Earlier this spring I had the pleasure of interviewing Joy Newton for The Daily Muse as part of my Finding Your Path series.
“We spend the first 20 years of our lives being asked what we want to be when we grow up. Then we spend the next 20 finding out for ourselves.” – Christina Vuleta
That’s the theme of my column at The Daily Muse...a community for women who are passionate about doing great things, at work and in life. And that is just what Joy Newton has done. She combined a background in science, art, and business with a love of nature …to create a flourishing line of home arts and accessories that is as beautiful as it is natural.
As a lifelong gardener and nature lover (“I love the smell of dirt”), Joy realized she missed the outdoors as she worked long days inside her corporate office. Having been an illustrator by training she decided to take her beautifully rendered drawings of flora and fauna, birds and botanicals..and turn them into sophisticated and eco-friendly notecards, tableware and totes — essentially bringing the beauty of nature indoors. Along the way she learned some great lessons on starting your own business and learning to accept yourself. For example:
What did you learn on your path that you’d share with women in their 20s?
Delegate. You can’t do it all yourself. It’s not humanly possible. I’m not the only one who can manage things. I used to think no one could do anything better, but that changed with age and maturity. I wish I had let go a little earlier. Early on someone in the press said I was “a soft-spoken perfectionist.” I thought about that for a very long time. Now I try to not be such a hard-lined perfectionist. Sometimes, imperfection can be a beautiful thing.
You can check out the full article at The Daily Muse here:
For a look at her collections (and don’t miss the tour of her lovely studio and gardens) check out her website here:
