When setting out to design any kind of range, finding inspiration and coming up with ideas is the very least of my worries… In fact, the narrowing down of ideas to a realistic undertaking is where my main concern lies.
As we are still in an early phase of this journey with LeDoré and my first foray in to creating jewellery again, after such a long, I knew it was important to keep the range concise, yet express some key ideas at the same time.
Naturally, once inspiration hit, so did a flood of ideas and I had, in essence, designed 5 years' worth of pieces that needed to be seriously edited down to a small collection of styles, a couple of key ideas… and a manageable quantity that I could confidently produce and launch.
During the design process, I was very much pregnant and there was much discussion at home about our own childhood nostalgia. The music, toys and movies we enjoyed as children.
I was listening to music that brought a sense of calm through the house and watching little clips of movies that had the same effect.
The 1979 movie ‘’The Point’’ was a favourite of my husband Matt growing up. It’s a sweet little animated film written and sung by Harry Nillson, and narrated by none other than Ringo Starr.
As a big Harry Nilsson fan, my Dad played the music of the film in our household growing up... but I wasn’t aware of the film until introduced to it by Matt.
If you haven’t seen it, it’s a weird and wonderful animated adaptation of Harry Nilsson’s concept album The Point!
The story of The Point! is an ode to the outsider archetype and the animation is that scraggly, textural style of 70’s illustration that tickles the back of your brain (similar to Quentin Blake or The Beatles' Yellow Submarine).
It tells the story of a little boy named Oblio who is born looking different from everyone else in his society. Everyone in his home of the ‘’The Pointed Village’’ is born with a pointed head (yes, we are heading into trippy 70’s territory).
Being different is outlawed in the Land of Point, and Oblio is banished from the Pointed Village for being a round-headed boy in a land ruled by his compatriot coneheads.
Oblio embarks on his own Joseph Campbell style - ‘Hero’s Journey’, making his way (with his trusty and endlessly loveable dog, Arrow) through the ominous Pointless Forest.
On their journey, they encounter many strange entities and learn a few key life lessons along the way… all delivered in delightful watercolour scenes, with lashings of visual and lyrical symbolism and set to a soundtrack of sweetly sung songs that appeal equally to little viewers as to their parents.
The very idea of pointedness and pointlessness Oblio is considering and the multi layered, symbolic way which he is discovering it, adding depth to the simple parable of a ‘pointless’ boy.
In the Land of Point, triangles or pointed objects are mistaken for the metaphysical ‘point’ of a thing. In the natural world, the Pointless Forest dissolved these assumptions educating Oblio in a more authentic way of being.
So in essence The Point! is a cute animated film about a boy who wears a little pointed hat in order to fit in with his peers... I can see why Matt loved it as a child. It’s also a much deeper tale about embracing the uniqueness of ourselves and others.
This film inspired one particular design theme I explored while developing this initial jewellery offering. I wanted to combine organic forms with a clean and simple aesthetic.
Shapes that were inspired by the natural world but looked sleek and minimal rather than earthy or overly worked.
I wanted to create a few statement pieces that still worked for day-to day wear as well as dressier occasions.
This film inspired the soft peaks and organic forms featured on the designs from this initial offering - the Droplet Hoop, Splash Flask Necklace and of course the Oblio ring.
To quote the film “you don’t have to have a point, to have a point” (delivered by a watercolour rock creature) but I know, you will love wearing these ones…I certainly do!
