The Creative Life: An Interview with Amy Convery of Pops and Piaf

Instagram can be a funny old place; while it can be a minefield of comparisonitis, curated perfection and algorithm woes, I have also made some of the most wonderful, genuine connections with creatives of all kinds there. No more so than with Amy Convery of Pops and Piaf, fellow Scot and the most beautiful designer and maker. Amy’s shop - filled with gorgeous handmade pieces, a thoughtfully curated collection of stationery and vintage gems - is a frequent sellout, and rightly so. The baubles and candlestick holders pictured are from Amy’s shop and are very much loved. Her winter shop went live this week and although most items sold out very quickly, Amy mentioned an exciting new stockist on her Instagram this week to be announced soon, and her much-coveted heirloom stockings will be available for preorder soon for next Christmas. Be sure to check out Amy’s blog Stories from Home as well, which is a subscriber zone with the most inspiring seasonal and slow living content. Amy kindly agreed to answer some questions for the latest interview in my subscriber series, The Creative Life - I hope you find her answers as inspiring as I did!

1. Tell us about your creative life. 

These days I wouldn't say there is much of a separation between me and my creativity. The last time I could probably say that was in early childhood. I am currently in a phase of my life where I can indulge in being creative whenever I feel the urge and the more I do it, the more I am drawn to it. It is a great privilege and one I longed for for many, many years. I was brought up by parents who completely encouraged creativity in all forms and made it feel more like a way of living than a hobby. Their influence can be seen in everything I do. At the end of the day I suppose it's because my greatest goal is to create a life for myself and my family, just like the one my parents created for me. 

I'd say creativity informs every part of my life. I'm an incredibly visual person. I can't help but filter everything I see through my creative lens first before absorbing it as information. I have noticed when I watch a film, my eyes scan the set in each scene first before settling into the story. This is probably a good way to describe how I approach life in general. I love the quote from Paul Smith "You can find inspiration in everything and if you can't, look again" whether its swatches of fabric, scraps of patterned paper, a drawing by my husband, the colour of a piece of fruit or simply the way it is placed on the table, next to the glass with the autumn sun shining through the window, it can be photographs, the view from my parents house, a crumbling old building, a forgotten sketch book. I am absolutely at my happiest when I am surrounded by things that inspire me. Things that I find beautiful.