In times when the fast pace of human life often blurs human perception, artist Brigid Collins and product designer Tom’s Studio are leading in a return to mindful creativity and sustainability. Their journeys differ, but they share a closeness with art and nature alike.
Brigid Collins is an artist who found her inspiration in her recent transformational visit to Japan in the spring of 2023. Her stay in the serene Zen gardens of Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, and Matsue has shifted the wheels of her creative process onto a different track. Collins ponders her transformation, looking through the lens of American essayist Annie Dillard’s notion of seeing. Dillard distinguishes a superficial observation from a deep, immersive experience. For Collins, she feels she is moving into the latter, toward something like Thoreau’s “returning to my senses.”
Her new work now includes elements from shodō, the art of Japanese calligraphy, ink art, and shakkei, along with Kintsugi’s philosophy, which stresses the beauty in flawed repair. This synthesis has given her the urge to create en plein air art that catches the unique atmospheres of Japanese gardens in Japan and Ireland. The two are linked by the legacy of writer Lafcadio Hearn, who spanned his life between the two countries.
It is at Dr. Neil’s Garden in Edinburgh that Collins has been able to find solace and inspiration for her role as Artist in Residence. Her continued visits to The Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens in Tramore, Ireland, have brought her deeper into her creative process, facilitating what Collins calls a “rewilding” within her community. During this period of artistic evolution, a concertina book created in situ in Japan and Ireland was accompanied by a series of ink drawings and larger panoramic works that explored the interplay between garden edges and the surrounding landscape.
Parallel to the artistic exploration of Collins, Tom’s Studio addresses a pressing environmental concern with everyday tools. The Lumos Pro is an infinitely refillable pen that confronts pen disposability. Tom, an experienced product designer and craftsman, felt that this disposable pen was heading down a blind alley, both ecologically and artistically. His answer to it was the Lumos Pro, providing a sustainable alternative with nine professional artists’ tips and two writing tips.
According to Tom’s Studio, pen companies thrive on the concept of selling substitute pens and refills, much like the printer ink cartridge industry. This model is profitable but comes at a cost to the planet and, in some ways, thwarts creativity. According to illustrator David Downton, Lumos Pro feels “beautiful, the perfect weight, a range of nibs, satiny ink.” It believes not just in functionality but also in being green.
The practice of Collins and Tom’s Studio represents a return to careful, sustainable operations. The art of Collins, informed by Japanese aesthetics and philosophies, and the design innovation of pens by Tom are a broadened movement toward mindful creativity and environmental stewardship. Their stories remind us that in slowing down and reassessing our tools and processes, we can foster deeper connections with our work and the world around us.