{"id":982,"date":"2019-09-06T11:58:44","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T11:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.pinkoi.com\/en\/uncategorized\/vcm65m2c\/"},"modified":"2019-09-06T11:58:44","modified_gmt":"2019-09-06T11:58:44","slug":"vcm65m2c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.pinkoi.com\/en\/design\/vcm65m2c\/","title":{"rendered":"Workspace Goals! A Day in Molasola\u2019s Animal-Filled Designer Workspace"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

<\/p>\n

Illustrator Tom Liang founded Molasola<\/a> in 2011. She has always liked to make handicrafts and gifts for her best friends, and over time, she\u2019s become better at it, too.<\/em><\/p>\n

On a stuffy summer day, we visited Tom\u2019s home in Shenzhen. Her chubby, lazy cat Nanako and two Siamese greeted us when we stepped into her home. Tom was holding a plate of sliced watermelons as she came out of the kitchen, and ushered us into the study for some A.C. We sat down in the cool room, started stroking her cats<\/a>, and began our conversation.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u25b2 The chubby cat Nanako.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What does Molasola<\/a> mean?<\/h2>\n
\n

Molasola<\/a> is inspired by mola mola, the sunfish that likes to float on the ocean, sunbathing and looking at the sky. I long for their tranquility and contentedness, which are my personal goals and is my brand philosophy. \u201cSola\u201d<\/em> is the pronunciation of \u201csky\u201d<\/em> in Japanese.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

My Chinese brand name is different but similar: \u201cAlone in My Forest.\u201d<\/strong> It describes my relationship with creativity. I\u2019m very impatient\u2014laid-back but impatient\u2014and making handcrafts is the only way I could quiet down and stay away from trouble.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u25b2\u00a0I like to draw in a quiet corner, and gradually I\u2019ve created a forest full of animals. By creating them into accessories<\/a>, I could hold them in my hands everywhere I go!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tell us about your designs.<\/h2>\n

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<\/p>\n

\n

99% of my creation are animals, whether they\u2019re illustrations or crafts.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a gift but also a curse. I love drawing animals<\/a> too much, so I\u2019m not really good at drawing other things anymore.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m currently trying to balance it out, even when I\u2019m drawing animals, I\u2019ll try and draw things I haven\u2019t done before. But animals have so many different shapes and sizes, I think perhaps I wouldn\u2019t be able to draw all the species in the world in my lifetime.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

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\u25b2 Every corner of Tom\u2019s home is filled with animals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

How does your normal day go?<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

My alarm is at 8:30, but I\u2019m usually awake around 8:00, probably because I\u2019m getting to that age… I would check my phone in bed for a bit, and if I see my husband still sleeping, I would sleep in a little more until 9:30. After a good breakfast<\/a>, I start working! But because I\u2019m quite the procrastinator, I would be distracted soon after turning on my computer, and would maybe start doing some work by noon.<\/p>\n

My real working hours start at two in the afternoon, until around four or five when my stomach starts growling. I think because my grandmother used to give me afternoon snacks<\/a>, so when the time is up, I go scouring around the house for snacks.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u25b2 We spotted a shiba<\/a> from the Japanese brand \u201cSiros funny animals<\/a>\u201d!<\/span><\/p>\n

In the evening, I usually do packaging, fill out delivery forms, and send out packages. After that\u2019s done, I\u2019ll see if I have some free time to draw. Recently I find myself with less time to draw because I don\u2019t have an assistant to help me, so I think I\u2019ll slowly adjust my production time to 7 days a month. Hopefully I\u2019ll have more time to draw, because I feel really empty inside if I don\u2019t do it enough.<\/p>\n

\"13.gif\"<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u25b2 Playing with her cats is a must every day.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u25b2 She also has a ill-tempered hedgehog<\/a>. We hear he bites!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tom, what\u2019s up with being a natural procrastinator?<\/h2>\n

Yeah, I thought about getting it fixed. Now I have my husband to thank for! He\u2019s a very organized person, for example, if he needs to get something done by next year, he will have the entire plan\u2014down to the last detail\u2014sorted by today.<\/p>\n

Usually when I start falling behind, he would start pushing me and say, \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t procrastinate!\u201d I\u2019m getting better, but I still need his help sometimes. Like when we attended Pinkoi Christmas Market<\/a> in Taipei last year, I couldn\u2019t finish packaging, so I had to ask him for help.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u25b2 Tom\u2019s husband is also an illustrator; this is his workspace and drawings. They have separate workspaces in the house, and sometimes they visit each other like office neighbors.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u25b2 The cats usually play outside. They only go into Tom\u2019s husband\u2019s studio when she\u2019s there (meow).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What is the place that inspire you the most?<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Probably my home.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I think being at home is the most comfortable for me. I would read books, comics, and watch movies to get my creative juices flowing.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been watching \u201cFargo\u201d recently, and I\u2019m really impressed with their production! As for movies, one of my favorites is \u201cVicky Cristina Barcelona\u201d, I think the story is beautiful.<\/p>\n

\n

Actually, ever since I started making crafts, I\u2019ve never had to actively seek for inspiration. Rather, they just keep coming, and my hands can\u2019t catch up to make each idea happen in reality.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

6 Rapid-fire Questions with Tom<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

1. What did you have for dinner last night?<\/h4>\n

Leftovers (haha). My friends ordered a lot of food for lunch, so we had whatever\u2019s left from lunch.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. What\u2019s the most embarrassing thing that happened to you recently?<\/h4>\n

I attended my gay friends\u2019 wedding in Germany<\/a> recently, and almost all of his guests were gay. We took a train to the venue, the seats were tiny, but we had to fit our luggage in too.<\/p>\n

A guy next to me couldn\u2019t even straighten his legs, so I wanted to ask whether he would like to put his luggage next to me. Instead of saying that, I looked at his legs and blurted, \u201cAre you not straight?\u201d He answered, \u201cNo, I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. What\u2019s your spirit animal?<\/h4>\n

Probably some kind of sluggish<\/a> and bad-tempered animal. (We think maybe a hippo<\/a>?)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Rabbit brothers necklace<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Do you have a favorite exercise?<\/h4>\n

I quite enjoy running. Sometimes when I listen to uplifting songs, I would imagine myself singing on a stage! Also, I tend to pick up my pace during songs like these.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

5. What\u2019s your first impression of Pinkoi?<\/h4>\n

I really like the visual layout of the website, and the quality is better than a lot of other websites. I remember thinking, \u201cI want to open my shop here!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

6. What\u2019s your most worn item?<\/h4>\n

This panda ring<\/a>! I don\u2019t usually wear prints, so this ring goes exceptionally well with everything.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Panda ring<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What are some new plans for Molasola<\/a>?<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Giraffe family postcard<\/a><\/p>\n

I want to focus more on creating. I\u2019m going to visit a good friend of mine who lives in Beijing soon; She\u2019s an extremely talented illustrator, and we\u2019re going to launch an illustration book<\/a> in the future!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always had this idea in the back of my head, but because of my procrastinating nature, I never get around to it. Good thing my husband has reminded me of this dream, and now I\u2019m finally going after it.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

We hope Tom gets rid of her procrastination, because we\u2019d love to see her book soon! \u00a0<\/p>\n

More incredible workspace (including Pinkoi!)<\/h3>\n

\u25ba \u25ba \u25ba Shop Next Door | InBlooom Fabrics and Accessories
<\/a>\u25ba \u25ba \u25ba Desk Goals: Declutter & Decorate Your Office Desks with Pinkoists
<\/a>\u25ba \u25ba \u25ba See Art, Meet Dogs and Get Work Done at 1920C Coworking Space in SF<\/a><\/p>\n

Translation: Litta<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n

[Common angle forest] big polar bear brooch necklace dual – use accessories<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[Forest horn] panda ring<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[One angle forest] Elephant single ear clip \/ ear needle<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[Horned forest] giraffe single ear clip \/ ear needle<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[Forest horn] Wool ball ring<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[Horn forest] red fox single ear clip \/ ear needle<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[Great angle forest] big lion hair circle \/ bracelet<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[Horned forest] white light dog single ear clip \/ ear needle<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[Horned forest] giant panda hair ring \/ bracelet<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[One horn forest] panda single ear clip \/ ear needle<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[Horned forest] milk tea rabbit hair ball necklace<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[Unicorn Forest] Rabbit Three Brothers Necklace<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[Horned forest] only by your side I can sleep giraffe mother and child<\/h3>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Illustrator Tom Liang founded Molasola in 2011. She has always liked to make handicrafts and gifts for her best friends, and over time, she\u2019s become better at it, too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"description":"Illustrator Tom Liang founded Molasola in 2011. She has always liked to make handicrafts and gifts for her best friends, and over time, she\u2019s become better at it, too.","tids":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3282,3308,3367,3426,3498,3505,3521],"yoast_head":"\nWorkspace Goals! 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