Creators: A Photographic Exploration of Voice
Simone Gogel Eisold
Designer • Visual Storyteller • Inspired by nature
“Through it all, I remain hopeful that we emerge stronger and more resolute to create a world where opportunity and hope exists for all.”
What is your why?
My Why is to create designs that are relevant and purposeful; designs that are unordinary and have the power to make people happy and enhance their well-being. This can be anything from designing someone’s wardrobe to another’s kitchen or office. Design is not just about what something looks like - it goes back to being useful while eliciting emotions that comfort and bring joy.
Now is the time for…
Creating your sanctuary. The pandemic has certainly changed how we use the space in our homes. Living rooms and bedrooms had to be converted to office areas and school desks. Functionality became paramount and rightly so. Yet, how can you create a space that eludes relaxation and serenity. Taking these spaces back to ensure that your home is a place that you feel anchored and comforted. It’s time to come home.
When did you first sense your power and how has it carried through your life?
I was just 9 years old when I sensed for the first time the emotional power of art. My father came home from work one day with a large roll of scrap paper that had to be at least 5 feet long. Instead of cutting it up, I rolled it out and drew a whole African village with lions and elephants, people, fire pits, babies on the backs of their mother, trees and bushes, letting my drawings tell a complete story about a place that I had never been and could only imagine. I will never forget the reaction of my parents! How wonderful it felt to listen to my parents discussing the drawing talking with me about their interpretations of the village life I created on paper. It is still hanging up on the wall in their house. My passion for storytelling has been powered through drawing and the exploration, to this day, of how color, fabrics, photography and nature can all be used to elicit feelings like confidence, love and home. This passion brought me to a rewarding career in fashion and interior design and has sustained me as I explore other means for storytelling.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW FOR SURE?
That good design can make people happy. I know this to be true regardless of what industry my path takes me. I enjoyed my career in menswear design but yearned to explore where my passion for good design could apply to a broader audience. I am so grateful to my Father who pushed me to follow my heart, take chances and believe in myself. His confidence in me was the push that I needed to move out of menswear design and take on all kinds of creative projects. I have never been happier or felt more fulfilled.
Where do you find hope at this time in history?
This has been such a challenging time for so many - Covid-19, social unrest, and search for news and resources that one can rely on. I find hope in reflecting on stories of the trials and tribulations that my parents and grand-parents told about growing up during World War II. Both my grandmothers were fearless women that were able to care for their families by making clothes and growing their own vegetables. Communities came together to help one another. My grandfather, a humble furniture maker, collaborated with a ceramicist to create unique decorative items that they traded for food. I pay tribute to their lives’ journeys by creating these same types of relationships in my own community. Through it all, I remain hopeful that we emerge stronger and more resolute to create a world where opportunity and hope exists for all.