Lucie Blaze
Born to Create

Project Overview:
Born to Create is a collection of digital portraits of inspirational women on skateboards and canvases. The collection is made of portraits of those living and those who passed away a long time ago. It's my way of acknowledging the work these women are doing or have done in the past. It's a way to acknowledge the contribution of our female ancestors who by doing what they did help to shape a pathway for us nowadays. It's my way to say thank you for their hardship, commitment and perseverance.

Intentionally I didn't try to tell their stories via the artwork but rather spark curiosity in the audience.

Kaupapa:
We were all born to create, but human creation wouldn’t be at all possible without women,
the creators of us all. The collection "Born to Create" is a celebration of females; specifically putting a spotlight on our local (and worldwide) heroines. I would like to present these important women to inspire communities and youths and to show that you don’t have to be famous in order to make a difference in the world around you.

Response:
My mandatory is that the woman of my choice must have contributed in a positive way to societal good. There had been 4 exhibitions across Auckland's galleries and one in Whanganui. The Pullman Hotel commissioned a whole collection to be presented in their foyer. This project gave rise to other initiatives like the art workshop Learn and Create which I run across community centres or public event Born to Create - Celebrating Creative Women the first in a series of inspirational talks and there is a book in the process.

Archiver’s Response:

I like how Born to Create refers to women's ability to give life but emphasis the fact they are powerful creators way beyond this physiological fact.

What makes the project stand out, more than the very graphic illustrations, is the discussion and workshop that are building around it...

As creators and game-changers, what does it means for female designers to be more and more involved in all the discussions across the industry?