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a bit about us
at home with belinda fergusson
Our much loved business was started 26 years ago by two adventurous Mum's. They had a passion for local creativity and saw the need for a space to represent these talented individuals and retail their products. That philosophy has stayed with us all these years and has been embraced by Belinda Fergusson, another hard working and inspired business woman / Mum / adventurer, who is taking Creative & Brave into new and exciting territories.
A few years ago I really started questioning what I wanted my purpose in life to be. At 2am one morning while feeding my precious baby son, I narrowed it down; I wanted to do something that helped inspire others to be their best, I wanted to continue to grow and develop myself and I wanted to give back to others, to be part of helping make this world a better place.
I could see that making the brave decision to own my own business could help with all of that so when the opportunity to buy the long standing Texan Art Schools (established back in 1991) presented itself, it ticked a lot of boxes and I jumped at it. Since then I’ve been working with our awesome team to try and bring that purpose & ‘why’ into our wonderful homegrown retail business; to Give, Inspire & Grow. This philisophy has been part of the company since I have owned it.
Giving- a gift to someone or maybe to yourself brings happiness and that is the ultimate in life - to be happy!
Inspiring- is what we set out to do every day for our customers and wonderful teams. By sharing our inspirational artists stories and products with you, we hope they can in some little way be the catalyst for something bigger for you.
Growing- our unique company is the path we are on. We are driven to help grow our people, suppliers and customers into achieving all they dream of.
For over 25 years we have provided a place to connect customers with New Zealand's amazing creative artists, designers, jewellers and ceramicists. Those people who have been brave enough to believe in their creations and follow their dreams. We believe that inspirational and passionate people can change the world for the better. By making the impossible possible.
WE HAVE CHANGED OUR NAME!
We have always felt that Texan Art Schools was a bit confusing for our customers, especially those just getting to know us; what did we have to do with Texas or Texans?!? Were we a school?? Or did we sell art supplies??
However, it wasn't easy to find a new name for such an iconic business that's been around for so long, we really wanted to find the right name.
So we've spent some time this year really thinking over what we do and who we represent and we have changed from Texan Art Schools to become…
CREATIVE & BRAVE
Rest assured it's just our name that's chaned, nothing else. Same owners, same awesome staff, same stores and definitely still the same amazing artists, designers, jewellers and ceramicists.
My vision for Creative & Brave involves it being a business for social good. The products we sell each have a story and a person behind them and I want those stories to be told and shared with our customers.
For me, I see a face and a person behind each product we sell. I personally know the artist, designer, jeweller, ceramicist or supplier. I've been to many of their homes or their studios, which are often in their backyards. They are always such talented and welcoming Kiwi’s. They are amazing people who have a passion to do something creative and who have been brave enough to follow their dreams and make a living out of it.
They inspire us!
We are a little chain of retail stores that care about our customers and we care about our artists and makers. We love connecting our customers to our creatives to create raving fans! By growing our community of raving fans for NZ creativity, we are helping to grow our artists and makers, allowing them to make a living from what they are passionate about.
Growing our community of raving fans for NZ creativity also enables us to be involved in more projects that give back to our community.
We invite you to become a part of our journey and follow your dreams, be creative and brave.
One of the most exciting parts of owning this wonderful business is being exposed to a constant flow of creativity and inspiration. Year after year we are amazed by our suppliers, their ability to evolve and produce beautiful new works regularly is a testament to their talent and hard work ethic. Being surrounded by these pieces has the same effect on us. Creating little shrines to creativity and infusing your home or workspace with art can have a transformative effect on your life.
We know you love to support local because you are investing into your community and neighbors. Through you we are growing small businesses, supporting livelihoods and endorsing the bravery of creative enterprise. Thank you.
We have always felt that Texan Art Schools was a bit confusing for our customers, especially those just getting to know us; what did we have to do with Texas or Texans?!? Were we a school?? Or did we sell art supplies??
However, it wasn't easy to find a new name for such an iconic business that's been around for so long, we really wanted to find the right name...
We embrace your interest in our business and would love to hear from you. Feel free to contact us to chat about your experiences at Creative & Brave or to hear more about our stores and incredible stockists.
