For those looking for alternative gift ideas and events décor, one needs to look no further than the African-centred designs offered by the ALTERNATIVES range With a diverse product range featuring items from T-shirts to wedding stationery, ALTERNATIVES offers what it describes as ‘colour, class and culture’

ReConnect Africa spoke to Pauline Brobbey, the artist and designer behind ALTERNATIVES, to learn more about her unique range and how she has combined African heritage and Western style.

PB: We live in an era of free-flowing cultural barter where there are almost no rules and boundaries as to who wears what to where, what style of furniture one chooses for their home or whether or not to get a tattoo of a symbolic motif from the remotest part of the world purely for its aesthetic appeal.

Culture is not just a matter of adhering to age old traditions and ‘ways’ of doing things but an embodiment of an individual’s psyche – what makes one love the music one loves, enjoy the food one eats and dress and act in a particular way. True appreciation of arts and culture requires to a large extent reverence for and acceptance of other peoples’ (as well as one’s own) way of life and taking the opportunity to partake in or learn from it when possible. Hence ALTERNATIVES.

Through Alternatives I wish to bring African culture, arts and crafts and all the spice that goes with these into the everyday lives of individuals. Alternatives comprises trendy everyday practical items, celebratory art forms as well as objects of pure sentimental value; in short artefacts and art forms that compliment and enhance today’s diverse lifestyles and tastes.

As a graphic designer with a passion for handicrafts, Alternatives is my response to the on-going global inter-cultural dialogue – my small way of enabling individuals who either have an African cultural heritage that they are eager to exhibit and indulge in, or who have an interest in African arts and culture, are eager to learn more about it and more importantly partake in it.

PB: Artists are born with creative talents that can be nurtured and developed through formal education or self-direction or a combination of both. Many artists and crafts people in Ghana and other developing countries, although self-taught due to the lack of funding, produce work of incredible creativity and craftsmanship. However current global trends in design, product development, marketing strategies and the competitiveness in the commercial art world have deemed that artists not only improve but also diversify their skills constantly in order to make themselves more marketable and noticeable.

I studied my first degree in Art, specialising in Graphic Design and followed on with a post-graduate diploma in Printing and Publishing Studies. Coupled with my qualifications is my interest in handicrafts and cultural artefacts; Alternatives is a combination of skills acquired through formal training and self-teaching, and my God-given talents resulting in a personal quest to express my creativity in a way that comes to me very spontaneously.

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I would definitely recommend at the minimum some form of formal directed art education that is relevant to any artists chosen field and ultimately a first or second degree in a related area that will broaden ones career prospects.

RCA: Your initial training in graphic design was in Ghana. How has that influenced your style and the way you design today?

PB: I was fortunate enough to spend my formative years in Ghana and be taught by some talented, dedicated and long-suffering lecturers in Ghana, many of who have remained cherished friends and mentors. Although then equipment, materials and resources there were no were near as sophisticated and abundant as they are today, I was taught to always make the most of what was at my disposal and see limitations as challenges and opportunities for creativity and originality. This culture has taught me to be very resourceful and simple in my design and thought processes – indispensable elements of good design origination. My cultural background and influences come through in the boldness of my designs with the use of bright colours, symbols and geometric patterns.

PB: The challenges of working for and by myself are endless – I have to wear hats of varied shapes, colours, sizes and weights. I am a combination of designer, manufacturer, creative advisor, financier, promoter, sales person, personal assistant and courier just to mention a few. I sometimes face moments of loneliness and lack of sense of direction but these ‘down times’ are dissipated as soon as I conquer the next hurdle or deliver the goods to a satisfied customer. I would say the biggest challenge I face is to remain self-motivated but the vision I have for Alternatives is what gives me cause to persevere.

PB: Alternatives has come a very long way and things can only go up from here. I have already established contacts here in the U.K., America and Ghana – I hope to develop these links further buy increasing productivity and hopefully demand. My greatest challenge is to find the funds needed to enable large-scale manufacture of my products in order to establish the brand’s identity and reach a larger market. This year I am looking to collaborate with like-minded businesses and manufacturers, particularly those with an interest in FairTrade, as this happens to be one of my passions. I would ultimately love to set up a workforce in Ghana to help create employment opportunities there.

PB:I would encourage any creative person who has the urge to start out on their own to give things a go. The power to make things happen lies in creative hands, hearts and minds – I believe the myth that artists live as poor people and only get rich after death should be refuted. If the business will not come to you, go out and get it. My advice is to seek some professional advice as soon as the decision to start out is made and don’t be embarrassed to ask for help from all and sundry. I have been blessed with a very supportive circle of family and friends. I have also had the benefit of a personal coach and involvement in business support bodies like the British Female Inventors and Innovators Network (BFIIN) and Business Link.

Click here for more about Alternatives.