with simétrie ep 02 ~ sarah godden on survival, play, and backing yourself

Running a creative business on your own can be lonely work. You make every decision, you second-guess most of them, and there's no one at the next desk to tell you you're doing a good job. I, for one, really need a pat on the back from time to time. So when a conversation comes along that makes you feel less alone in all of that, you hold onto it. Episode 02 of with simétrie is one of those conversations.

My guest is Sarah Godden, founder of Soft Focus House ~ an online vintage furniture store, and a warehouse space in Fitzroy, Melbourne that she curates and hires out for shoots and events. I chose Sarah partly because we share a Maltese heritage ~ she's part Maltese too ~ and because I admire her aesthetic and her warmth so much. Every time I walk into her space, I’m inspired. 

We recorded this casually over a video call ~ less an interview, more two creatives comparing notes. And Sarah was so generous with hers. We wander through her upbringing in a mud-brick house in Panton Hill, with no mains power and a diesel generator that only went on for half an hour of television at night. Her nunna [grandmother] that she's still compared to ~ a dressmaker at thirteen, who once spray-painted the family car because she didn't like the colour. And how Soft Focus began as a mix of creative expression and survival ~ a way to make ends meet after leaving her corporate job.

I learned that procrastination is actually Sarah’s way of achieving ‘creative play’, and the pressure actually helps her in producing ‘diamonds’. That’s how a scrunched-up thermal blanket she made has become one of her most talked-about pieces. We also explore the thought ~ do you ever really nail your aesthetic? And do you need to? I am still unsure about this one!

Sarah named our conversation professional therapy ~ that's exactly what it was for me too. I started this series because I’ve yet to hear these conversations in the podcast space ~ I wanted to sit in the muddy, unglamorous space where most of us creatives actually live. Questioning our moves. [Hopefully] backing ourselves anyway. This conversation explores that, and I came away feeling part of a greater creative community. I hope it helps you feel the same.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube ~ it's just over an hour, so one for watching on the telly or maybe whilst you’re procrastinating too. You can find Sarah at Soft Focus House.