Start. Post.

Chanel is hard to sum up in one line. She is a mother to three young children, three under five to be exact. A defence wife to a loving husband, the eldest of nine siblings, and a loyal friend to many.

She is the girl you call when you want a black and white answer, a decision made, or an outfit picked for an event. Type A, loves to organise, and paradoxically loves being creative and dancing when no one is watching.

How it started

Solenna Studio was born in her postpartum era, when she needed a creative outlet that was just for herself. Something she could work on when her three babies were having quiet time and the house was tidy.

She discovered the art of bead embroidery and fell in love with the texture and depth it brought to fabrics. It moved her away from technology, where she felt a sense of peace she hadn’t felt in a long time.

She has been a creative spirit since she was young. Drawing lessons, designing courses, fashion, and she discovered she was quite the fine baker. Her mother taught her to knit, and she was always making things alongside her aunties and Nanna.

A certain kind of resilience

Reflecting on being a defence wife and a stay at home mum to three little ones, she acknowledges a certain kind of resilience is built in this lifestyle, one she didn’t know she had. Her kids are not in daycare and are basically with her 24/7, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Moving post every few years means she doesn’t have a consistent village around her, at least not physically. So she tries her very best to prioritise seeing friends, catching up for coffee, and sending voice messages daily to laugh and vent and chat about everything.

“Motherhood is so hard, the hardest job I will ever do but it’s so rewarding. I try to protect my peace as best I can, try not to compare myself to others and stay as organised as I can, but I do have my days”

The spare room, after bedtime

Her business is her outlet. Once the house is tidy and the kids are asleep, you will find her at the desk in the spare room, working away and dreaming up new projects.

And beautifully, her kids will often be beading next to her on the spare bed during the day, inspiring her as she watches their creativity blossom.

Start. Post.

“Start. Post. Don’t worry what anyone thinks. You will grow as an artist (you can call yourself that, you make things that invoke emotion in people), and you will be so proud of putting yourself out into the world and making beautiful things for people you haven’t met”

And on the days it does not go to plan:

“Mistakes will be made and that’s totally okay, you are allowed to make mistakes, learn from them and try again”

Made to be fallen asleep looking at

When someone picks up one of her pieces, she hopes they feel joy and nostalgia. That they think “this hung in my room for years and I fell asleep looking at it, how beautiful”. She truly hopes her work brings them joy, and maybe even inspires them to create something of their own.