The Life of a Words’seamstress
Originally from Normandy, Corinne Ernault lives near Paris but her heart resides in Provence. She has worked in all sorts of fields; a bookstore in a cultural shop, a construction company, a hotel resort, a major telecom company, and a multimedia library network, etc.
In her forties, as a late bloomer, she became an independent creator of poetic objects, a DIY workshop facilitator, and an author of novels. Her first novel, "La Maison d'Autres" takes place in a Provencal guest house. Her second manuscript is currently awaiting publication.
Portrait by Marie-Lou Ernault, Corinne’s daughter.
Words & Photography by Corinne Ernault
If I had to introduce myself, I would say that I am a “words’seamstress”. Words are the common thread of my creations. It took me a long time to feel legitimate in this artistic field. Indeed, I used to confine myself to a work-life that was incompatible with my creativity and that was also a thousand miles away from my own, deep self.
The year I started writing, I launched my brand "Objets de Poésie". I think I realized that I was done spending my time chasing a steady job, that chapter of my life was over and I needed to finally blossom! I started from scratch, with little business knowledge, no mentor, or artist, or family incentive. But it was like a necessity, a wind of creativity that was just waiting to blow! I overcame my fears, my complexes, my imposture syndrome, and I threw myself wholeheartedly into this adventure! I didn't want to watch the creativity train go by, I wanted to be in it! I created my brand and started writing. My real life really started. I am not afraid to call myself a late bloomer. I must say that being a flower that took time to bloom suits me fine!
I have always felt I was first and foremost an artisan, ever since the early days when I began handcrafting fabric brooches to sell at recess in middle school. As far back as I can remember, I have worked with my hands. I made doll clothes, decorations, gifts for family and friends. Fabric and paper are my favourite materials to work with, but I also like shells, ribbons, beads, flowers, and small historical objects. Working with materials is also about breathing life into them. I love above all the smell of linen, which smells clean and of wild herbs.
“Little things seem nothing, but they give peace…”
–– Georges Bernanos
I have always written too, bits of text that I threw away as I went along. The question of legitimacy is a bottomless pit for me. But in 2009, I started writing my first novel, and I worked on it for years, sometimes abandoning it for long months, but always coming back to it with the same happiness. Then, I got into the habit of escaping from home for a few days a year. Alone, I would go the coast of Normandy or to Provence, to immerse myself in my writing. These moments are among the happiest of my life. It is perhaps at these moments that I feel a little bit like an artist; if I consider the audacity, the imagination, the letting go, and the non-conformism that the profession of artist requires.
POETIC STYLE
My creative style is largely inspired by poetry: the poetry of words, of everyday life, of the moment. When I create a postcard, a small fabric heart, a winged pencil, a gift box, I let the poetry and emotion seep in--infuse themselves. All my products are made by myself. They come from my imagination, with sincerity and passion. Nature is a constant source of inspiration. The scents of certain places can transport me very far, very fast. I can develop a product or a text from an olfactory memory: the potent sugar of a fig tree, the pungency of a tomato leaf, the disconcerting exhalation of asphalt after a summer rain—so poetically called petrichor.
FIRST NOVEL
My greatest accomplishment is my first novel, "La Maison d'Autres", in which three generations of women succeed one another in a beautiful Provençal building, rustling with secrets. I spent a lot of time writing it but I felt such joy during the process! I will never forget the day I held my printed book in my hands. More than pride, I felt a certain visceral happiness, as when I held my daughter in my arms at the moment of her birth. It was the strangest feeling, as though my heart were overflowing and I knew that the moment would be forever etched in my memory. It was more than a dream come true, it was an accomplishment.
CREATIVE ADVICE
What I would like to say here is that you must listen to your creative heartbeat at all costs, not let time pass, not be discouraged by the sceptics, go forward on your path no matter what, welcome the less productive moments. And create every day, even the smallest thing. For me, a day without creation is a useless day. I am a weaver of words and objects who believes in the beauty of her dreams.
