Where did you spend lockdown and who with?
I spent it in my workshop, which is private for me, and at home with my partner and cats. And as everyone rushed to Zoom, I managed to speak to my friends in Japan and Switzerland a lot more!
What did you find most difficult about it?
I can’t fit my workshop into my home, and needed to keep working, so I spent a while adjusting things so that I could keep working safely for myself and in terms of those around me.
What did you find an unexpected blessing?
The peace and quiet of going out for early exercise and the empty roads. I finished my couch-to-5k running programme finally (loved being able to run a longer route around a park lake full of herons, coots and baby swans) and cycling to work became a far more pleasurable experience.
Was the work you did planned – or did you allow your creativity to roam free?
A mixture – I worked on new collections, which I am looking forward to share at Decorex’s virtual show this year (17-19 November), and on my new website (jackypuzey.com), and I also had various new ideas for future projects that are all being filed away in my sketchbooks.
How do you feel now as life returns to ‘normal’?
On the one hand it feels back-to-business at work. On the other hand, it would be lovely if all the ideas that have come to the fore about circular design, bespoke craftsmanship, buying less and better, and creating more inclusive communities all change us to a ‘better normal’ for ever.
What sights, smells and sounds will you associate with lockdown?
The lack of traffic smells; I love cities without cars. I also loved seeing a lot more wildlife. My work is all about the collision of urban and natural environments, and the interaction of wildlife and cities, and lockdown showed a new way of living in cities where more people walk and cycle and the air is noticeably cleaner.
What would be your advice to yourself if we go into future lockdowns?
Follow the science not the news, keep connected to friends and family, and enjoy the time to breathe and make new work.
