Meet Bobbie-Lee Sutherland from Southern Land Creatives

Tell us about your business and how it started?

My husband and I have two beautiful girls (four and six) that were growing up way too quickly, so in late 2019 I left my job (which I loved) in outdoor recreation to spend more time at home with them.

I soon found myself getting that creative itch like I did when I went on my first maternity leave. I still wanted to contribute to our family financially whilst staying at home with our girls.

In mid-2019, I started out trying macramé products which then turned into a mixture of macramé and polymer clay earrings. Polymer clay allowed me to really express myself creatively; I got hooked on making polymer clay earrings and my customers were loving them just as much as I loved making them.

Now my handmade products are a mixture of both macramé and polymer clay products but earrings make up majority of my stock.

What is your biggest achievement in business?

My hat hanger design concept is my proudest achievement. I put my idea and inspiration out into the world and the concept flourished within the creative macramé community.

Seeing this happen sparked so many mixed emotions within myself and I have had to (and still have to) navigate my way through that and it has helped me learn and grow as a person and I wouldn't have it any other way.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of owning your own business?

Having flexibility within our family life is really great. I love that I can attend school events when they come up. If my husband gets a day off work, we can go away without me needing to ask for time off work. I like managing my own workload to fit in with our families schedule.

What is your next big project?

I'd love to provide other people the opportunity to express their creativity; everyone has a creative spark in them somewhere.

My goal is to soon run creative workshops for both macramé and polymer clay. I also have future plans to put together DIY kits for small craft projects which will be available on my website.

What do you love about your product?

I love that all of my supplies are sourced from small businesses that are based in Australia. I can't think of a better way to create Australian handmade products than with supplies sourced only from Australian-based businesses.

I love that my earrings make women feel absolutely amazing when they put them on - like the cherry on top of your outfit. They also get that amazing feeling of knowing that their purchase has not just supported one Australian business but many.

Who or what inspires you and your creative process?

My designs are inspired by lots of things around me - fabric colours and patterns, tiles, natural textures and colours. My inspiration for colour combinations comes from things I see like paint palettes and make-up kits. The Bunnings paint colour cards are amazing for colour ideas!

What does success mean to you?

Balance and happiness. Balance between my business and my family lifestyle, and happiness from doing what I love every day. I am very grateful that I get to spend lots of time with my family and be creative in more ways than one.

In moments of self doubt, how do you build yourself back up?

I stop and remember what I have achieved and how far I've come. I remember all of those lovely reviews and supportive comments I've received from the community around my business as they are a reminder that I have a great business and great products.

It's also important to live in the now, to enjoy this moment in your business journey. It's easy to get too fixated on moving forward and growing and being bigger and better but taking in the now and appreciating it is super important.

How can women support other women?

By helping and encouraging each other every chance we get and in any way that we can. I love to witness this happening a lot between businesses on social media. It's great to see the sharing, tagging and collaborations. So many great relationships start to form when we support each other! I've developed great relationships with people that feel like friends even though we've never met.
I get really excited about this.

There are many women in business who are willing to help by using their resources to leverage other businesses by educating and providing opportunities for them in any way they can. OAK Magazine is a great example of this.

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At Southern Land Creatives you will find carefully handcrafted earrings that are designed to be seasonally on trend and versatile. Designed by Bobbie-Lee Sutherland with the intention that you can wear your earrings over and over again.

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