Sometimes things align so perfectly, they almost seem too good to be true. I want to share with you an insanely exciting collaboration that I am very proud of.
'Innsaei' (meaning Intuition in ancient Icelandic, or To See Within) was one of the first resin paintings I made in Lombok, the second piece in a triptych. At the time I was doing lots of surfboard art, and a few of the boards were on display at Milk Espresso in Kuta. One board in particular sold quite quickly, to a girl I unfortunately didn't get the chance to meet... yet.
Fast forward a few months, I relocated to Australia and got an email from this girl, Monica, a registered nutritionist and yoga instructor with a newfound passion for surfing. It was her who bought that pink and green surfboard! She wanted to ask me if I was interested in putting my artwork onto sustainable yoga mats - a new venture of hers that she was devotedly starting up. As if these weren't reasons enough to jump straight into this project, Monica added that a contribution of each mat sold, would be donated to the Inside Out Institute for Eating Disorders.
Having battled and overcome years of disordered eating and a distorted body image, finding freedom in surfing and now also yoga and pilates, this collaboration was the perfect opportunity for me to celebrate and inspire a healthy, happy life.
During my trip to Lombok earlier this month, Monica and I finally had the chance to meet in person after a year of emailing. We shot the first samples of the Innsaei printed yoga mats together and I can't wait to share them with you. The mats will be available for purchase worldwide, the website is coming soon. Oh, and did I mention that they are made of recycled tree rubber, machine washable and have a silky suede-like finish? Follow @CULTIVATE.YOGA on Instagram to stay updated! Here are some 'behind the scenes' shots and sneak peaks of our beautiful mats.
x Zee
