LUSTRE | 23
trying to rectify the situation by opening a tea store (as you do when you want to buy a product that isn’t available, right?)
“
You create the world you want to live in, it’s not about sitting back and talking about what is lacking in a community, just be the change. - Ishna Jacobs
Ishna a photographer and Daniel a soul singer enjoy hearing creative ideas over a cuppa and find themselves brainstorming a lot with other people’s creative projects. So when the large space above The Hollow came up for rent they jumped at the chance to create a space where any artist could co-create alongside them. Now 10 different types of artists reside there along with a theatre company and a small theatre. What Dan and Ishna enjoy most about surrounding with other creatives is the reassurance that it is ok to be choosing a different path in life because “being a creative is definitely not a normal 9 – 5 job” says Ishna. “Creatives are often hiding away somewhere in their studio alone, spread out in garages and houses about the region, it can be hard working
this way because you often don’t get any praise, feedback or good honest critique for the work you are doing which you do when in a workplace with others, so yeah we created a space for just that”. So what next for these two creative love birds? “I don’t know we just try and do the next right thing” says Ishna. Since The Hollow opened on Bridge Street in Nelson Dan and Ishna have done the right thing. They have brought daytime to this end of the street and are the beacon for other creative project spaces also starting up, bringing diversity to the area, proving nightclubs, arty cafes and studios should co-exist, bridging this street’s yin and yang. It just shows that creative people thinking outside the box can create opportunities and support for a community. We should get in behind small businesses and collectives to keep their creative flame alive. The Hollow tea house 144 Bridge Street, Nelson, NZ Visit thehollow.co.nz LEFT PHOTO - Ishna Jacobs and Daniel Moon at the Hollow tea house photo by Justine Jamieson RIGHT PHOTO - Bridge Street Studios photo by Ishna Jacobs