Leigh-Ann Thomas: She loves booklets, and I love her

It was kind of serendipitous that Leigh-Ann and I found each other: we met randomly at an eclectic dinner of near-strangers, and then went our separate ways. Until we re-connected, when Leigh-Ann called me and offered to make a promotional booklet for me. Sure, I said, why not?

So she put together this marvellous little booklet (this is just part of it, visit her blog for the rest):

And then, as if that wasn’t enough, she swept into action: the kick-ass new look of this blog: her work. The fabulous photos of me? Her work. You can see the business cards she did for me here, and the full booklet here.

Leigh-Ann is a grapic artist, layout queen and all-round great gal to have on your marketing team (or possibly, to BE your marketing team). Her prices are really reasonable. Also, she is a really lovely person, and a friend. Oh, and a yogini. So if you want someone to help you with marketing your business, she’s your gal. And you know I only ever plug people I really believe in. Her photos make me feel like I could be in Yoga Journal! Bless her.

I have managed to pin her down and interview her, too, so that you can all get a glimpse into her lovely head.

Read on, and enjoy…

Leigh-Ann Thomas

You love booklets. Why?

I love the way you can create a story in a booklet using images and text. It’s more dynamic and interactive than just a single page; and it’s a nice bite size of information – it’s effortless to just go through a booklet.

You have mentioned before that you draw a distinction between having a creative job and being creative, between going to yoga class and doing yoga. Tell us more.

For me, having the job or going to the class doesn’t require as much personal investment or concentration on what you are doing as when you’re doing something of your own accord. It’s easier to blindly go through the motions if you are in a class or have a job. If the structure of a class or job is removed, you need to find your own form for how you create or how you practice yoga.

What inspired you to set up your business?

Moving to Melbourne has forced me to take stock of what I can do and what I want to do. In many ways it’s been an intense time of self reflection, looking at my creative skills and how I can apply those in a new context. This business is the result of things not really going according to how I expected; that includes not finding a job. Since I wasn’t finding the right opportunities in the job market, I felt that I had to create my own.

I think you need to be looking for the right thing, and maybe after fifty nos ,you will get one or two yes’s, and those will be the right things.

What are you working on right now?

I am working on a recipe book for the St Kilda Rotary Club with a photographer called Greg Elms. The book features recipes from 60 restaurants in the South-East of Melbourne. I’m doing the design and layout.

Tell us about your yoga practice.

My Ashtanga practice has been up and down in terms of having a rhythm, due to moving countries, and setting up a new home and space to feel comfortable in. Like with my work, I have had to adjust from going to yoga classes to setting up my own practice. That takes discipline and sometimes I feel very undisciplined .*

Yoga affects me on both a mental and physical level. Physically I’ve experienced that it helps my lower back, improves my posture and makes me feel centred in my core. I used to get spasms in my neck and my yoga has definitely helped for that. I don’t do it for fitness or weight loss, or anything like that, I just believe it’s part of a balanced life. It makes me feel strong and capable, physically.

Mentally and emotionally it calms me down. It helps me not to let myself be overcome by my emotions and negative thoughts. I’m becoming more and more interested in the spiritual side of yoga and its power to transform one.

Does it link into your creative practice? If so, how.

Yes it does. Yoga helps me feel more in tune with myself and therefore my creativity.

Yoga and creativity are governed by the same principles, like being disciplined and ‘being in the zone’ or finding the flow. As with yoga asanas, creativity can’t be forced, you have to let go to allow it to happen.

Both have the power to transform reality one one’s perception of space and time, as well as oneself and others. Both can act as bridges to new realities and levels of consciousness.

You can find Leigh-Ann at her blog, I Love Booklets (of course!) or email her at leighann.tg@gmail.com.

*How honest of her – don’t we all feel that way at least some of the time!