Creative Career Stories: Simone Brewster
Whether it is a minimalist design for a piece of jewellery or a collection of wooden furniture inspired by the female form, London-based artist Simone Brewster utilises architectural principles across all of her projects.
Here, Simone tells us more about her multi-disciplinary creative career...
“Why Is This House So Cool?”
I was just 6 years old when I decided I wanted to be an architect. I went to Trinidad with my mum, my dad and my sisters and all of the houses were overheated except for one which was cool. I asked my dad “Why is this house so cool?”. He told me that my cousin had designed it and that he was an architect. I knew then that was what I wanted to be. It sounds crazy to be sure at such a young age but I was.
The Experience Spectrum
My secondary school had good making facilities; I learnt how to use drills, saws and sanding machines and gained a general understanding of material and safety. After I finished school, I wanted to do a foundation course but my parents said no (they didn’t understand why I wanted to waste a year of time and money) so I went straight to study Architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture.
Most people on my course had at least one extra year of experience which I saw as a hinderance at first. However, the first year at university is a leveller for everyone and I had plenty of time to expose myself to catch up. You will always be somewhere on a spectrum of experience but that shouldn’t hold you back.
The Emotional Side Of University
In a way, my school prepared me and my friends badly for the world because it protected us too much and made us think that everything was okay. Moving on from school to university, I went from an environment that was racially diverse to one where there were three other Black people and one Asian student on a course of 75. That was a shock. I found the emotional side of university much harder than the educational side. I felt very isolated from people who would know or understand my experience. That took a long time to find.
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I felt very isolated from people who would know or understand my experience. That took a long time to find.
When I applied to university, I just wanted to get into what was considered to be the best course - and I did - but you shouldn’t be so focused on the brand of a university. You should be much more concerned about your total well-being. Are you going to be supported here? Are you going to fit in? Are you going to be able to find people who understand you and will be there for you? If the most elite university can offer all that then go for it but if not then look at other places. Here in the UK, even the “bad” universities are good. We are lucky that good education is available and the key to getting the most out of it is being in a healthy and supportive place that allows you to learn. It’s not just about what they are teaching you but who is around you and the environment you are planted in.
A Change Of Direction
I loved working in the Making Unit at university; learning how to weld, work with wood and make plaster casts. There was a voice inside me which said “You enjoy this. You should invest more time in it.” I listened to it and slowly diverged off of the path towards becoming an architect. I was only 20 when I graduated (the youngest in my class) and I know that I could always go back to architecture if I changed my mind.
Aspiration Vs. Reality
I went on to study for a Masters in Product Design from the Royal College of Art which was great because we had so many different disciplines in one space. By the time I graduated, I had decided I was definitely not going back to architecture. I started producing my old designs and looking for clients. I worked for my former tutor for a year helping him set up exhibitions and began teaching part-time at the London College of Fashion.
People work in all sorts of fields alongside building their creative careers. There can be this idea that if you don’t become an instant success as soon as you leave university then you are a failure. That’s just not realistic. It’s like you have to live two lives; the aspired life of the designer you want to become and the life of a real person who needs to eat and pay rent. And while you are doing that other job, you will learn other skills. While teaching, I learnt how to do lots of public speaking, how to make presentations and how to inspire other people which I think is really important.
“What Is This?”
One day early in my career, I went along with a friend who was getting something made at a factory. While I was there, I found a piece of ebony and was like “What is this? It’s amazing!”. The person who owned the factory told me I could have it as long as I made something with it. I used all the skills I had from furniture making to make a collection of rings which I displayed at a trade show in Somerset House. It is always interesting to get direct public feedback as it is never how you expect it will be. The rings were well received. After that, I did a jewellery-making course, started creating bigger pieces, got some stuff in the Tate shop and somehow got an agent.
There Is No Urgency Here
Because I work across different disciplines, I have found that it has taken me longer to get a foothold in any of them. I am only one person and the amount of work I can do - the amount of energy input and financial input - is limited and so the results take longer. It has been a long-term investment. It is only very recently that all of the pots are boiling evenly and it is important to say that even where I am now is not where I want to be. There is still a lot of work to be done.
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I felt very isolated from people who would know or understand my experience. That took a long time to find.
The difference now looking forward is I don’t have the urgency. I use the word “urgency” in a negative way. When I was younger, I felt like lots of other people were doing amazing things - which they were - and it made me think “What am I doing?”. On one hand, it was good to have that kick to know that, if I wanted to do this, then I would have to be active and engaged from early on but it was not good for my mental state to be thinking that I wasn’t doing as well as I could be. There is no urgency here now. I am going to take it at my pace and believe that, in the breadth of my life, I am going to produce the work that I want to create and that I need to create. That is an understanding I have come to now after trying to make my name for many years.
Nurturing Your Creativity
The advice I would give to younger people is to get rid of the idea that you are going to be an overnight success. Invest in yourself instead and you will reap the rewards. Value yourself and take care of yourself because you need that energy to put back into your work. Grow that creativity at a slower pace if that is something that you need and if it is taking off then invest in it. Your creativity is something that has to be nurtured. It will grow as you grow. Don’t be scared if it takes you in a direction that you weren’t expecting. Just keep in touch with it and it will take you where you need to be.
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