Olé!

Olé Macramé

olé - exclamation of approval, encouragement or victory 

Word meanings don’t usually start off my interviews, but then I thought that olé! is actually the perfect intro to such a beautiful and in many ways victorious start to Olé Macramé. 

Here I chat with Jenny at the cute Bohini café, about what makes her who she is, what drives her creativity, bus rides in Malta and about finding opportunity in the most unlikely of places (and times)! Enjoy the conversation seasoned with Jenny’s gorgeous pieces...

Can you tell us a bit about your creative journey, where it’s taken you and how you decided ultimately on the art of macramé? 

I used to upcycle furniture. What I’d do is buy solid wood furniture, sand them down, fix and paint them. There’s someone who is doing it now, and I think she does a really good job - Flipping Vintage it’s called. I like her work a lot. Then I had stopped, because with furniture you need a lot of storage space and it is quite physical too. I needed to be a bit more financially organised too I realized, because you also need to make a profit once it’s your business. But anyways, I let that go but I never really let go of that creative streak, you know. I was always on Etsy looking at things and ideas, and I think that’s where the macramé came from. 

I had put together my business plan over the years of thinking and searching for new things, so when I found macramé and thought that’s what I want to do, it was easy because the ground work was done. So yeah I started knotting during lockdown, I had the string from before but I only got to it once we were all at home.      

I think it’s beautiful to have something of your own, but also something that you’ve elevated from a hobby to something that sustains you. 

That’s it. And I think it’s a good time to do this because people are leaning towards hand-made things. They have more of an appreciation for them now. With the furniture I think it was a bit ahead of its time, in a way. 

And you spent some time living abroad? 

Yes, I spent a couple of years in London. It was a good experience, but I like Malta. London is very fast-paced whilst here, although it is like that you can still find those quiet pockets. I wanted something different, I wanted to get out of my comfort zone you know and really see what I could do, on my own. Here you have your parents, you have your social circle, so you have a lot of stuff, and you don’t really know what you’re capable of without them. So I wanted to give it a go, and it was good. Then after two years I felt like I needed to get out and I did - I came back. But I can very much see myself, you know when I’m older and  the kids grow up, spending time away from here. 

Mmm the luxury of being on an island in a way, if you have the luxury to afford it, to get away as often as you can.  

Now we’ve been locked up here for a while. 

And you start to feel a little claustrophobic, right?! 

Totally. But at least moving here has given me a little bit of a change and I’m really looking forward to summer. I feel like we’re going to be on constant holiday! 

Yes, I agree you can easily get your dose of nature here. It’s beautiful. 

It’s one of the reasons I moved here, because I intend to be outside more often and enjoy nature. The kids are close too. It’s easier to spend some time in the countryside now, I can pick them up from school, we spend an hour or two and then go home. Before they would come home with the van, we put our stuff down and then in winter most especially we’d stay there and maybe go to the swings, you know. So this will be a nice change. 

It’s nice that they could cycle it too. 

Well yes when they’re older! I like the idea of having a bicycle with a cart in the front, you know the ones? 

Aha, and I’ve seen someone going around with one in Sliema. It feels like you’re abroad doesn’t it?! I really like it. 

It would be ideal for here, and I’d really like to be able to get rid of my car. In fact, about a year and a half ago I started to use the bus. And I nearly completely converted to using only the bus. I’d use the car with the kids though, because to use the bus to take them to school was a bit risky, but I’d park next to the school and I’d go to work and get my things done using the bus. I’d take the kids on the bus when it was more of a leisure thing. And I started a Facebook page too. I mean on this island we desperately need a good transport system because there are too many cars on the road. With this everything calmed down a bit, but it was getting out of hand. Then I felt that this movement was going to become political and you know it’s so heavy … But still, there’s no form of planning, nothing proper for pedestrians and cyclists. 

When you catch the bus you start to realise how much you need to walk. Because you can’t always stop and catch another bus from the same bus-stop, you have to walk a bit and catch it from there. Then I started to plan my routes to save time, for example I’d know that if I walk to one bus stop instead of another I’d save 30 minutes. I started to realise how poorly things are planned for pedestrians. 

I wouldn’t want to get involved in such circles, but at the same time I’d like to have a better transport system so that we solve our car issues from the root. Who knows maybe I’ll pick it up again! 

I think it’s very hard to find and maintain that fine line of being in politics but also trying not to be, because it is fundamentally a social issue. I had started an NGO, that I stopped because of lack of manpower and time from everyone involved, but it’s the same, I look at it as a nice phase and then I also think ‘I might pick it up in a different form in the future’. 

Yes that’s what they are, aren’t they - phases. They are things you can come back to, unless you know someone else does so in the meantime - which would be great! 

For me, it had all started with the protest for our trees. I took part and then the next Monday I was in my car thinking ‘How can I protest and then be part of the problem, at the same time?!’. We need to widen roads because there are too many cars, everyone is in their car because there’s no alternative, but there is an alternative. I didn’t know anything about our transport system, so I had to learn how to use it and I wanted to document the journey - this is how the Facebook group started. It was nice because the group was very active and we used to help each other with routes, how to get from here to there, but it’s funny how when you stop posting it starts to really dwindle. It’s a pity, but … 

And it must have been really good for those who don’t have any other option but to catch a bus. 

Yes for sure. And it got me to realise how bad we are at putting up signs and notifying when there’s a bus stop that cannot be used for example, because of road works. No signs - and then you have people waiting for nothing. We need to be a little more creative too and respectful of others and nature. 

I agree, we have no idea of what aesthetic planning is. At least it is somewhat quieter now especially with traffic, but the building and the planning is always the same. I think that’s why we need a break from this, sometimes I find myself missing even just the air abroad.

Yes, I look forward to going abroad more often. I feel I didn’t get to travel as much as I wanted to when I was younger so I want to be able to travel more often in the future. I’m glad that I lived abroad and had that experience. But I’ve always stayed within Europe so getting out would be nice. I once was about to go to Australia with a friend but then I couldn’t - but she went and she had a good time, so that was good for her. At the time she didn’t really appreciate me backing out but now she’s glad that she had that experience. 

Let’s talk a bit about your business etiquette, I know that you read a lot. 

Yes, I read a lot and all the books I read are self-help books.

No fiction?! 

No, no I only read self-help. I don’t have a lot of time to read, so the bit that I do … well I guess there’s a lot I can get out of fiction but no maybe you could recommend some! If it’s not self-help then it’s a biography; I tend to prefer real life. 

I always loved literature, I think it was my favourite subject. 

Do your kids enjoy reading? 

Yes, you know I’m really glad I made it a point to read to them at night. Now, I mean they don’t read themselves yet. My eldest is learning and they seem to be going through the phases of having a healthy relationship with books. My little one will grab a book and start inventing a story or if she knows the story by heart because we’ve read it so many times she’ll start recounting it. Now I got the oldest one to read to his sister - you know, the simple ones but still. It’s sweet. I’m proud of that, because at least they don’t spend their time on their tablets, they enjoy books too. 

Because even though you can learn a lot from the internet, I’ve always learnt so much more from books. I think I’ll get a kindle, because I’m trying to go a little more minimalistic so… 

Yes, that will help for sure. 

And you can have the book instantly. I think I’ll read faster with it too. 

Going back to Olé, you’ve lately started your own macramé tutorials. How are they going? 

Yes! I started yesterday, they’re a learning curve you know. I already know what needs adjusting and I’ve wanted to start them for a while. It’s a challenge but I think it will be worth it in the end and I have a couple of ideas which I’ll work on this year, it’s exciting. Macramé is really huge in America and Australia, and it’s coming into Europe slowly. So yeah, this is going to be a good year. 

When does the craft become the art, to you? 

I think the art starts once you create your own designs. When you take some inspiration, there are so many tutorials you can follow but then if once you go beyond that and innovate I think that’s when it becomes an art. I think I’m breaking into the artistic side now slowly. I’ll be creating some new items this year, so that will be fun and exciting to reveal! I’m trying to be as sustainable as possible too in my choice of materials. 

What does it mean to you to finally have your own business? 

It means a lot to me. For me … I wasn’t going to have it any other way, you know what I mean? I wasn’t going to be satisfied with anything else. If I hadn’t gone for it, it would have been a regret. It’s something that I always knew I wanted to do. 

I can understand that. Do you feel this path has given your kids something positive and perhaps certain values? 

I think that watching me do this and watching me build this does give them something. I want them to grow up knowing that, as cliché as it is, they can achieve anything they set their mind to, that nothing is unattainable. Also, for my son to see that a woman is financially independent and can grow her own business will hopefully instil a certain respect for the different roles women play, and this is also for my daughter to appreciate - for them to see their mother work to achieve.      

 I can also work from home so I get to spend more time with them. 

Do they ever help out? 

Of course. This year he made keychains for his teachers, I think he’s into it a bit more than she is, well for now. 

What would you say to anyone who is thinking about changing their career, especially to one in the arts? 

So I started this during lockdown, but I had read a book called Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert and it spurred me on. She says something along the lines of, you know, we don’t need permission to do things, we don’t need to be given the “okay” from someone else to be an artist. She goes on and says that ‘if you’re waiting for someone to give you permission there you go, I’m giving it to you myself - go and create!’. It’s funny that you don’t realise how many limiting beliefs you have about yourself. That book really got me going. It’s all about perspective. That attitude really helps. 

I follow Elizabeth Gilbert, I really like her and she’s very active on social media. It is quite impressive how much you can pick up from a book.      

Details 

Olé Macramé website: olemacrame.com/ 

Photos: Jenny’s own, as seen on her Instagram account @ole.macrame

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear (2015), Elizabeth Gilbert: she’he author of Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of all Things. In Big Magic she pushes for her readers to live more creatively, possibly not professionally or exclusively but rather to live a life that is more driven by curiosity than fear. Even though our ideas are not physical, they have consciousness and they most certainly have will - a must read!  

Check out Elizabeth Gilbert’s Ted Talks for more inspiration.