vårdinge by folkhögskola, and got in. The plan was to do that for a year and then get back into marine biology, but I still couldn’t get enough. Now I don’t think I ever will. I finished my second year of education this summer and now I’m excited about growing my pottery business and hopefully opening my own studio with a friend next year.

What do you try to achieve with the work you create?

I guess form, functionality, sustainability, and feelings are keywords in my ceramics. When I make tableware I want to create things that can be used over generations and that feel good in your hands. When form and function are united and the objects just feel right. My more sculptural or “artistic” work is more about communicating a feeling or opinion. 

I’m also really fascinated about wood firing, which is a traditional way of firing before we had electric kilns. It is a mostly male-dominated field in ceramics (something about men and fire, right?), which I want to change, so there are plans of building a wood-fired kiln next year! 

I guess form, functionality, sustainability, and feelings are keywords in my ceramics.

How do you get in the right “creative mode” – what does your happy place look like?

I’m not super inspired and loving everything about ceramics every day. Some days I just don’t feel like creating, so either I just don’t do it and find myself some admin work to do instead, or I make something I’m super comfortable with and don’t really have to think about what my hands are doing. That way I’d feel that I at least accomplished something that day, although I’m trying to not let performance determine if it was a good day or not. 

My desk might look messy, but I know exactly where everything is. When I don’t, I know it’s time to clean haha. When working with clay I usually have at least two projects going on simultaneously. When one of them needs to dry before I can continue, I move on to the other one. This usually ends in me having projects all over the room, so good storage possibilities are key in a studio for me. 

If I would like to get going with my creativity, what’s your advice?

Just do it, just make something. It doesn’t have to be pretty, functional or of any other use than that it got you started. One project often leads to another one and new ideas, for me at least. So just start with anything! 

Please share your top sources of inspiration (3 or more…)

When I was still in school my classmates were a top inspiration for sure. Being surrounded by other creatives that get what you’re doing is great for inspiration and bouncing ideas off each other. I wish I went to more exhibits and such for inspiration as well, but the truth is that most of my inspiration is from the internet. Mostly Instagram nowadays, but Pinterest and other social media as well. I love the feeling of discovering a new artist whose work you love (doesn’t matter if its’s on Instagram or in a fancy art gallery), the rush, raise in your pulse and thousands of ideas that run through your head, that’s when I feel the most inspired. 

What do you have planned for the future?

I just opened my webbshop this summer where I currently sell ceramics I made over the last two years. Since I left school in June I haven’t had anywhere to fire my work but the good news is that I’m renting a studio from the middle of October, and I am so excited to be able to make things again. My hands are itching to get muddy and my head exploding with ideas I’d like to try. Other than that I’m looking at fairs and retailers to show my work. Next year I hope I and a friend will be able to open our own pottery studio in Stockholm where we can sell our work and offer classes. 

Being surrounded by other creatives that get what you’re doing is great for inspiration and bouncing ideas off each other.

Where can I follow you and find your work I post mostly on Instagram @mikaelapuranen but you can also find (and shop!) my ceramics at my website www.mikaelapuranen.se