ARIELLE MOORE | The Artist, The Student, The Weaver

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" This question seems to be one of the most asked by adults to youth, even though, we remember that many of us didn't know the answer to that question until decades later! (Or still don't?) When you ask little people what they want to be these days, we are hoping that the answers are starting to get a lot more open ended, and free. Answers like "I want to be creative" or "I want to run my own business" sound like much more exciting answers than just picking one career you don't even understand yet, don't they?

Wether they are discovered in a classroom, or out in the world, the exploration of your passions will always be a moving target. The pursuit of learning should never end. Graphic Designer and Textile Artist Arielle Moore is in her third stint of post-secondary education, and experiencing for the first time feeling like she is really doing what is right for her.

Currently in her final year of her Graphic Media Design Diploma at Pacific Design Academy, she is enjoying being the only one relying on her skills right now. Most of her creative energy is going towards the program, although as a small business owner and artist of multiple mediums, she is never only doing one thing. 

"I am so grateful that I’m able to have diversity in my work! I think the part I find most enjoyable is that I’m always learning something new."

-Tarot Card Deck designed by Arielle

Arielle is a Victoria native and has found herself "...on all sides of the creative entrepreneur hustle..." at one time or another. She has worked in many positions, and still finds herself juggling multiple roles. She is a part of Picot Collective, a local company that distributes its own fragrance line (Honey Tobacco), and hosts Seasonal Artisan Markets, which Arielle assists in organizing. She works for her own design clients offering brand identities & marks, social media templates & content creation, packaging design, and product photography. If you are a prospective client, you will encounter the "We'd Work Well Together If" section of her website. Arielle really enjoys "...getting to work with so many different kinds of business owners [and] always learning about niches [she] never even knew existed." However, it is important to her that she connects with her clients, and that they connect with her approach to design. 

"I think it’s important for every client to connect and align with who they choose to work with (and the same for contractors taking on clients). Trusting someone else with an aspect of your business is a big deal and can be quite stressful especially if it’s the first time you’ve done something like that. I think who you contract to do work for you should be chosen with the same care as hiring an employee. You want to be sure that your values align, and in something like graphic design, that your style and the designer’s style are well suited to each other. It helps make something that could be stressful into something that is exciting and a great benefit to your business for far longer than just one job." 

What drew SALT to Arielle were her creations as a weaver. Arielle has been working as a textile artist since 2014, and finds her inspiration in colour, texture, and the Saori Philosophy. That intrigued us, so we asked her a little more about it.

"Saori is a relatively modern method of weaving created in Japan. There are no rules, there are no mistakes, and you simply create intuitively, putting yourself into the work...There’s a rhythm, peace, and fluidity to it....One of the 4 principles of Saori is to ‘Consider the differences between machines and people’ I think that says so much! There’s charm in imperfections, and in handmade things. What’s the point of making something by hand if it looks like it was made in a factory? It seems so obvious but a lot of creators often forget that, myself included, and we work to “perfect” every bit of personality out of our work. Getting into that Saori mindset keeps your personality involved and reminds you there are no mistakes in being creative!"

What a beautiful approach to creativity.

Arielle works with natural fibres in her weaving, mostly cotton and wool, but also sometimes silk, linen, and jute. She looks for things that will create unique textures. And most of her materials are repurposed or thrifted, an aspect of her art that is important to her on multiple levels: it's cost effective; it is environmentally friendly; and it keeps her materials unique and out of the spectrum of trendy, so that her art always stands out.

As her program comes in a close in June, Arielle will be looking forward to settling  her "...business and life into a space where between weaving and graphic design [she's] supporting [herself] 100% on [her] creative skills." Every artisan's dream, is it not? 

We are happy to support her in that goal. We are lucky enough to have several of Arielle's pieces in our shop, with particular ocean-ish themes, something we are obviously passionate about and as a West Coaster, something Arielle can't imagine living away from. She also created a beautiful, large woven piece that for a time hung in our Victoria location's window and welcomed guests into the store.

We are always happy to see creative women pursuing their dreams and making their past and future selves proud. We can't wait to see what Arielle creates next. 

Shop Arielle Moore here and in-store.