Such Different Vixens: Sian Richardson

Let me just open this intro by coming straight out with ten reasons I have a girl crush on Sian Richardson.

1. She’s a mountain devotee. Gotta love me a fellow snow bunny.

2. Her wanderlust spirit skips around my with own, and reminds me – regardless of the fact that I truly feel at home here in Burleigh – to never, ever stop travelling.

3. She threw in the corporate towel and set chase for her entrepreneurial, self-realised dreams. Oh, and she caught ’em.

4. She values herself– financially. This chicka has taught me a lesson or two about what it means to show up in the professional world as a woman who knows what her time and mad skills are worth. I applaud her for that. She’s young, and killing it, and rightfully so.

5. She’s got swagger (fuck yeah she does).

6. Behind that swagger, hides an utter sweetheart.

7. Her eyes are locked on the prize of making a difference, and helping others do the same.

8. She’s outspoken, but I also have the feeling she’s an introvert, and I bloody adore the contradiction in that.

9. Her work is impeccable – and her drool-worthy portfolio proves it.

Which brings me to 10. She is an incredible graphic designer – one who’s an absolute pleasure to work with. Intuitive, edgy, bold. She nails it every damn time. After all, she’s the one that brought Spirited to life.

And I am so excited for you to get to know her a little better here…

Sum up your mission in one sentence.

To get people to constantly be asking themselves, ‘Am I being true to myself?’, and to inspire peeps to get out and see the damn world.

Your work is so uniquely ‘Sian’… can you share with us what inspires your design process?

To me, part of being a creative means doing work that suits your clients needs to a damn T and creating something they love, but I also think we put a bit of ourselves into everything we do. We have to. To live a fulfilling life, you’ve gotta put soul into every single fucking thing you do. For me that means only taking on jobs I love, with clients I love, so I can go balls-to-the-wall with every one. So when you’re in that position, I guess its inevitable that your work is going to have an element of ‘you’ in it. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What turns you on?

Fresh air. Sunshine. Nature. Motorsport. The smell of race gas. Road trips with no destination. Deep house music. Hanging with my pals. Aimlessly wandering new cities, solo, camera in hand.

What makes your blood boil?

When I hear about animals being killed, because they attacked someone after we intruded on their natural territory. Huh? Yeah it sucks when people get attacked, but I don’t see the point in going on crusades to hunt down these animals & kill them. Just let them be.

How do you define confidence?

The ability to acknowledge fear, and to go ahead and do shit anyway.

When was the last time you experienced pure, unadulterated joy?  Can you give us the juicy details?

Just this last weekend I went on a road trip with my pal Romila, over to Kelowna, around Kamloops, and back to Vancouver. We met random animal-print loving chicks in a pub who ended up giving us free tickets to the local ice hockey game, (which was also my first one since being here in maple leaf land!), we wandered through ice-cold streams under the sweet autumn sun, and we almost filled our petrol car up with diesel. It was random, awesome, chilled out, and fun all at the same time.

Looking back, how have you most GROWN?

Man. In the last few years I’ve moved to two different countries (I moved from NZ to Sydney at the beginning of 2010, and I just recently moved to Canada, where I’ll be for a year), left the comfort of a 9-5 job, and started my own biz. So in that way, I’ve learnt a hell of a lot about being independent, how to run a business, and just how to work with people.

I’ve also learnt a lot about embracing unfamiliar territory, and I’m almost at a point where it feels normal to me now. New cities, new countries, new clients, etc; all of that stuff used to make me insanely nervous, and it still does to a point, but these things are more exciting to me than anything now… Mostly because I know that the good times lie behind that fear, so I just try to embrace it.

Combining my passions with a business I love makes me feel …

Alive. Super grateful that I’m able to work with amazing peeps, create work that I’m stoked on, & see the world at the same time.

Few people know this about me, but I …

Have double jointed elbows. They bend super crazy and it always freaks people out. It’s hilarious (for me).

I secretly wish I could …

Ski or snowboard like a boss. I’m a huge rookie at both, so now that I’m living in Canada & Winter’s coming up, I have no excuse not to go hard and learn to either ride or ski… There’s something about the whole winter culture… The snow, the mountains, the vibe, the people, all of it. It’s too good.

To me, the words ‘Such Different Skies’ mean …

We’re all living in the same world, but we’re living our own lives & chasing our own dreams.

Sian is a rad designer with mad chops and a fresh-ass aesthetic. She spends her days on the oasis that is New Zealand, gathering inspiration, ideas, and making cool shit out of both.

@sian_richardson / freshbysian.com

Let’s leave this lady beetle some love in the comments.