Emerging designers embrace change

As I discovered this year, that place for me is the beach — a place for enjoyment and calming, a place I turn to whenever I need to unwind, especially when feeling overwhelmed. This excerpt from my diary captures this connection to the beach:

At a stand still, I decided to go to the fabric store to see if any material grabbed my attention. I then took them to a place I can just breathe without any distractions. Pulling up at the beach, I took a minute to let my mind unscramble and run free. Taking a step out of the car, the fresh salty air hits me, awakening me. Watching the waves fold and gently come to the shore fills me with peace, as I record the water calmly folding around the rocks and back out to sea, my mind instantly feels like it has been filled with energy and the negativity just drifts away. Hopping back in the car with a new attitude on my project and a burst of excitement, I grabbed my paper and pencil ready for the feelings to start creating on paper. As I had my samples within arms reach, I let my hand flow freely.

‘‘I turned to this space a lot during this project to help trigger designs and decisions as well as to motivate and inspire me. The beach also connects me to the people who inspired this collection. The combination influenced how ‘Dawn’ came to be.’’