Let’s Drink Tea and Plant Trees - stories from Brazil on creativity, tea & morning rituals

Hello ladies!

On Earth Day April 22 this year, in partnership with One Tree Planted, we launched our impact set “Let‘s Drink Tea and Plant Trees!” where for every set purchased on our online store (or pop-ups) we would plant a tree (via One Tree Planted) in India, Indonesia or Africa. To date, we have planted 12 trees in Indonesia, and 5 (yet to be planted) trees in Africa.

To date, we have planted 12 trees in Indonesia, and 5 (yet to be planted) trees in Africa.

We worked with Sao Paolo based Fernanda Peralta to create the coasters that come with the impact set (pictured above) - the intention was to create a beautiful spring/summer morning scene, a quiet snapshot where one sits to meditate happily with a cup /or a pot of Zippysparkles tea, a candle on the side in the company of our loved pets.

This Sunday morning, we chat with Fernanda about creativity, tea, & life in Brazil.

Go ahead and fix yourself a pot of morning herbal tea, and enjoy the post :)

1. How did you discover creativity and how did Fernanda Peralta Illustração came about?

I’ve always loved drawings: books that had illustrations, animation movies, cartoons, magazines' and newspapers' illustrations, and from a very young age, encouraged by my family and my school, I’ve started drawing. Later on, this interest grew on me and I started doing classes to improve my drawing skills, and ended up studying architecture and urbanism in college and even though that’s not what I do for a living today, everything that I’ve learned along the way was very important for me to get where I am today with illustration. It seemed only natural to start drawing officially and to give a name and a face to my illustrations, and that’s how it all came about!

2. We absolutely adore your creations! What do you do to keep inspiration flowing in your line of work? What inspires you?

Thank you! Inspiration is something we really struggle with in many lines of work. But sometimes people tend to think that inspiration looks like something that just appears to you in a moment of insight, something that comes suddenly, in a burst of geniality. Although this might be true for some part and for some people, I truly believe that inspiration is also something that you must seek, and actively train your body and mind to do so. Drawing everyday helps, even if it’s for a short period of time: in your lunch break, for ten minutes before going to bed... I like to take inspiration from the things I see everyday around me. I notice people’s faces and hair, their clothes, how their walk. I look at the buildings and the architecture, the colors of the walls, the plants, the objects, everything. Sometimes that helps me build an idea for something, and even if I still don’t know exactly what’s that just yet, I know that the seed of something is there. What really helps me is the idea of not delaying my work waiting for that “burst of inspiration” to come, because it may never come. It’s best to sit and start to work, and try to come out with something even if in the beginning it doesn’t look like what you’ve wanted. It'll get there eventually :)

3. Tell us a little about life in Brazil, what is your daily routine like?

Well, my job as an illustrator in only half of what I do for a living :) I am also a graphic design in a children’s book publisher. I really think that both jobs go well together, which is a privilege I have that I must always be thankful to. It’s great because I get to work with some amazing illustrators while doing my daily job, and that definitely had an influence in me starting as an illustrator… So, my day starts around 6am, I wake up, have breakfast, take a shower and get ready to go out. I really love sleeping, so my morning routine is set to be as optimised as possible so I won’t have to wake up very early (also, I am not a morning person). I take the bus everyday to go to work, and that’s a moment where I try to put my thoughts in order, where I can read, listen to podcasts, answer emails (yes, sometimes I work while commuting!). I leave work around 4pm, which leaves me plenty of time to get back home, and start my second job. I try not to work until late, but working from home normally means you don’t have a fixed schedule and so is very easy to lose track of time and find yourself working until 1 am.

4. Do you have a creative or wellness ritual, ie habits or practices you must do before starting each day?

In the mornings, I really like to think about the day I am about to have: it helps to give me focus on the tasks ahead. I love listening to podcasts and walking, but my absolute favourite activity is yoga. Although I’ve stopped doing it regularly for some time now, I would really love to go back to that, because it was great for my body and my mind.

5. Are you a tea or coffee person? How is the tea culture like in Brazil (or if there is one?) For an example, it is relative easy to find teahouses and assortment of teas (tea lattes, coffee mixed with teas , bubble teas etc) in Asia. Is this the same in Brazil?

Oh, I really like tea, but I absolutely have to say that I am a coffee person! I love coffee, and can’t spend a day without drinking it. My special moment for that is right after lunch: it’s the cup of coffee that keeps me going and helps me get through the day. I appreciate coffee for it’s flavour, and like to try new blends and beams whenever possible. Tea for me is something that I reserve for night time, when I don’t want to ingest high amounts of caffeine (because I have to go to bed eventually). I love fruity and flowery teas, and really enjoy holding a hot cup of tea or coffee in my hands and just felling its heat and smelling it :)

Brazil has definitely more of a coffee culture I would say. In São Paulo, the city where I live, specifically in some areas, you can find tea houses with different types of tea and blends (I’ve recently tried bubble tea and loved it!), which is great, but is not something that’s common or very accessible to the population as a whole. Coffee, on the other hand, is cheap to buy in the supermarket, and is served absolutely everywhere you go: in your job, in your university campus, on your doctor’s office, on your friends’ house when you go visit them. After a meal in almost every restaurant, the waitress will ask you if you want a cup of coffee. Let’s not forget that Brazil was a big producer and exporter of coffee (and still is), so that reflects in our culture and economy without a doubt!

the intention (of the coasters) was to create a beautiful spring/summer morning scene, a quiet snapshot where one sits to meditate happily with a cup /or a pot of Zippysparkles tea, a candle on the side in the company of our loved pets, this is what a good life is about, embracing ordinary moments.

6. What is your vision for your creative work with Fernanda Peralta Illustração?

I would really like to keep growing and learning, and developing a style that represents me and the way I see the world, and that’s recognisable to people who look at my work. I would also love to try editorial illustration, illustrating a magazine or newspaper article, It must be an incredible and interesting experience! For the moment, I am starting to fell the ground on having my own virtual shop (something that’s full of challenges and specific issues, let me tell you). You can check my online portfolio and store at fernandaperalta.com ;)

Take your time, don’t rush, and most important, don’t let the stuff you don’t know overwhelm you or let you down. I am saying this because there are always those moments in which we think “I won’t make it”, or “this isn’t going to work out”, and that’s ok...

7. If you could give one piece of advice for those who are starting a business/or are new in the women entrepreneur community, what would it be?

Take your time, don’t rush, and most important, don’t let the stuff you don’t know overwhelm you or let you down. I am saying this because there are always those moments in which we think “I won’t make it”, or “this isn’t going to work out”, and that’s ok. It’s normal to doubt yourself, but it’s really important that you do your research, reflect on the things you need to learn or to accomplish, ask your friends, family and other professionals of the field, search the internet. In the end, I also consider important that from time to time, you take a step back and contemplate how far you’ve come, because it’s also very easy to get lost in the process and forget to celebrate the little steps that we make to get where we want to be :)

The idea presented was to make a summer scene, in which plants and pets appeared, as well as tea elements. I wanted it to convey the ideas of calmness, comfort and peacefulness. After some thought, I came up with the sketch for the scene...

8. In this collaboration ‘Let’s Drink Tea & Plant Trees!’ for Zippysparkles, how did you find your inspiration? Do share with us a little bit behind the creative process (we love it so much by the way!).

Thank you so much! I got to say, I really enjoyed doing this illustration, and loved the final result. I hope it suited well Zippysparkles’ needs and thoughts on the matter. That is always my main goal: to translate what the client has in mind the best way possible, while using my style and my knowledge for that. The idea presented was to make a summer scene, in which plants and pets appeared, as well as tea elements. I wanted it to convey the ideas of calmness, comfort and peacefulness. After some thought, I came up with the sketch for the scene (as you can see below). After some minor adjustments we came to the perfect composition for the scene, and I started the finishing touches. Coloring it was great: the colors worked out so well and added to the summer and relaxed vibe that we were looking for. I really hope it can contribute to Zippysparkles’ Earth Day! Enjoy your tea! :)

We will continue plant trees all year long until the next Earth Day April 22 2020, and we'd love for you to join us in our efforts!

In this batch (month of May -July), plant trees in Africa ( Ghana & Tanzania) with us via the Impact set “Let‘s Drink Tea & Plant Trees”

x,

P