This year, we're so thrilled to share the Christmas collaboration with local Byron Bay artist Anjuna Hartlieb. Anjuna’s work exudes optimism, joyful abandonment and freedom - and now you can have your very own piece of work on our exclusive tissue print, for a limited time only.
We wanted to bring a big load of joyful, boundless energy to the end of 2022, and this piece is aptly named Dancing Sun. Every Christmas bundle will be wrapped in this work of art, for you to share with your loved ones, or to keep for yourself.
We got chatting with Anjuna over a glass of Beauty Renewal and delved a bit further into who is behind Anjuna designs.
Country of Origin: Australia
Current location: Up in the mountains of the Byron shire
Star sign: Libran
Instagram: @anjuna.kalleila.hartlieb
We would love to know about your journey to date, how did the brand Anjuna come to be?
I don’t really see what I’m doing as a brand, maybe I need to look into that, I’m just making whenever I can, and Sharing what I’m doing. it’s a necessary outlet for me and my sanity I think.
I have always had this urge to create and express myself in this way since I can remember, and it’s just been ever-evolving with little bits of study and research and playing around, wasting heaps of paint and paper along the journey and here I am now being a mum to my two beautiful boys and about to have my third babe and feeling more creative than ever, with less time than ever ha! but having children for me I think is when I started to take what I was doing a little bit more “seriously” and seeing it as work too, I just wanted to spend all my time with my babies and not put them into daycare to go out to work, so it was a way for me to be able to be with them and to work from home, little job opportunities and collaborations came up and it’s just been a nice way of allowing me to keep doing what I love and getting to spend every day with my kids. It’s total chaos too don’t get me wrong but I love the madness of it all!
At Imbibe we believe that beauty comes from the inside out. How does your art align with these values?
I agree 100 percent! If I’m not taking good care of my vessel and nourishing it well I feel creatively stagnant and not able to think clearly, things don’t flow as easily, and I need to have good input to create anything worth sharing. And when we feel good on the inside that radiates out.
What inspires your creativity? Is there a location, a particular book, or a song you feel most inspired by?
Peace and quiet at home alone which is rare these days, but that has always been my happy place where I can get into the zone. Mazzy Star is getting some air time at the moment, the voice of an angel!
Is there a particular moment or creative idea that is a standout for you in your career?
Honestly birthing my babies has been the standout in so many ways as it’s allowed me to let go of a lot of self-doubt and insecurities I had before in what I’m doing and creating, it’s been a really empowering and humbling experience and now I have no time to procrastinate or overthink, I’ve found a lot of peace and enjoyment in the process without being too fixed on the outcome which is a nice place to be and I have the chaos of motherhood to thank for that I believe!
What is next for you and the brand Anjuna?
I’m just going to keep making and creating when I can and see where it takes me, let it evolve in its own time just keep winging it… I’ve never been much of a planner. I’ll have a bit of time off too at the end of the year and hide out in the baby bubble for as long as I can, I’m looking forward to the fresh perspective that time away from my practice gives me.
More about you personally:
What do you do to support your personal wellness?
I nourish myself with real food, real water, and real friendships, live a toxin-free life as best I can. Usually, exercise is the key for me but this pregnancy has turned me into a lazy potato, I do look forward to getting strong again though.
I try to make sure that I have a positive input into my brain, and good sleep is key!
At Imbibe we strive to ‘ Do more with less’, how do you embody this mantra in your everyday life?
I think being resourceful inspires creativity, I like to keep things simple so they can flow, in all aspects of life. We have everything at our fingertips, but I think it’s fun pairing it all back where we can and coming at things from a different perspective using up what we have, gardening is a great example of this you just need some dirt and seeds and love it up a bit and you can grow food… That’s magic to me!
What does your skincare routine look like?
I’m ashamed to say I don’t take great care of my skin on the outside, I exfoliate now and then, and cleansing is a pretty new thing for me that happens occasionally, oil goes on my face most days.
But I do take care of my skin internally, I take collagen every day, eat lots of good fats and hydration is super important to me, I guess I don’t feel I need to do too much externally if I’m looking after those things internally.
How do you wind down after a day of being beautifully creative? What does a typical Sunday look like for you?
During the week I’m a full-time Mumma so I’m being creative with my babes all day in different ways, and my rest time is after they are in bed which is when I start drawing or painting, that is actually how I wind down it’s relaxing to me, painting with a Reishi hot chocolate or some herbal tea concoction and I always load up on magnesium every night and spending time with my Man, he emanates relaxo vibes.
Sundays are usually my day where I get some solo painting time if I have some work to do, so after I’ve made some buckwheat pancakes with my boys. My man usually takes them out for a drive or on a bush adventure they always come back muddy half-naked and so stoked. I'll get a roast or slow cook on for dinner and do some painting while I have a quiet house. In the afternoons I’ve been having long magnesium soaks I love our infrared sauna but that’s not an option for me at the moment I can’t wait to get back in there, that’s a crucial part of our weekends usually.
Note to aspiring artists: What do you wish someone had said to you 5 years ago?
Just sit down and do it, don’t overthink it, if you enjoy it show up for your practice as much as you can your going to make heaps of terrible art along the way and that’s part of it, just make it fun!
