IN the last two years, Kelsie White turned to creativity as an outlet, illustrating and painting with watercolours, and then selling products online.<\/p>\n
But she knew the experience of running an online store was not quite the same as if she had her own shopfront.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really missing that face-to-face interaction. I\u2019d post pieces on social media, but never got to see how people truly reacted to my work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
White decided to find a space where she could set up her own little shop with a studio area for workshops and was attracted to Ballarat East community hub Barkly Square.<\/p>\n
There, she found a free \u201chole-in-the wall\u201d space over the hallway from A Pot of Courage Caf\u00e9, and an opportunity to fill a gap where there were no other exclusively arts-focused tenants.<\/p>\n
In her new light, bright and vibrant store, White sells her own lines of \u201chappy and colourful\u201d cards, prints, fashion and textile pieces, and a small selection of art supplies.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll my products from online are here in person, and I\u2019m planning lots of exciting collaborations in the future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone is welcome to pop in. They might see a workshop in progress, or I\u2019ll be in here painting and can answer any questions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m planning to have the artwork of other regional creatives in here, and complement the caf\u00e9 and BRMC, which celebrate the work of creatives and makers as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Half of the space is a dedicated workshop area where both White and other Ballarat artists can share their skills with small groups of people.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel I\u2019ve created a hub for artists to come together, teach what they love, or just meet, hang out, and chat. My driving force here is to add to the sense of support and community.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a creative can be such a solitary act, so I wanted to add another space where creatives can come together comfortably in any way and share a space,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Kelsie White Designs is open at Barkly Square on Thursdays and Fridays from 12pm to 5pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IN the last two years, Kelsie White turned to creativity as an outlet, illustrating and painting with watercolours, and then selling products online. But she knew the experience of running an online store was not quite the same as if she had her own shopfront. \u201cI was really missing that face-to-face interaction. I\u2019d post pieces […]<\/p>\n