mundyewalsh The Creative Women interview series chats to women from Ireland and beyond in creative fields, and explores what is at the root of their artistic drive. Creative thinking is fundamental for a fulfilling life, and so understanding and cultivating it through shared experiences, challenges and achievements helps us thrive.
Romie Objetti, by wood sculptor Alice Damiens, was born in 2020 from the desire to create a universe where shapes and materials meet. Whether in jewellery or interior design, each object coexists around a strong and singular identity. Alice works mainly with wood, which comes from the stock that her father has nurtured throughout his career near their workshop in the north of France.
How did you get started in your craft and what continues to inspire you?
My relationship with wood began very early because I grew up in my father’s workshop (he is a cabinet maker and wood sculptor). I spent a lot of time there during my childhood, helping him or creating little things.
I always knew that I needed to work in a creative field. After I graduated from a fashion school in Paris, I became a fashion designer, creating shoes, accessories and clothes.
Around 2020, on the back of my job, I went back to my dad’s workshop to create bangles and earrings.
I loved my fashion designer job but I was a bit tired of the industry and one day, I realized that I could lose my father, and his savoir-faire would therefore disappear. I couldn’t miss this unique chance to learn his craft while he is still alive. In 2022, after almost 10 years in the fashion industry, I finally decided to quit my job to dedicate myself to my personal project: “Romie“. It was a big move back then, but looking at it now, I have no regrets and I thank myself every day for having taken this decision.
Romie became very quickly more than bangles and earrings to become Romie Objetti, which involved all sorts of objects I wanted to create. More than objects, my vision was actually to build a real universe where all my wood pieces could live together.
The constant personal challenge of exploring new techniques, shapes, volumes, scales, and, working with types of wood I have never used before, is a very powerful drive.
I like drawing and imagining different objects or sculptures and tell myself, oh! maybe I can do this! Then I just give it a go and try to make them. There are so many things I want to create that I’m not close to being bored
What is your process from ideation to finished product?
I generally start with sketches. Or sometimes, I also work with paper. I cut shapes and rearrange them. It helps to bring my ideas to life, in volume. The next step is to choose the right wood for the right shape. Then I start sculpting it. But honestly, it depends on so many factors. Sometimes I begin with a piece of wood because I see immediately what I can create with it. It’s difficult to always follow the same process because it depends on so many different elements. Sometimes I imagine, sculpt and get the right thing in one shot, and sometimes I explore a lot of things before finding the right direction. But I know that all these tests are not useless, they are part of the process. Without them, I would not have achieved the result I wanted.
How do you maintain resilience during difficult periods? What has been your greatest obstacle so far?
Hmm, it’s difficult to answer this question without looking like a crazy woman or a naive hippy! Even if you are living your best life as an artist in your studio, at the end of the day you need to pay your bills… Being independent is not like being on a payroll as I used to be before. You need to manage all sorts of things without freaking out. It helps to take a step back to learn to prioritise things. It is important to be grounded and able to continue to be creative.
You also have to deal with failure. And that can be difficult but as we say it is primordial to accept failure. If you don’t accept making mistakes you will remain frustrated, which is not healthy in the long run. When I am facing failure, I try to accept it – even if it is easier said than done. Honestly, most of the time, it’s just a question of state of mind. So I step back, change my priorities or work on something else because there is no point in forcing things.
I’ve had a lot of obstacles, but I can’t really remember a specific one because I tend to leave them behind me. I don’t know if that’s a chance or not to be that way, but my brain quickly forgets my bad experiences. If I make an effort to remember the worst, it will eventually come back to me but I don’t really want to focus on those. There is always something to learn from good and bad experiences, I guess that’s what life is all about!
That being said my last obstacle probably was when I cut a part of my little finger. It was not very serious because my bone was not affected but it was very painful and for a few weeks I couldn’t work as I used to. That made me feel sad. I felt useless because I couldn’t work, but also anxious to realise that it could have been even worse, and changed my life forever. What if I lose a hand in a machine? I couldn’t work anymore…
Unfortunately, this is my reality and I have to accept it. I work with very dangerous machines and it’s sad but quite common in my profession to have accidents. I thought about the Paralympics, the strength of all these people, and I told myself that if it might ever happen one day, I hope that I will be able to be as resourceful to get over it and continue my passion…
Imposter Syndrome can be a hurdle sometimes creatively, has this ever affected you? Does being a woman influence your creativity?
Oh yes, I think it’s my worst nightmare. Sometimes I feel like everything has already been done. Nobody really creates anything from scratch… you always start with something – consciously or not – and it is difficult to get over this feeling. My solution is to step back… always! Because if I don’t do that, I will become really crazy.
Being a woman doesn’t really help because if you look at art history, women artists have often been diminished. It is so unfair to think about all of these talented women who have been bullied by patriarchy. Even if today things are improving and women and men are fighting together for more equity and respect, we are still not there. However, I am proud to see women being praised more and more and happy to see how things seem to evolve with the new generations. That being said, if art can be a manifesto for our voices, our bodies, our rights and our freedom, education is the key.
What is some good advice that you return to?
Take some distance.
