One Day : Isabella Strambio - Macrame artist
Location : Hampshire, UK
Profession / passion : Macrame artist & Educator
Website : www.twome.co.uk
Instagram : @_twome
One Day is an ongoing project sparked by the Covid-19. In the days of isolation we would like to focus on what we do best; bringing people together. Read more about the project here.
We will be posting one new day of someones life every day until we run out of contributors. See our instagram stories to experience these peoples One Day in action.
A text, song or film that everyone should experience.
Carla Bruni ‘Quelqu’un m’a Dit’
What is the story behind your profession/ passion?
My background is interior design. I have always been attracted to design, handmade, & natural textures and materials. In my last job as an interior designer, I found myself in a very frustrating situation where I felt my creativity was dying. That is when I decided to open a blog about learning 12 crafts in 12 months, a challenge I set to myself to explore and express a new side of creativity. That is how TwoMe started. The meaning behind the name is TWO hours for ME. When I opened my blog 4 years ago, I never imagined that I would leave my career as a designer to be a full-time macrame maker and educator.
How do you want people to react to your work / passion?
I hope it brings them calm and the natural materials & textures help them reconnect to nature.
How has the current situation affected how you work?
Before the lockdown, I was already offering macrame online courses, but when COVID-19 hit our lives, people suddenly found themself with plenty of spare time and decided to learn macrame. I now offer my classic online courses as well as new workshops, macrame patterns and free #macramewithkids tutorials on my IGTV.
What is the most inspiring text you read recently?
‘This crisis is also a wonderful opportunity to restore value to authenticity [...] The moment we are going through is turbulent, but it offers us the unique opportunity to fix what is wrong, to remove the superfluous, to find a more human dimension...This is perhaps the most important lessons of this crisis.’
letter by Giorni Armani for WWD
Your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement was publishing my first macrame book this year.
Define what beauty means to you.
Anything that brings joy and stirs unexpected emotions.
Describe a smell that brings back memories to you.
Saltwater on my skin, it reminds me of my Italian summer holidays.
Your best trait?
Positive attitude.
What traits do you treasure in other people?
Kindness.
Your most treasured possession?
A ring from my mum that my grandfather gave to her when she got married.
What was the most defining moment in your life?
Moving to the UK at 18 without a word of English (I am half Japanese and half Italian and I grew up in Italy).
Who do you miss?
Right now my sister.
Have you actively chosen to live in the city/town you live in?
We moved from London to the country nearly three years ago. It was scary after living for more than 10 years around the world in big cities like Melbourne, Milan and Dubai. We love it here and we have no regrets. Before lockdown, I was still going to London 2/4 times per month to run workshops or visit friends.
How do you relax?
I love reading a good gripping book or try a new craft, at the moment I am making a basket.
What does freedom mean to you?
Not being scared to follow your dreams.
Lastly, how do wish to see this current situation have a positive impact on our lives?
I hope the current situation has shown everyone that we can live a slower pace of life and can be happy with less material things. I also think people have started to value real human connections more.