June 17, 2009
(design.inspiration) gillian corban
I don't know if this ever happens to you, but sometimes I have an "aha" moment with products. It's when the penny drops and I view something from a completely different perspective. This happened to me with Corban & Blair. I remember looking at their photo albums when I was getting married several years ago. I was so impressed with the quality of the product and I just thought that the name of the company had been made up to sound stately and authorial. It has that ring, don't you think. Well, when I started working on an interiors magazine and got to know more about the company, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there was in fact a Corban and a Blair. And that these two women had worked as teachers before embarking on an altogether different yet fabulous journey. Oh, and if you get a chance, you should check out their recently opened first retail store in Petersham.
Which five words best describe you? Generous, focused,creative, supportive, curious.
What was your first job and what path have you taken since then? A teacher and curriculum consultant in education and even though my jobs have all been different and now I am in business they have all bee about creativity and working with people's creative potential.
What’s your proudest achievement? Other than my 20 year old son - having built Corban & Blair over the past 21 years with my business partner Amanda Blair.
What’s been your best decision? To get advice on matters financial.
Who inspires you? People who see things for what they are - people who are not followers, an original thinker such as Brian Eno.
What are you passionate about? Making interesting things happen and understanding how humans are so interesting and complex.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt? Finances do not work just by using intuition only - other parts of the brain are very necessary.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? I just met him - Dr Norman Doidge - who has written a book about the plasticity of the brain - was out for the Sydney Writers' Festival.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? Walking some of the pilgrim walks in Europe.
What are you reading? Groundswell by Charlene Li and crime fiction.
Images courtesy of Corban & Blair
Which five words best describe you? Generous, focused,creative, supportive, curious.
What was your first job and what path have you taken since then? A teacher and curriculum consultant in education and even though my jobs have all been different and now I am in business they have all bee about creativity and working with people's creative potential.
What’s your proudest achievement? Other than my 20 year old son - having built Corban & Blair over the past 21 years with my business partner Amanda Blair.
What’s been your best decision? To get advice on matters financial.
Who inspires you? People who see things for what they are - people who are not followers, an original thinker such as Brian Eno.
What are you passionate about? Making interesting things happen and understanding how humans are so interesting and complex.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt? Finances do not work just by using intuition only - other parts of the brain are very necessary.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? I just met him - Dr Norman Doidge - who has written a book about the plasticity of the brain - was out for the Sydney Writers' Festival.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? Walking some of the pilgrim walks in Europe.
What are you reading? Groundswell by Charlene Li and crime fiction.
Images courtesy of Corban & Blair