July 25, 2016
INTERVIEW | NATALIE WALTON
For more than nine years I have been sharing the stories of creatives from around the globe. Today I want to tell a little of my story, as it’s integral to a new chapter for Daily Imprint.
I believe in beauty - in pursuing, capturing, and celebrating it. But I am also a practical person. I enjoy order and simplicity. These two elements have been a thread throughout my work - as a writer and stylist.
As Hemingway said, “Write the truest sentence you know.” This quote has been pencilled in my notebook for years. I believe in paring down to the essence of a feature article or interior space. When it comes to styling, I like to distill ideas when creating room sets and editing homes for interior photography. When the noise is removed beauty can breathe.
After years of working on a best-selling interiors magazine, and styling people’s homes, a new variation on this truth has emerged. It’s time to simplify the art of creating a home. Too often places have cushion covers, towels and tableware that has past its use-by-date. Or key items are missing, such as a simple-shaped vase to suit a range of flowers. Also, many places lack the necessary texture to help create warmth and interest in a home.
Daily Imprint has always been about celebrating beauty everyday. It has now been brought to life with Imprint House, an online store that features homewares handpicked for their beauty and utility. Each item in the launch collection - Everyday Essentials - is multipurpose and can work just as well in a city home as a coastal house or a place in the country. (Incidentally, I have lived in all three over the past five years.)
As part of this new chapter, there will be some new and exciting features on this site. Tomorrow I will introduce DAILY PRACTICE - an insight into how leading creatives structure their working day, their preferred tools of the trade and the ways they get through creative slumps. I look forward to sharing the interview with you, and many more.
And, for those of you who are interested, subscribe to Imprint House's newsletter for discounts and special offers. Or follow the Instagram feed for giveaways and other news.
Which five words best describe you? Stop, look, listen and go.
How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I have woven two careers together for many years - writing and styling. But they are not as different as they might seem. They are both about telling a story - about a person, a home, or a space. They both stem for my innate curiosity about the world around me, and are a way for me to explore ideas about how we choose to live. This site, Daily Imprint, has also been doing this for more than nine years now, with a focus on the paths people take in life. Even after all of this time, I’m still fascinated by the decisions people make and the journeys they take. While it has been more than 15 years since I completed Bachelor and Master degrees in the Arts (first majoring in English Literature and Gender Studies at the University of Sydney, and then in Journalism at the University of Technology Sydney), I still enjoy learning. But now I’m a student of life.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Life is a work in progress. That is, nothing is perfect, we all have to make compromises, and we all make mistakes. But it is the people who don’t get caught up on this and just keep pushing ahead that break through. Which is all another way to say, don’t sweat the small stuff. But still think big.
What’s your proudest career achievement? That each day is (still) exciting.
What’s been your best decision? One of my hardest decisions has also been my best - to leave full-time employment at Real Living magazine and go freelance. I come from a family of people who have always been employees, who have placed importance on the security and stability of that. Leaving full-time employment felt not just like changing jobs, but choosing my own path in life - one that put trust in my own ability and belief in myself.
Who inspires you? Years ago I was more in awe of those who were in the spotlight for their careers - film-makers and artists such as Julian Schnabel, fashion designers like Vivienne Westwood, and writers - almost all of them, but especially the Modernists and more recently Junot Diaz and Donna Tartt. And while I still hold all of these people in high esteem, now it is those around me who lift me. The small empire builders, the artists who pursue beauty, and the photographers who help us all see. And still the writers. I will always place them on a pedestal.
What are you passionate about? Doing the best that I can. Leaving a positive mark on the world. Loving my children. Having a wonderful family life. Enjoying my home for the place it is today. Being an explorer of the world. And taking time to breathe.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Right now, I’d love to see my dad again. He lives in the UK, and it’s been too long. I am very much his daughter. I burn the midnight oil, just as he has done throughout his career. I get my love of words from him. As well as my interest in people, countries and cultures.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? They haven’t changed - to publish a book, to create boutique accommodation, to live in New York and Paris. I’m getting closer on some counts, though.
What are you reading? After a couple of years of reading mostly non-fiction, I have almost finished Where Angels Fear To Tread. I’ve also been listening to audio books as I now live 90 minutes north of Sydney. Enjoying Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.