stationery that inspires: interview with cassidy dewar, founder of inspirationery
If you’re in Melbourne and looking for something to get you over hump day this week, you’re in luck. At Donkey Wheel House at 6:30pm this Wednesday, you can enjoy nibbles, drinks and live Triple j unearthed acts, all while supporting the launch of a local and inspiring project.
Cassidy Dewar is the founder of Inspirationery, which sells stationery and donates 50% of profits to empowering women and girls through education and leadership programs. The launch of Inspirationery marks the end of a four-year long journey for Cassidy and the beginning of a new one in which she hopes her project will inspire and help women all around the world.
I got the chance to ask Cassidy a few questions about the project and she explains just how important Inspirationery is to her, and how important it is for others.
What is Inspirationery?
Inspirationery is an expression of how I see the world. I literally came home from my nine to five job one day, got out my notebook and wrote down all the things that I believed in and everything that was important to me. I believed that doing good was good business. I didn’t want to wait for permission to do something. I wanted to be creative. I wanted to make a difference in the world and I wanted to inspire others to do the same. Stationery, more precisely a notebook and pen, helped me to piece together all the pieces and I realised it could do the same for others. I wanted to create something that would inspire people to make their mark and follow their dreams and so I created Inspirationery – stationery that inspires!
What inspired you to start this project?
So many things inspired me to start Inspirationery that it’s hard to know when the story begins! For a long time I felt lost, I didn’t know what my purpose was and so I searched for inspiration everywhere, from TED talks, books by Richard Branson, Alain de Botton and others. I did online courses on finding your purpose and tests on my personality and strengths. I sought out likeminded people and attended community events such as the School of Life. I read articles online and in magazines like Dumbo Feather. I collected inspirational quotes like they were gold!
What has been the biggest challenge for you in starting Inspirationery?
The biggest challenge was finding the courage to launch. I’ve been sitting on the idea for about four years! In this time I’ve been refining the idea, talking to lots of people and getting lots of advice. There are so many more stages to getting an idea off the ground than I ever imagined so it’s been a lot of work but it’s also the best thing I’ve ever done.
What are the plans for the future of Inspirationery?
After the launch I really want to focus on creating a community of people who are inspired and empowered to make their mark on the world and chase their dreams. If we reach our Pozible target we’ll be expanding our range to include different products such as diaries, journals and much more. We’ve got some exciting things in the works so watch this space!
Do you have any advice for anyone out there who would like to start a project such as this?
Do it! Believe in yourself. You don’t have to do it overnight but just start by dipping your toe in. And make sure you surround yourself with people who inspire you! Start small, dream big.
What education and leadership programs do the 50% of profits go towards?
We will be donating 50% of our profits to Plan International Australia, who work in over 49 countries to breakdown the barriers to education for women and girls. We believe that education is a powerful tool to move women and girls from poverty to opportunity. In fact, the most recent UN Development Report described educating girls as the closest thing as a silver bullet to eliminating poverty. We are also interested in working with organisations in Australia as we expand.
Could you give me more details about the launch in Melbourne? Can anyone swing by? What will happen during the evening?
I’m super excited about the launch event at Donkey Wheel House. We have two amazing Triple J unearthed acts – Chachi and Dash – who will be performing on the night. There will be amazing food and beverages from Goblet and Gobble, Bourbon Street, Kooks Wine, The Good Brew Co, Half Pint Vegan Dairy, Citizen Cocoa.
Tickets are $25 through our crowdfunding campaign at pozi.be/inspirationery and you get a free drink on arrival, cheese and nibbles and the awesome entertainment. We’ll also have a limited number of tickets available on the door.
You can support Inspirationery’s Pozible campaign here.
