For this Wednesday Local series you are invited to take an up-close and personal look at the hands that shape us and what we do. What a better way to celebrate local than a Q and A with our one of a kind Canadian designer, Aimee Grane. It’s hard to say for sure how where we come from is going to shape us,  but for her, those Canadian roots have landed her exactly where she wants to be.

Q: I’m sure we’d all agree that there is so many aspects to being a Canadian.  Let’s start with the following words and what they mean to you?

• A: Wild– at heart or on the occasional Friday night
• True – stay true to yourself and your values always
• North– my home
• Strong– a feeling that charges me 
• Free– to do anything your heart desires (how lucky are we)

Q: Can you describe a moment when being Canadian really resonated with you?

A: What can i say – it’s definitely when I got my tongue stuck to a pole during recess because it was so cold.  That ones hard to beat! The runners up would be playing on bails of hay at my uncle’s farm and at the homemade hockey rink in my backyard growing up.

Q: Name one Canadianism that you admit to being true for yourself? 

A: Since I grew up with Saskatchewan slang words – I use the term “bunny hug” for a hooded sweatshirt. I also occasionally crave a pilsner – the beer of the prairies. 

 Q: Describe how your Canadian roots influenced you as a designer.

Growing up in Regina we spent a lot of time indoors. Being creative became a life skill.  It was the difference between being stuck indoors all winter vs having an awesome time creating, making up games & writing stories. 

I often think of my prairie upbringing as my backbone. Prairie people have a humble grit to them.  The harshness of our winters toughens us up but it also softens our hearts and highlights the importance of family and community. I think this backbone is the reason I’ve been able to weather the storm of becoming a designer while maintaining the passion needed to keep creating.

Today I’m so grateful to work for Sympli, a 100% Canadian company. When I first started I would pinch myself thinking “I am really getting paid to do this?!?!”. Sympli’s effortless, free flowing design really spoke to me and so did the local approach to business.  It has always felt like home here.

Aimee started at Sympli over 10 years ago as a production assistant, and has worked into the role of Senior designer over the past 10 years.