belinda suzette art, illustration and design

Have you heard of Hey Maker!?

Hey Maker! is a new creative collective in the Tweed Valley, Northern NSW which is where I hail from.

Here is what they say about themselves:

'We hope to inspire our community to become active in helping us further enhance Murwillumbah as a vibrant artistic destination. We intend to enliven our town centre by inviting all to interact with our fun Pop Up Art Installations using recycled materials and the most simple of art resources.

Artists and creatives BelindaSmith, Kathy Egan, Jo Olive and Ellie Beck are the founding members of Hey Maker! We got together to form a collective in response to the growing number of retail stores in Murwillumbah closing their doors due to the economic downturn. Recently it was reported that almost 32 out of 70 shops in the town centre are empty and up for lease. We see this as an opportunity to use empty shop fronts to attract attention and benefit the community.'

Well I was VERY excited to discover they Hey Maker! existed, and introduced myself straight away. Murwillumbah is where my mum grew up and is just over the range from the sleepy valley I grew up in (and planning to return to). I became a member and have followed their progress with a keen eye.

I was really chuffed when the Hey Maker! ladies invited me to create a postcard for their business! They like my Desperate Space Girl because "patchwork=crafty, homemade clothes=self styled, woman=us" so I made a few changes to better show the crafty creativity of Hey Makers! et voila! 

They also did a real sweet write up on me here: http://heymakercreative.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/makers-we-like-belinda-suzette.html

Check them out! They do so much fun stuff and there is a workshop coming up real soon

with the launch of Hey Maker's Workshop Program at Caba Creative Carnivale on
Saturday 29th September 3.00pm - 8.00pm at Cabarita Beach. Come and Sign up for a workshop and ask about the benefits of becoming a Hey Maker! member.