Meet one of our Venturers who will be joining us this October in Medellín, Colombia. Carly studied Furniture Design and Conceptual Design at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California and Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia with learned design principle techniques from her work with Anthropologie and Free People.
Currently, Carly is the founder and creative director of Thurman & Fig, a floral design company which practices sustainability and is careful to use environmentally responsible practices whenever possible, leaving smaller carbon footprints on Mother Earth.
Why have you decided to participate in a Venture with Impact program?
I have been searching for a program for quite some time that would be realistic for the time I could give. There are so many great foundations out there but I wouldn't be able to give the 6-24 months with the other responsibilities of life. This gives me the ability to pause things from my day-to-day life so I can do something I have wanted to do for a long time.
What are you most excited about in participating with VWI?
I am thrilled to gain more fair-trade knowledge by being hands-on with women artisans and use my skill set to help give them more sustainability.
What are you most excited about for living in Medellín?
To see the transformation in person of how much innovation and growth Medellin has taken a part in. I want to absorb as much of Colombia as possible in the month that I am there so I can't quite pin point what I am most excited about. Delicious fresh food, beautiful music, beautiful culture.
Which aspect of Colombian culture are you most interested in learning about? Why?
Ah, a tough one. The music, the dancing, the traditions, the language.
What are you hoping to gain from your experience with Venture with Impact?
More fluency of the language, more knowledge of South America travel, and to explore the territory of the flower industry to see how I can make my practice (Thurman & Fig) more sustainable.
What type of impact are you hoping to make, personally and/or with your volunteer role?
Coming from a background of retail consumerism, management, and production, I am hoping to put my knowledge of consumer trends to good use in order to help these families have more independent and sustainable lives. I hope this ignites a career to work internationally and develop a fair-trade, co-op initiative.
What are a few of your favorite apps for traveling and/or working?
Hopper, Guides by Lonely Planet, Sidekix, Airbnb.
What would your autobiography be titled? Why?
"Being an Adult is Like Folding a Fitted Sheet" (from Birch House Lettering, New Brunswick)
Why? Oh man, my future kids/anyone that will listen to me are going to have such great life advice on "how to adult" because I had/have no idea. Thank you to taking risks and googling every damn thing I don't know or understand to help me figure it all out.
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