Creative pursuits seldom blossom into full-blown careers for most people. This rare phenomenon needs not only stars to align but for a strong will to succeed beyond failures and trip-ups of any size to persist, at a consistent intensity. Steph Er, who treats doing good and pushing boundaries as a creative pursuit in itself, is one such multi-hyphenate who has made this dream work.
Constantly reinventing herself and her place in a myriad of meaningful conversations, she returns to the forefront once again with the Razor Sharp collection – a collaboration with local jewellery brand ByCanary, the team behind established fine jeweller The Canary Diamond Co, with a social awareness activation no less. Here, she opens up about creating with giving back in mind, her view on the parent-child bond and what it takes to be someone fiercely passionate about challenging the self.
Hello Steph! In 10 words or less, what do you do for a living?
I create spaces/design objects for people to feel.
Maybe a question more specific to the multi-hyphenate that you are — how do you juggle and find balance amidst all your creative pursuits?
Time management is key. I do not believe there’s not enough time, I believe in a well-planned calendar. In my head, I’m always thinking about current projects, the next project and how to execute each project with the set budget and desired outcome with the least amount of friction.
Before I go on, congratulations on the Razor Sharp collection with ByCanary! How did this relationship with the folks behind The Canary Diamond (Co) start?
In any working relationship, there must be cohesiveness. I only work with brands I believe in and support. So when they reached out, I was already an existing customer. They talked about giving me free rein when it came to creative direction and the production phase was pretty seamless.
I love the edgy and versatile look of these razor blades. What role in life do you hope for these pieces of jewellery to play for their wearer?
I hope for them to serve as little reminders to stay sharp through all of life’s adventures, the good and bad.
As with all designer collaborations for ByCanary, part of the proceeds are donated to a chosen cause, and you chose Big Love Child Protection Specialist Centre, whose sole mission is to keep children safe, raise child abuse awareness and offer them a voice. Why did you choose Big Love?
During the Covid lockdown, I thought about the kids who were stuck at home with abusive parents. Their home literally became a prison. If the people they trust to love and nurture them are not able to provide, it is the community’s duty to offer assistance.
As a child, I did not understand what being abused meant because my childhood was the only one I knew. In this day, our children have enough resources to be able to reach out and change their narrative.
Big Love Child Protection Specialist Centre uses the funds donated to provide therapy for the children to help rehabilitate their emotions. They are an intermediary to try to help children and parents alike live together harmoniously before the government steps in.
In your podcast Arch Conversations, you spoke a little about your own experience with abuse growing up. Thank you for taking control of your narrative in such a brave way. With your daughter, Ara, how are you consciously choosing to bring her up in a protected yet still a resilient way?
I communicate with her all the time. The patterns of abuse, how to spot them and what she should do should she encounter abuse. I’ve also told her to spread the word amongst her peers. That there are helplines for children who are going through anything they feel isn’t appropriate at home or otherwise.
I love that you involve her in your work whilst still letting her get in touch with the world via your platform in a very independent way. It’s a friendship dynamic you guys have that I really admire — what advice would you give to the parents out there who want to foster the same kind of relationship with their kids?
Communication. I talk to her as if she were my friend, with simpler terms and scenarios of course. I let her make her own decisions under supervision, and always have. I bring her to work and show her what I do and explain it thoroughly so she doesn’t question what I’m up to when I say I’m at “work”.
Was this how you always envisioned your relationship with your kids to be like?
I never thought to become a parent, it was never a goal of mine. Ara was a surprise the best one that ever happened to me. It is through her I found resilience and discipline. There’s no real handbook for parenting, each child is unique and has to be brought up differently. We look out for telltale signs in their nature and then nurture them.
Back to your various projects — how do you decide what’s next? It always seems like cool new projects are constantly being announced on your Instagram.
Hmmm, I’ve been very lucky to have had the opportunities for partnerships this year. Clients choose us, not the other way around. I don’t have a huge following on socials either so I’m very thankful for the trust they place in me.
We have six ongoing projects for Interior Design in various stages, some product design projects and most recently engaged to produce content for a three-day music festival. I enjoy all the work because it fuels my ADHD and I get to create between disciplines.
What’s some advice you would give to a young creative who also has many diverse endeavours they want to tick off their bucket list?
Keep at it, if you keep at what you love doing and find the balance between passion, client budgets and working smart; the work will come to you. Instead of pushing for accolades, push for progress beginning with self.
Any new projects coming up at your creative agency Cream Pie? And lastly, what was your most replayed song on Spotify last year?
We’ve designed a red packet for CNY 2023, that was fun. I’m always open to trying something new because that opens up new domains to explore. With the red packet, I found out the insane plethora of paper selections in the market and what you can do with them.
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