TBCo Looks Good with Tierney Lloyd: Into the Woods
Mornings are becoming brighter, afternoons are warmer and days are growing longer. As winter falls away and the promise of spring feels close, it's time to get outside again. Scottish visual creative, Tierney Lloyd, invites us out of hibernation and into the woods for a picnic beside the loch.
Hi Tierney! Tell us a little about yourself.
Hello Tartan Blanket Co.! My name is Tierney Lloyd and I’m a visual media creator, living in the Highlands of Scotland. My background is in conservation filmmaking but I’ve recently made the move to also offer commercial work for sustainable brands, helping to show off the amazing work that people are doing for the good of the planet.
You create such beautiful short films! Can you tell us a little more about what inspired this one?
Thank you very much! I really wanted to show a slower paced appreciation of nature, one that fits in with the colsie way of life. Going on an adventure with your friends doesn’t have to mean hiking a mountain or doing a 200-mile road trip… it can be taken slow, appreciating the world around you, reaping the benefits as you go. I also wanted to portray the connection between your recycled blankets and the natural world, visually showing the connection between using sustainable forms of manufacture, consciously choosing against fast fashion and the benefits it has on the wild.
What's your creative process like? What's your muse?
100% the natural world. I’ve spent the past 10 years in the highlands which undoubtedly influenced my career path and provides me with a constant source of inspiration. Each time you go outside, even if it’s the exact same spot, it will look different every time – that’s magical. It’s a whole world that we are increasingly becoming blind to due to the developments in technology; people forget we are actually part of the natural world and that we need it to survive. The motivation comes from wanting people to see the world as I do, in the hopes that it encourages more and more people to reconnect with nature and in turn, want to do their part to protect it. In a roundabout way, I’m using the technology to communicate with people about the world just outside their window. Interrupting the constant scrolling with something beautiful.
It seems a lot of your projects reflect the beauty of the Scottish landscape, can you tell us more about this?
Scotland is a dramatic, ever-changing landscape, there is nowhere like it. One second you feel like you’re on a tropical island (if you ignore the cold Scottish breeze) and the next you’re atop the highest mountains in the UK. A lot of my work is in nature conservation, so what better place to show off the beauty of nature and what we should be protecting, than the Scottish wilderness. The colours, textures and forms of the landscape are iconic yet they can be portrayed in a million different ways – it’s incredible. The other side to this is that most people don’t realise the Scottish landscape is actually quite depleted and not as wild as you may think. I hope to shine a light on the wilder parts of the highlands, providing a glimpse into what the land could look like in the future - using positive, hopeful messaging rather than the more hard-hitting media that is shown to us on a day-to-day basis.
You've mentioned you want to ‘inspire, educate and rekindle our connection with nature’ - do you have any tips?
Just get outside! You will be surprised with what you can find outside of your front door by looking closely at the world around you. If there is a tree, look on the bark at the microscopic world of lichens and mosses. Look up at the sky, at how the clouds are moving, connect the stars on a clear night. If you’re in a park, watch the birds communicate and battle each other for food. You could even focus on yourself, noticing which way the wind is going and feeling the heat of the sun on your skin (when we are lucky enough!). Think about how you feel after that… I’d bet all of my money that you feel better, refreshed with a new sense of calm. Nature has a way of bringing you into the present moment and soothing our souls because it is ingrained in us, it is a part of us and we need it. The more you notice, the more intrigued you’ll become, which is just the beginning.
Your visuals encapsulate the calm and slow pace of life we strive for at TBCo. It's the feeling we want our blankets to inspire, too!
Absolutely! Ask anyone that knows me and they’ll tell you I have the worst circulation, I’m always cold. But blankets have become a staple in my life not only for keeping me warm through these winter months, but also for bringing a sense of calm to my day. I have a blanket that sits on my office chair as a source of comfort. I can’t really explain it but it calms me down if I’m stressed or simply puts me in the right mood to get into work mode. Even on a day off when you need that little bit of extra warmth and serenity… we all need a bit of comfort just now, what better way than a cosy hug in a beautiful blanket.
Something we’re passionate about here at TBCo. is colsie, which is basically Scottish slow living; how do you practice colsie in your day to day life?
Most people don’t realise that 90% of a videographer’s life (especially one who focusses on the outdoors) is spent inside. This can become quite challenging but with the right things in place, it becomes easier. For me, I always have a candle lit, a blanket on my chair and sometimes a hot water bottle on those extremely cold winter days. All of this accompanied by some relaxing music and a cup of tea and I get right into the colsie zone.
Want to keep following along with Tierney's creative journey?
Find her at www.tierneylloyd.co.uk or on instagram.
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