Happiness Is... {feature & giveaway}

Hello lovelies, I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! I sure did! It was eventful, including almost being in an accident that would have been fatal. Thank God for His grace and for keeping Flip and I safe. Moving swiftly along and to get out of that somber mood, I'm featuring the gorgeous Fathima K from Happiness Is... today. She really is a treat and will have you oogling over her beautiful designs and creations, such as iPhone covers, in a jiffy. Enjoy!

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1. Happiness is... is your personal blog as well as your graphic design brand's name. Please tell me more about this. How long have you been doing this?

I've been blogging on Happiness is... since 2009. I'd started a few blogs before that and could never get myself to post regularly, until this one. It started out for two reasons: one was to promote some little felt goodies I was making and selling at Durban's I Heart Market, and the second was to try and bring more positivity into my life, hence the title. 

As I kept going with it, it also became my creative outlet to balance my work life. Last year I left my job to start my own business as a freelance designer and illustrator and thought I'd keep the name for that as well since it already had a little bit of recognition. However, I would like to change the name for my brand purposes, as soon as I can come up with something I like!

2. What sort of products do you make? Do you also provide services?

On one end I'm experimenting with my own creative products which is mainly stationery at the moment, and I sell that on Hello Pretty. I sell on Society6 which is a really cool international site that allows you to sell your designs on products which they create, like iPhone and iPad covers, prints, cards, t-shirts and tote bags. I recently also started a store on Creative Market selling stock graphic elements and illustrations that you can buy and use.

On the other end I offer graphic design and illustration services and consulting. This ranges from branding for small businesses to wedding stationery and commissioned illustrations, and more. I'm always keen to try something new!

How cool are these iPhone covers?

3. Where do you find inspiration for your creations?

Mostly from nature. I love plants and nature in general, and when you really look at the details, it's truly amazing. I'm also inspired by other illustrators and designers; looking at their work always gets me motivated to be better and do more. 

4. What are some of the challenges of being your own boss?

Being my own boss is pretty cool, but what's sometimes tough is probably having to play all the roles you'd find in a company. In my own business I'm not just the designer anymore, I'm also the secretary, client liaison, art director, conceptualiser, and even accountant (well... more like Excel spreadsheet-er, haha!). That's pretty much the reality of being a one woman band, but I enjoy that. I like that I'm responsible for everything, so if something gets stuffed up I have only myself to blame, and if stuff goes well, that's mine, too. I kinda feel more fulfilled handling more roles, but it does take up a lot of time and requires planning and discipline. 

5. How do you perceive the South African creatives/design landscape?

South Africa at the moment is so full of the most talented, amazing creative people! And not just graphic design, but illustration and craft as well. There seems to be a lot going on, it's really great. I do find that many creatives aren't very open to sharing knowledge and collaborating, and I find that a pity. Working together makes everyone better! I think we need to work on developing a more sharing culture. 

6. What is your favourite colour/ material to work with, and why?

Hmm... My favourite colour in general is green, probably a lot to do with my love of nature. I absolutely love luscious green landscapes. My favourite materials are probably my Pentel brush pen (it's like a pen with a paintbrush tip!) and watercolours. I'm not a watercolour expert, so I enjoy experimenting with it and love that you aren't always 100% sure what the end result will be once the colours blend and dry. I especially like mixing those two mediums, I like the contrast of the harsh black ink and the soft watercolour.

7. What would you do if you won the lotto?

Oooh, I wish! How much is the lotto these days anyway? I think I'd first give a chunk to my folks, as much as they need to be comfortable and go on a nice holiday. Then donate a fat chunk to an animal rescue/rehabilitation organisation... Or maybe even start my own, haha! The thought of starting a shelter for strays has crossed my mind several times! Then I'd use the rest on cool art supplies and handmade goods and save some so that I can work less and spend more time on making :)

8. Where to from here?

Onwards and upwards! I've got a book full of ideas for little projects and products that I want to work on, so I hope to slowly achieve all those. I'm about to launch a wedding stationery template range, which I'm very excited about! And I hope to grow my business and be able to collaborate with other creatives who have products, I'd really love to expand my work onto mediums other than paper.

9. What has been your proudest moment since you started?

I think since this was my first year on my own, every time I landed a client for a project I was excited about, it was an achievement. Being able to do work that you really enjoy is a great privilege and I appreciated that every single time. But overall proudest moment was probably last month, which was my one year freelanciversary! Very proud and grateful to have made it through what is usually the toughest phase of a new business or starting anything new.

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You can win! 

Fathima has kindly agreed to do a special giveaway for The Sun House readers.
You can stand a chance to win your initial in an A6 size monogram watercolour and brushpen illustration worth R200!

Fathima drew one with my initial as an example.

 All you have to do is check out her collection of products on Society6
and then leave a comment here on what your favourite product is.

You can also check her out on twitter, facebook &  instagram.
And make sure to check out her blog!

Good luck!