When we are truly open and authentic, both with ourselves and with others, we are suddenly able to do great things. After all, it’s only by being an original that we can embrace creativity and live life on our own terms. That’s why we’re working with some of our favourite inspiring women to find out how they find the courage and inspiration to own their stories.
Watch our video to find out how London-based illustrator Emma Block has carved out a space for herself in the city’s design industry. Plus discover our Own Your Story Collection here.
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m a freelance illustrator living in London. I do illustrations for book covers, magazines, greeting cards and I also teach workshops on hand lettering and illustration.
Can you tell us about your background & how that helped you get where you are now?
I’ve always been very creative and loved drawing but when I was 10 years old, I got ill and by the time I was 13 I left high school all together. I didn’t go back to school until I was 16 so I had a huge amount of time just to paint and draw and be creative and be in my own little world. I started sharing my work online though a blog when I was 16. This experience opened up a whole world to me. I was able to connect with people who loved my work and supported me. Sharing my work online has been the cornerstone of my business.
What inspires and motivates you?
Everyday life in London really inspires me. It’s such a beautiful, creative, artistic city. I love meeting up with other creatives and going for coffee or to museums and art galleries. I also love going for walks where I live. I always take my sketchbook with me so I can sketch cute dogs, ducks, people or whatever else I see!
How does your everyday routine help you to stay creative and inspired?
I try to stay organised as much as possible and am an obsessive list writer. I find writing things down on paper helps me feel organised and calms me a little bit. I have so many projects on at once and so many different aspects to my career as an illustrator that writing things down helps me clear my mind and stay organsied. I do my to do list at night before I go to bed so I feel ready for the next day. I also have so many notebooks with notes, ideas and feedback for each of my projects.
Which pieces of kikki.K stationery help you to do this?
I love writing a to do list and this Daily Notes Pad is perfect because it’s so big and has enough space for all of my projects. The most satisfying part of having a to do list is being able to cross things off it.
What does ‘own your story’ mean to you? How do you live an authentic life?
I share a lot of my work and life on social media and particularly through Instagram and it’s really important to me that I be authentic. I always try to be very positive and upbeat but I want to keep it real at the same time. I need to be honest with myself and to my followers, giving them a real glimpse behind the scenes of my work.
It’s really nice that I’ve had students message me and say that I’ve given them a helpful insight into the industry and how you get started. It’s reassuring for them to see that there is a real career path once you graduate.
How do you hope to inspire others?
Inspiring other people to be creative is one of my favourite things about what I do. I get messages from people all the time that seeing my work has inspired them to get creative or start sketching again. I also love teaching people through my workshops, teaching them new skills and inspiring them to try something different.
If you could say one thing to the world through your work, what would you like to say?
Through my work, I hope that people get the message that everybody is creative and that being creative brings a little bit of joy to life.
Feeling inspired? Shop our Own Your Story Collection here.
Watch our video with Sweet Mickie here and Bobby Clark here.