Gukla’s slow design for kids and home
Gukla equals slow design for kids and home. Behind this little manufacturing and designing cooperative stay Kaja and Martyna, and to some point – their kids, Marianna, Tytus, Klara, Gustaw and Melania. Kaja is the crafting spirit who keeps the idea of creating constantly living – by drawing, painting and sewing. For Martyna Gukla is a dream coming true. Dream of free kids, art and slow life mixing together in one time and space. Gukla design is brave fullprint, hand-drawn, co-crafted with kids, locally produced.
What is your morning routine?
We are not deeply attached to any particular routines in our Gukla project, maybe even in any projects. Kids are the ones that give us a little bit of stabilisation. Anyhow, we have discovered that a routine is not the only way to make the kids feel safe and our Gukla work keep moving.
What is the first thing you do when you arrive at your studio?
As Gukla is not our only job, we still don’t have any studio as a place. Work is scheduled with the meetings and that’s why we start with a chat and a few cups of home dripped coffee.
Gukla’s slow design for kids and home
Do you prefer Instagram, Facebook or no social media?
We prefer no social media, but the world today is not so easy. Instagram lately is the one that we maintain more carefully. Quite a challenge.
Which magazines and books do you read?
Mainly books for kids. Scandinavian literature is the one that makes our hearts beat faster.
We like books that originate discussion, especially about people whose lives and thoughts are totally different than ours, reportages and biographies.
As for magazines, we read and watch USTA, The Mother Mag, Label Magazine, TUU, f5 and The New Yorker.
Which three objects would you say are essential to your work?
Colouring pencils, gigantic pieces of paper and a laptop.
Gukla’s slow design for kids and home
What are your favourite tools to help you to get the job done?
A plain notepad where we can save all our plans, deadlines, costs etc. Lately we’ve decided to go digital and started to use Trello instead. As we do not have one studio it is more chaotic to put the work in certain (even material) frames – especially this kind of work which is highly non-digital.
What inspires you and motivates you to get your work done?
Definitely our kids are the best motivators. Because of the fact that with kids you are always busy with something to be done and if you do not do things right away there’s never time to catch up with them.
And as for the inspirations conversations with friends, kids and family. Meeting people is the best!
Being mothers, we also have the opportunity to be in everyday touch with kids imagination and their exceptional way of thinking, which is our main source of fresh ideas and positive attitude towards here and now. As well as for some hope for the future.
And last but not least – we do care about our clients and their needs – both children and adults.
Gukla’s slow design for kids and home
Can you tell us a funny story from your work?
Tytus has been explaining to his aunt which drawings from our fullprints has been drawn by him: “These bugs are mine…” “Are they bugs?? I assumed they are dogs…” “Once these were horses, but they do look better as bugs”.
What is the project you are working on right now?
Our designs are the illustrations for certain topics; actually we are ready with two projects: “Naughty cats” which is a story of a non-ideal family of cats and “Water and land” in which we have depicted free animals in their kingdoms. We have two new ideas to draw about – the universe and Slavic mythology.
What do you love about your job? What don’t you like??
The best in our job is that we like it and that it’s time-flexible. We raise kids on our own and we really feel grateful that it is possible to combine work with taking care of children. That means often that we work before they wake up and after they go to sleep which is definitely exhausting but worth the effort from every aspect.
Gukla’s slow design for kids and home
Do you prefer hand-made or mass-produced?
Hand-made.
Do you work individually or with a team?
With team! We are rather shy individuals but we love people. Spending time with them (working exactly) is one of the best parts of working.
How do you rest and relax after work?
We appreciate spending time out, hanging around, having adventures.
Do you have advice for anybody who wants to work in your field?
Step out of line.
Gukla’s slow design for kids and home
