Graphic designer, knitter, and blogger extraordinaire Emma Robertson gives us a glimpse into her creative workspace in Oakland, CA. I’ve been following Emma’s design career for quite some time and when she decided to make the move up to the Bay Area a few mutual friends thought we should meet – let me tell you, this is one talented gal. Her graphic design aesthetic is uncanny, she is sweet as pie and lastly, she’s written an amazing book on knitting (a new hobby I’ve taken up). Today I’m bringing you her light-filled workspace that everyone is going want to move into – the windows are dreamy! Read on for my full interview with Emma.
Can you tell us more about what inspired you to start the blog?
I started Emmadime, the blog, in 2010 while attending college in Stillwater, Oklahoma. As an inspired 18 year old, I felt the need to do something more proactive with the visuals I was coming across! A blog seemed to be the perfect way to share and organize it all. It has continued to serve that same purpose while offering up new unexpected opportunities and friendships. It has become an official extension of me and my creative career – an extension that I plan to keep around for as long as I possibly can!
At what point did you know you were ready to make the big jump into full time designing and blogging? If i’m going to be completely honest, I became a freelancer out of desperation. I had just moved to the Bay Area with my boyfriend and my portfolio was solely student work from college. I applied to as many jobs as humanly possible without a single positive response! I was devastated. From there, I simply told people I was looking for clients and made it work. Sometimes being forced down an unfamiliar path can be the best thing for us – I had no choice but to hustle and claw my way up to where I currently am. Now that I have put so much love and energy into the job, I can’t imagine doing anything else. I do believe that being an active blogger has increased my exposure to potential clients – I am constantly being presented with creative opportunities through that specific outlet.
How does your workspace reflect your style in fashion? Color-free, clean lines, and inspired by the simple details.
What’s your favorite part about your space? Oh man, can I say all of it?? If I had to pick I think it would have to be the huge windows that bring in all that natural light. They create this feeling of openness and peace that leaves me focused and not feeling all… cooped up. It keeps me awake, happy, and feeling connected to what’s going on outside.
What was your main priority when you began designing your own workspace ? My main goal was to leave it as open and spacious as possible – I wanted to have room to create, make a mess, stage photo-shoots, run around…!! But at the same time, I wanted to make sure it was welcoming and comfortable for meetings and design days at my desk.
How has this space influenced your work as a blogger and designer? Having all of that space has definitely allowed me to think bigger!! Since moving in I have thrown creative get-togethers, hosted design workshops, and improved the quality of my photography for both my blog and my design portfolio.
Do you have any personal favorite websites, magazines, books etc?
I am currently ( and slowly ) reading A Story Lately Told by Anjelica Huston. She is one of my favorites so I couldn’t help but dive into her life! It’s all about her enchanted childhood in Ireland, her teen years in London, and her coming-of-age as a model and nascent actress in New York. Sounds magical right? I also got ‘It’ by Alexa Chung – I couldn’t resist the light pink cover and the insane layout of the interior of the book. One flip through and I knew I needed to spend more time with it. It has turned out to be more visual than contextually rich, but it’s still awesome.
Websites are hard to narrow down… I’m not even going to try! I just got two magazines that I’m really into now – Mood and One – both are really great eye candy.
Where do you see Emmadime going next? Graphic Design and running my own business is my passion so I plan to continue freelancing. Although, I have had my heart set on putting together a design studio and managing a team for a while now. I’m enjoying my current situation but there are definitely plans in place to promote growth. Stay tuned!
A huge thank you to Emma for opening up for beautiful workspace to us!
Profile Photo by Eva Kolenko | Studio Photos by Caitlin Flemming
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