A Day in the Life of Auckland-based Thoughtful Design Studio, Elba Creative!

Presenting our blog series on the Wrap featuring some of the incredible members of our noissue Creative Community. This Day in the Life series highlights one special creative showcasing their creative workspace and daily routine. Read on more to have a glimpse of “A Day in the Life” of a noissue Creative!

Elba Creative is a design studio crafting thoughtful brands, based in Auckland, New Zealand. Led by designer and creative thinker Erin Clarke, Elba started as an outlet for creativity with an online print store that has since grown into a full design studio. Valuing partnerships with their clients, they work with dreamers to breathe life into brand and develop strong, mindful and unique brand storytelling.

Erin always knew that she was a creative person with strong, artistic desires. She spent her childhood making handmade cards and selling them on the side of the road for 20 cents each. Moving into her teenage years, she found herself experimenting with sewing, art and photography, which later led to her studies in Fashion & Design when she was 18. Not knowing what she wanted to do with this, and living in a small beachside town with no job opportunities in the industry, she found herself working in retail while she mulled over her options.

8 years later, Erin was still working in retail even after moving to Australia, still feeling unsure about her career path and still having a strong desire to be creative. She then made the decision to pack up life as she knew it and move back to Auckland, New Zealand! She enrolled in a Bachelor of Communication Design (Graphic Design) program and embarked once again on the student path.

“Returning to University at 28 was a challenge in itself, but so rewarding and I would highly recommend returning to study as an adult. You are more focused, more determined and you understand the true value of the expensive student loan you take on. I learnt how to create value in your work that challenges the boundaries of design thinking and I discovered that this is what I was meant to be doing.

I felt like a weight had lifted off me, I was excited and I felt the passion and desire to create all day every day. One of my treasured things I learnt was how to look for inspiration in everyday life, not just jump on Pinterest and scroll for hours, but to look around you in your current surroundings for inspiration. Whether it is the colour palette, using the landscape to create shape and form or using the lineage of the cityscape to create randomised grids, there is beauty in everything, you just have to keep your mind open.” - Erin

Erin only recently left her job to focus on building and growing her studio full time and she loves being able to work from home, setting her own rules and schedule. She starts every morning with a coffee in hand while she spends 10 minutes journaling in her little office that she has set up.

She enjoys the varied differences in her work each day! She tries and works to her flow state of mind by listening to her mind and body and tapping into her most productive working hours. When she is really in the creative zone, she turns on a good playlist and shuts the door to her office to minimize distraction. Once fully in the zone, Erin can create for hours on end.  She sometimes catches herself still designing at 1-2am as she is very creative and  productive late at night.

“I love all aspects of the creative process, from ideation to conceptualising the idea and the final output. There is something empowering about seeing an idea come to fruition from a single thought.  With all that, of course I can never go past making a good moodboard, whether it is for a branding client, or for a content shoot – seeing the visual ideas as a collective and transforming that into something new is something I will never get sick of.” – Erin

Erin is able to access her creativity the most when her space is clean. Every morning, before she starts for the day, she always ensures her office is tidy and only has her essentials at hand. She tries to limit herself to one coffee every morning, but there are days where she exceeds this limit (as you know how creatives are with their coffee!). A good playlist is another must-have but the genres often vary according to her mood that day and sometimes she finds herself listening to podcasts instead.

Noissue had first shown up on Erin’s radar while she was studying and researching packaging design. Over the years, she has used noissue for various clients and has always loved not only the quality, but also the sustainable practices they embrace. She loves how easy it is to create a cohesive set of brand collateral all in one place.

Wrapping up her feature, Erin couldn’t help but share a few sentiments:

Erin shares: “Being a creative is something I treasure the most in life, and I believe everyone has that bit of creativity in them, you just have to learn to unleash it. I feel blessed that my creativity extends beyond graphic design, I still love to sew my own clothes, take photos and of course paint. Sometimes I like to write poetry, but I always keep them close to my chest. Next time you’re out and about I challenge you to stop, look up from your phone and take in the beauty around you, you never know after all you might crack that idea you’ve been sitting on for a while.”

Find out more about Elba Creative here:

Creative Profile: https://noissue.co/community/creative/partner/elba-creative

Website: https://www.elbacreative.com/

Instagram: @elbacreative