our first art teachers... (part 7 in a series on the roots of design)

Who was your first art teacher? Who first showered the seeds of your imagination? Who supported your first creative endeavours?

In today's post, part 7 in our ongoing series about the roots of design, Swiss handbag artisan Ira Grant (from iragrant) shares her own inspiring story.  All of the beautiful bags are from her shop here.

"It was my dad who helped me love to make something with my hands. He is the 'handyman' in the family! He filled my bedroom with beautiful furniture he made himself. He fixed the radio, TV, car, motorbike, everything and anything broken in our home."

"It seemed like he could do anything! He never had any specific education in any of those skills. In fact he is a GP! He can even play the piano, guitar and has a voice like a tenor."

"Of course he was always helping me with my craft projects in school, and as a result I always got higher marks. Cheeky eh? Yes, I'm a daddy's girl. But not until many years later after so many ups and downs in my career life did I realize that I really wanted to start to do something and worked to achieve it."