Our ongoing partnership with Our Watch sends a very clear message; re-thinking gender stereotypes and teaching our children to foster positive relationships is key for preventing domestic violence. With three new pouches, our latest collection (in collaboration with Karolina York) encourages us to continue to #bepartofthechange

Artist Jessica Lyons took that message and created a stop motion animation that carries a very powerful message.

Artist Jess Lyons in her studio

What was the inspiration behind the stop motion animation you created for the MIMCO x Our Watch collaboration?
With such a serious subject matter it was important to really showcase the key message of the MIMCO x Our Watch partnership. Keeping the elements around the typography simple allowed for the greatest impact. I wanted the handwriting to represent a voice and the bold transitions to demonstrate action.

MIMCO and Our Watch are both advocates of empowerment, what does that word mean to you?
For me it's about believing in yourself and not relying on the opinions of others to feel validated.

Tell us about your creative journey so far…
I was a brand and packaging designer with a large studio, which taught me the process of commercial design. Then I decided to freelance, so I could go back to university part-time and dig up some more creativity – a winning decision! Studying fine art at RMIT let me experiment and play (I even wrote an essay on ‘play’ – turns out it’s not just for kids and an important part of creative living. I'm quietly thrilled with this discovery.) At school I started taking animation subjects and my love for moving image was born.

What do you love most about what you do?
The variety. Changing projects keeps things interesting and allows for fresh ideas. I love having the flexibility to try new things and pursue opportunities when I spot them – it's exciting! I get to meet and work with so many different people, it's good to feel open to the unexpected.

How important is creativity to you?
It's the jam in any project-donut! The sweet treat that makes me love what I do. Something Elizabeth Gilbert wrote stuck with me...a creative life is being “driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear." Put like that, it's pretty important; being prepared to sometimes be wrong, or not well received, but giving it a crack anyway. Without that courage we can't create anything new.

Who are the women that have most inspired, or continue to inspire you, in your life and/or work?
The photographers I worked with on this animation, Heather Dinas and Jayma Nann, are an inspiring duo. True creatives who dance the line between artistic and commercial projects. And my mum, whose positivity always made me feel like I could do anything.