Who are The Crafties?
The Crafties It is a designer and scenographer duo, consisting of Marie-Marie Vergne and Jeanne Martin Taton.
The Crafties are two young women who come from the South, breathe the South, live in the South — after brief northern forays for their studies and their first workshop — and express the South in every square centimetre of their work, which draws inspiration in particular from Mediterranean flora and fauna and their childhood memories.
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When you meet Les Crafties, you immediately feel the joy, complicity and trust that binds them.
What interested me was understanding how they started, how they work as a pair, any difficulties they encounter, and their relationship with one another.
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They hadn’t planned on setting up their studio before taking part in the first edition of the Design Parade Toulon organised by the Villa Noailles — and they speak about it wonderfully: «The teams are extraordinary, and it was the first time we were given the means to benefit from a technical team — to move beyond the academic, to a real-world creation».
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They also tell us about their respective family backgrounds, which encouraged them to make a living from their art, and everything that their partnership brings them.
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Granddaughter of the painter François Bret, who founded the’Luminy School of Fine Arts and Architecture in Marseille,
And daughter of Marie-Christine and Roger Pailhas, famous for the eponymous gallery in Marseille and also founder of Art dealers, which he liked to describe as «the smallest art fair in the world»,
Julie Pailhas has always been immersed in art — and entrepreneurship.
She started alongsideOlivier Saillard at the Fashion Museum in Marseille, before doing an internship in the press department of Dries Van Noten in Paris.
From opportunity to recommendation, Julie then worked as a fashion stylist and artistic director for numerous iconic magazines for 25 years.
And then lockdown called her back to her home city, Marseille, where she created in 2021 Inanimate Objects, her flat-gallery.
Stylist – curator – gallery owner, Julie is renowned for her discerning eye, her flair and a certain radicalism.
It was the first time I'd met her, and I couldn't leave!
Together, we naturally talked about her journey, and how she managed to find her place within such a family; ;
And, of course, the design and organisation of its exhibitions, whether held on-site or off-site; ;
From its business model; ;
And how and why it differs from a traditional gallery.
With the desire to showcase emerging or established artists, Julie Pailhas has created, in her own home, a unique space that reflects her personality and brings people together.
Portrait of Julie and her cat Momo in her flat-gallery in Marseille © Florian Touzet
If you’d like to find out more about what I call Creative Management, I dedicated a full episode to it a few months ago.
Today, I would like to take a closer look at one aspect of Creative Management: team-building.
What exactly does it involve?
What are the benefits?
I also share a great example, as well as a counter-example, from my own experience as an employee.
And bonus: I talk about my favourite sports coach, Ted Lasso. (no spoiler as I haven’t started Series 4 yet).
If you're interested in offering your team a workshop / team-building / training session, do drop me an email! lbm@lilibonnet.com
I can organise and facilitate almost anywhere in the world 🙂
