My name is Tamara, and first of all, I would like to thank you for shopping with me and supporting my mission to change my life. Art, creativity and making things has been my happy place and hideaway since I was a little girl. From the moment I could hold a pencil I would draw countless designs and outfit sketches, at age 8 I made my first t-shirt (it was for our family dog, but it still counts!)
and at secondary school I started to sew garments for myself. It was then I decided to push myself towards a career in the fashion industry. After graduating as a fashion designer I kick-started my own small business, a clothing label, in 2011. I juggled my day jobs and my ever growing business and as time went on, my collections were appearing regularly in market leading magazines and my little label flourished. Demand grew, and the number of stockists increased, and after nine years of crippling hard work I was ashes. I was completely burned out, exhausted and had no more energy to put into my dream. I made my decision to settle with my day job (not so fulfilling, but secure), and announced the closure of my label in the beginning of 2020. As we all know 2020 was a whirlwind year, and when the pandemic hit I had time to stop and process everything that I had accomplished. For the first time in my life, I had plenty of time to figure out what I wanted to do. I knew I didn’t want to commit to a lifelong 9-5, but knowing how tough life had been while I had what I thought I always wanted and the raw wound of that not working still on my mind, I did what most girls do at this kind of crossroad. Mom’s advice was to give myself some time, and to rest while focusing on things I enjoy. So that’s what I did, and what great advice that was. I started to take my two dogs on very long walks and remembered how much I love being outside. Did you feel the same over lockdown? During the long lockdown months and spending so much time inside (which the dogs loved), I realized how important it is to create a lovely atmosphere at home. The sanctuary we create and how our home feels became more important than it ever had been, so I decided to redecorate. I wanted unique and meaningful pieces that represent who I am and what I stand for. Having seen so many mass produced things I started to make them myself. I picked up hobbies and got into weaving and candle making, so I could take my own ideas and express myself while making something beautiful that nod to my values and personality. My grandfather was a woodworker, and my Mom is a potter, so getting into this kind of thing honestly felt like coming home. I knew I had found my new path. Armed with my newbie enthusiasm, I quickly discovered that candle making isn’t as easy it looks (my husband and friends will tell you, some of my first ones came out looking very funny indeed). It took a long time to fix my rookie mistakes, and once I had nailed it, I was hooked. I knew I didn’t want to make simple scented candles, I wanted to make something extraordinary. Thanks to my Mom I have a loving family connection to clay and sculpting, so in their first stages my candle people start their life as little sculptures, and this sculpture is the mold. Every hand sculpted, hand poured and handmade candle is unique and you will not find the same one anywhere unless it has been made by me. My container candles are made from recycled mason jars, carefully decorated with locally sourced hand picked pressed wild flowers, and I even hand braid the wicks myself. The love that goes in to every single candle gives them all little imperfections and personality, which I think makes each one magical and sets it apart from any mass produced equivalent. My wall hangings are all hand woven, come in a variety of patterns and are dyed with tea so are free from all artificial chemicals. I support the zero waste movement, so I don’t want to use any unnecessary packaging For my products. I wrap everything in recycled paper, some comes from my workshop (kitchen) and some comes from my husband’s day job that would otherwise be binned. As Urban Nomads, this is important so we do our best to think green. So this is the story of the Urban Nomad. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day and reading about my life and my dreams. You are part of the story and part of the tribe. I have further plans and ideas so I hope you stick around and we can make a difference together. Love,
Tamara
The Urban Nomad
