My time working with Ami has been really fun and enjoyable mostly because it was just so casual and relaxed. If we got something wrong we could just laugh about it and fix it and if we pronounced something wrong we would just make a joke about it. We also got to have some music on and I got to choose sometimes. Often I would come in and Ami would be finishing her lunch as she is only half done with it.
It's not all fun and games though because it took a lot of work making the comic. We had sessions almost every week for about 1 and a half hours. There were sessions that had longer gaps in between and this was hard as I had to get my mind back on to the project.
I had to learn to remember the Photoshop tools and how to use them. Eventually I got the hang of it and now can do most things easily by myself. Though Ami was doing the teaching I taught her some stuff about anime and manga too.
I asked her these questions as part of my research into her career.
Q1: When did you first start your Career?
In my final year of Uni we did a project called 1st destination which was all about designing and making up business cards and thinking about what kind of thing we wanted to do when we graduated. It was probably then that I first thought about starting my own business. In 2007, a year after graduating I officially registred MiaMai and started trading under that name.
Q2: What inspired you to make and design clothes and art?
Q3: Do you enjoy your work?
Yes I love what I do. I love that being the boss of my own company I can do exactly what I want to do. I understand that I am very fortunate to be able to make a living doing something that I love!
Q4: Were you encouraged to pursue what you love/loved?
Yes my family and friends were always very supportive of me following my creative dreams. I also received encouragement from Uni both from my tutors but also the enterprise unit. I entered a competition in my final year which was all about supporting young entrepreneurs. I actually won the design category so received some business mentoring too which really helped in the beginning.
Q5: What's your favourite part about your job?
I like making and creating so just the process of being creative is probably my favourite thing. I also like being able to see things through from initial design to the final photo shoot.
Q6: How many working hours do you work?
I work part time at a craft organisation called Making Space so I fit Mia Mai into the other days of the week. I don't have set hours. I just work when I want to/can do.
Q7: Who is your inspiration?
Ah good question. Art wise my favourite artist is Audrey Kawasaki, a Japanese artist who's work is just beautiful. I also really like the illustrations of Angelique Houtcamp - she's a Dutch tattoo artist who does very traditional but awesome artwork. Fashion wise I have always admired the late Alexander McQueen. I went to see the show Savage Beauty last year and it was a huge inspiration!
Q8: What's your favourite thing to make/draw?
At the moment I'm really enjoying making lingerie. I went on a professional master class last year and got utterly inspired. I still have more to learn but that's what I'm concentrating on at the moment.
Q9: What item sells the best?
Probably my prints because they are very reasonably cheap. People love paying £10 to have something they love on their wall and I'm able to produce them very cheaply so I still make a good profit.
Q10: Is there anything else career wise you’d like to achieve?
I'd love to get my lingerie to a stage where I could sell it in boutiques etc. I also really like the idea of trying my hand at tattooing (especially as its a huge inspiration of mine). I have bought a machine but not yet tried something out!
