When friends turn into business partners, it can be a rocky terrain or an organic next step. Luckily for London based friends Shanice and Suzette, it was the latter. Shortly after meeting, the two became avid travel buddies, venturing to 5 countries (and counting!) and three months later turning their love of jet-setting into a full fledged company. And thus S|Space was born, a creative agency that focuses on the intersection of travel, culture and style by delivering brand consulting and travel itineraries.
Continue on to discover why Shanice and Suzette are Daring Creatives.
How did you go from idea to execution?
For us, everything happened very organically. We met each other about a year and a half ago, which isn't long at all! We started traveling together almost immediately (5 countries and counting), so naturally we experienced new things together. Our ideas were in sync. It was like love at first site; we were finishing each other's sentences.
But on a serious note, after our second trip to Copenhagen we were so inspired by the city, its layout and how it impacted the nature of the people. We knew we weren’t going back to London the same! The amount of physical space that existed was so exciting for us. You see, coming from a busy city like London, people never really get to appreciate that freeing feeling space can give you. Then on a trip to Berlin we came across this book called, before they Pass away by Jimmy Nelson. It occurred to us that many of us spend our lives stuck in a space of familiarity, a space that causes us to live our lives based on assumptions without real experience of the cultures around us. So, to be honest we never really made a decision to execute an idea. After merging things we felt passionate about, we just had a ‘this is it‘ feeling. As soon as we started discussing our feelings and ideas, we were accountable to each other to make them happen and began searching for ways to express what we saw and felt. We weren't even searching for a big idea, a moment came and we seized it. After that we just danced around in our creativity and everything we thought and experienced became our full circle.
How does the city you live in influence your creativity?
It’s a weird one, because we do love London, it’s our home. We were born and bread here. Sometimes people are like 'omgosh London' and we’re like ‘um yeahh…’ But we do appreciate that our city is unique. It's the reason for our physical and mental exploration. There is so much to take in here! It has definitely trained our senses and given us an edge. London has put an undying desire in us to learn more and ask more questions.
In your words, what does it mean to be a “creative”?
As with anything, there are pros and cons. In one sense, it's easy to be a creative now. There are so many avenues and platforms you can work your way into. But a creative’s biggest responsibility is to take ideas further, expand concepts, and to challenge mind-sets. To be a creative, means to build on ideas and think about sustainability. For us it’s about social impact. The biggest challenge for a creative today is answering 'what's next?' It’s so easy to get lost because everybody is doing something ‘creative’. So we must learn from the past to be relevant in the present and be willing to pass the baton on to people of the future.
Has rejection ever affected your creative process? If so, please describe.
Rejection is something that you're always going to face at some point, we both handle it differently but it's never stopped us from working and creating. We get that it is part of the process. You have to remember that people are allowed to say no.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to pursue the same career as you?
This quote by Hugh Laurie, pretty much sums it up:
“It’s a terrible thing. I think, in life to wait until you’re ready
I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready
To do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready.
There is only now. And you may as well do it now.
Generally speaking, now is as good time as any.”
What has been the pit and peak of your week so far? (a low and a high moment)
Our peak was confirming our collaboration for our up coming art exhibition with a really cool company called 'Forest London.' The founder is a young Dutch woman, who’s Scandinavian furniture is so our vibe. Our pit was a rejection email, but we literally laughed at it because it was the bluntest ‘NO!’ ever.
Who is someone famous that you think is killing it at the moment? In other words, is there someone whose career you admire.
Phoebe Lovatt, founder of the WW Club. She is a superstar! Google her, she's doing great things for women.
Finish this sentence:
I want people to remember me as: We want people to just believe that anything is possible and to remember us as having some sort of impact. If people remember our energy, and some of our cool ideas then it’s all good!
If I only had 24 more hours to live, I would:
Suzette: I'd say bye to my family and friends and jump on the plane to Brazil. I'd stay with children in a favela, live like them, experience life like them. For me, that would be a great way to appreciate all the things that have been afforded to me that I'm not even aware of. To just see life in its simplest form is a blessing. It would be a beautiful way to exit earth.
Shanice: I’m such a soul-searcher, so I’d probably go back to Yosemite National park in Sierra Nevada, California. I remember suffering from a knee injury that pretty much changed my outlook on life and it was during my time of recovery that I pushed myself physically and mentally to climb to the top of this mountain in Yosemite, where I saw this amazing waterfall. It was so fulfilling. That is the kind of feeling I want to be left with.
If I had to choose a theme song to represent me it would be:
Suzette: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song, just because it was my anthem growing up.
Shanice: "Act Too" by The Roots
For more on S|Space, visit their website here: ss-pace.com