Spotlight Sydney

Tales of Sydney's Creative Community II Parts People | I Part Life | Served Neat

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Until next time, Bali. Back to Sydney I go

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Meet Van aka Van Go aka Bali Babe aka Lord at The Walart aka The Hottest Bitch on The Island. Van is the Founder/ Creative behind Bad Goods and The Walart. You might remember Bad Goods from my first spotlight on Antoine.

I met Van when he stayed with us in Sydney a few months back. It was good to put a face to a name being that all I knew was that Antoine was in business with a childhood friend living in Bali. He and Lauren (@laurenwadestreet), a necessary ingredient of the Bad Goods/ The Walart team, have been amazing about taking me in and showing me what Bali has to offer; let’s just say that it’s more than I would expect from people that I’ve known for longer.

And if I haven't shared enough quotes, here’s another that I've taken with me growing up  - “if you’re the smartest one in the room, you’re in the wrong room”. When it comes to starting and running a successful business, I’m happy to say that I’m exactly where I need to be when enjoying Van’s company. The Walart though, is just that, a wal(let) that doubles as art. Founded in Australia in 2010, the idea was and still is to create art out of a "historically boring object... we want to put art in everyone’s pocket”. Being sustainable is definitely a bonus. If you visit the website (www.thewalart.com) you’ll see that The Walart is dubbed “Earth’s favourite wallet”. I could go on and sell you on why you should support my friend or you can visit the website (above), follow the instagram profile, @thewalartofficial (formerly @thewalart) and let the product do what any good product does best, sell itself.

This is #SpotlightSydney. These are the people the shape me.

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"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching"

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Fortunate enough to call this place home

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You know the type that would give you the shirt off their back… in a snowstorm? Meet Chris – the most selfless person in Sydney – and it’s not just because he’s never seen snow. A native of Melbourne, where experiencing four seasons in a day is not entirely uncommon, Chris now chooses to reside in sunny North Bondi. Chris is the Founder/ Sole Owner of Bondi Kitchens, a bespoke kitchen and furniture company. He wears many hats though: designer, manufacturer, installer, sales & marketing coordinator, orchestrator of 3 full time staff… the list goes on. But more importantly, he’s a son to Hannah and Len, a brother to Nick and a g[reat] friend of mine.

We often talk strategy, be it operations, product design, social media, etc. He’s taught me a lot in these few short months and I like to think that my experience and knowledge has rubbed off on him a little too. So visit the website (www.bondikitchens.com), follow the instagram profile (@bondikitchens) and be inspired by more than just a true talent with an incredible eye for detail – Chris is a rad human being.

This is #SpotlightSydney. These are the people that shape me.

More to come from Bali next week – stay tuned.

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I came to Sydney as a getaway from the life I was so comfortably living back home. It made sense to look into men’s fashion as I am, after all, here to explore opportunities of interest to ME. I was lucky enough to get a job on my third day of being here. Thanks Bree McCarthy for being good looking - I’ve told you this before but your golden locks are what prompted me to walk in that day, and I’m glad that I did. Working for MJ Bale, I was fortunate enough to meet some of the nicest, most happy go lucky people that I’ve had the pleasure of coming into contact with in my 27 years. People from all over the world - a fair bit of whom are in similar situations to that of myself. The time has come, though, that I seek out a new challenge. So thanks all, for welcoming a lost Canadian into a company as colourful in character and personality as it is in the it’s offerings

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I don’t know that I’ve ever agreed with anything more than this quote by #SethGodin. Human potential constantly amazes me; it’s equal parts scary, remarkable, and often times unbelievable. Regram from @love_local

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“It’s funny… how much the state of your business affects your mood”, smiling as he packed orders in the garage, otherwise know as BAD GOODS HQ. I’ve yet to see him in a sour mood - business must be good. I met Antoine when responding to an ad on a shared living website promoting a room for rent in North Bondi. An industrial designer by [future] degree, Antoine is 1/2 of my flatmates, 1 of several students at the UTS, an employee of MCM Design, 1/3 of The Jets (there’s an empty bottle of rum lying in a landfill that could tell you that story better than the 3 of us) and 1/2 of BAD GOODS. Always on the go is an understatement. The only time I’ve seen him sit down is to eat, sleep and to take this picture.

BAD GOODS (@badgoods_) is a men’s lifestyle company based in Sydney, with production in Bali and a footprint that spans the globe via offerings from their website (badgoods.co) and Karmaloop.com. If you follow my personal profile, you’ll have seen the infamous “BUY, SELL” socks.

Antoine isn’t a businessman, he’s a business, mannnnn. Moreover, he’s just a good dude. It’s been very serendipitous – my journey thus far - a job on day 3, shortly after finding an affordable room in Bondi in an apartment with two creatives – the absolute reason I came here (more on flatmate # 2 next).

This is #SpotlightSydney. These are the people that shape me.

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I grew up on The Berenstain Bears and Dr. Seuss; the saying “be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind” is actually something that I’ve hung my hat on for nearly 27 years. One conversation with me will be proof enough of this. Isadore the Dinosaur was by far my favourite book though. It taught me that not everyone will learn to love your honesty - sometimes you just need to knock a T-Rex the fuck out.

Sydney, Bondi specifically, is very much consistent with this state of mind. I think this is why I feel so ‘at home’ despite the nearly 16,000 km gap. I’m not saying Toronto’s creative community is non-existent or lacking, I merely wasn’t a part of it. In Sydney, I’m surrounded by young creatives, people in business for self; there’s certainly worse places to be for a runaway corporate sales rep seeking a balance sheet entitled ‘Kyle Turpin, Free Because He Is Happy, Not Particularly Because He Is Rich, Inc.’ I don’t regret any of the decisions I’ve made in life, though - be it my studies, my (past) career. They’ve merely helped me realize what I don’t want to be doing for the rest of my days, and like it or not, that takes time too.

This is why I have decided to start living life to the fullest, to lead with honesty, and to not leave shit to CHANCE. The following is a sporadic, candid, no frills documentation of the people and experiences that have and will continue to shape me during this time away from home