Creative Thursday: Darren Wilson

Darren Wilson is this week's creative Southsider, he's  a 3 Dimensional Designer / Maker. He lives in the Battlefield area and works at South Studios in Govanhill.
**EDIT Darren has kindly donated two packs of Seedboms to Southside Happenings Readers. To win, just suggest a Southside spot in need of some Guerrilla Gardening Usual rules apply, winner picked on Wed 27 April.

Describe your creative practice or what it is you do?
I create unique and innovative products in an ethical and eco-friendly way. My products are all about our connection (or lack of it) to nature and are designed to encourage interaction with our surroundings and to promote environmental awareness. I believe that being green and eco-friendly needn’t be the only reason for a product to exist; I think these methods should be there regardless, and that a great product will be great for the right reasons with the ethics to back it up. The point of my work is to justify its own existence by being responsible, innovative, usable and fun at the same time.

Summary of your background?
As a wee creative boy from Banff my first port of call after leaving school was to go to college in Aberdeen to go on a foundation art portfolio building class for a year (my school portfolio was terrible!). I was then off to Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen to study for a degree in 3D Design and Craft. Once leaving university I was unsure what to do next so I travelled a bit, worked a bit and then in 2008 I decided It was time to do something better. In 2009 I started my business after getting lots of much needed advice and funding through such people as the Nesta Starter for 6 programme and the rest is history.

Tell us about your favourite piece of your work?
 Easy! I’ve only got the one product at the moment and that would be Seedbom.

What's next?
 As well as the usual day to day making and selling I have just completed some work with Selfridges in London for their recent Grow! Concept Store and Window displays. I am also currently working with Glasgow’s Giant Productions as a resident artist on the Forgotten Island project where I will be running School workshops on recycling and planting. I will then be working with a team of artists and designers to construct the temporary Forgotten Island space on the banks of the Clyde this summer.

What is your favourite creative blog/ website or other source of inspiration?

That’s difficult, there are so many great creative related websites I use but if I had to choose one I would have to say www.designboom.com. It has to be said however I get a lot of inspiration from my surroundings; just walking down the street gives me ideas.

What key piece of advice do you wish you'd known? If I think back there are loads of little things I wish I’d known but that’s not the point, I’ve gone over these things countless times and it drives you mad. Take all the advice you can early on, there will always be something you’ve missed so learn from your mistakes, don’t dwell and carry on.

Tell us your favourite place/ space in the Southside?
I walk through Queens park everyday to go to work, it’s a great space and I get a good view of the city on my way to start my day.

Name another Southside creative whose work you admire?

There is some great talent around and I feel bad about leaving folk out but if had to choose just one it would be my partner Susan Castillo, a great photographer, I am always impressed by her talent (and no, I wasn’t forced to write that).

If money was no option what would you change about the Southside?

Although I love the Southside I feel it’s is a little sporadic in terms of places to go, some great places about but they are little too spread out over a large area. So I’d add some more gathering places and community hubs, good locally run cafes, bars, restaurants, produce markets and a cinema and have them all linked with a nice walking/cycle route. Oh and although the Govanhill baths are well on their way to being refurbished (great news) I would defiantly put in a temporary swimming pool while we wait.

Tell us one other interesting fact about you? I once re-enacted a scene from Billy Connolly’s world tour of Australia by dancing naked around the Pinnacles in Western Australia.

Seedbom are now available to purchase in Gifted, in Clarkston.

http://www.kabloom.co.uk/