Ami Batham, a mechanical engineer turned designer, began her design journey just a few years ago. Having always been interested in and excited by creative subjects such as art, design, architecture and fashion, she set up a small brand with her sister selling pre-loved clothing and accessories whilst still working as an engineer. The experience sparked her interest into exploring a career within design: “The whole concept of creating a brand style and offering a solution to the problem of fast fashion really felt exciting to me and made me realise that I owed it to myself to explore opportunities within the creative industry.”
Now running her own business, Time and Soul Studio, Ami works primarily with sustainability conscious brands and businesses, “…we all have a major part to play on the impact we leave on the planet. A significant part of this is through the brands and businesses we choose to support.” She believes that design isn’t just about visual aesthetics but should also serve a purpose. Together with her minimal, natural and bohemian inspired style, Ami strives to create beautifully crafted design solutions that value thoughtfulness towards oneself, others and the environment. As Ami so aptly puts it: “There’s a sense of freedom when you find your visual/design style, which as creatives we know is a constantly evolving thing, but there’s less pressure to compare and be like someone else when you’ve found an aesthetic that you know reflects you.”
Like many others, the past year since the pandemic began has been difficult one. Despite this Ami feels incredibly lucky and grateful for the opportunities and connections she’s made with other creative entrepreneurs during this time. With many people having to market their services online, she’s been able to work with emerging brands and as she tells us has, “loved seeing new small businesses grow and flourish during the pandemic.”
We caught up with Ami to find out more about her tips for overcoming self-doubt and for women thinking about beginning a career in design.
Can you tell us about your career path of how you got to where you are now and why you set up Time and Soul Studio?
I studied Architectural Engineering at university and worked as a Mechanical Engineer in the building services industry for several years. This taught me a lot – I developed my problem-solving skills and learnt to work as part of a team to deliver challenging projects. Whilst working as an engineer, my sister and I set up a small brand selling pre-loved clothing and accessories. The whole concept of creating a brand style and offering a solution to the problem of fast fashion felt exciting to me and made me realise that I owed it to myself to explore opportunities within the creative industry.
I came across an online course that helped me to develop the skills I already had and what I needed to learn to offer design services to other businesses. It allowed me to really think about what I liked doing, what I wanted to offer and what the world needs. I believe that we all have a major part to play on the impact we leave on the planet, and a significant part of this is through the brands and businesses we choose to support. I set up Time and Soul Studio to offer design services to brands and businesses that are conscious of the challenges the planet is facing and want to offer solutions in an authentic way. Our time is precious, and our soul guides us on how we should spend it.
What made you decide to change careers from engineering to design and does your engineering background feed into your creative practice as a designer?
The decision to change careers from engineering to design was a tough one as I had invested a lot of time in studying and working towards becoming a chartered engineer. At school, I was encouraged to choose more technical subjects to set myself on a steady career path and eventually worked as a design engineer in the building industry for several years.
Although from a young age I’ve always been interested and excited by visual and creative subjects such as art, design, architecture and fashion and I felt this was an aspect of my life I wanted to explore further. Ultimately, I desired more freedom in creating visual work whilst being able to connect with people with a similar vision.I would say that my engineering background does feed into my design process and that I have a methodical and logical approach. I think this ties in well with the process of designing brands and websites as there is a purpose behind the design.
Flower Mama – Brand Design for Flower Mama, a florist and maker of dried floral arrangements and handmade clay flowers. She is inspired by all things flowers and aims to provide long lasting decor that is beautiful and conscious of the environment.
Having been a mechanical engineer and now a designer… are there any moments in your career where being a woman has affected you?
In general, I’ve had a positive experience being a female engineer and I felt like a valid member of a team in what is historically a predominantly male industry. More women are being encouraged into engineering roles within the construction industry. Although, I think the positive experience I had was down to the mindset of the individuals at the companies I worked for, where I saw females in senior and leadership roles. I believe that there are areas of construction where female leaders are few and far between, and more work is needed to be done to bridge the gaps of this inequality and that seeing change has the greatest impact on people’s way of thinking.
Now as a female designer, I feel part of a much wider community of like-minded women. The majority of my clients are women and I see how it can be challenging to be inclusive of all genders, however, we should always be striving for this as I believe as a community, we are better when we are united than when there is any divide.
How have you developed your visual style throughout your career and have there been any pivotal moments?
I think it’s important to be authentic and true to yourself. I’ve always been drawn to minimal design and neutral colours, and I also love design inspired by nature, bohemian themes and vintage. A pivotal moment was when I realised that style can be timeless, and I aim to create designs that will still be relevant as time goes on. There’s a sense of freedom when you find your visual/design style, and as a creative we know that’s a constantly evolving thing, but there’s less pressure to compare and be like someone else when you’ve found an aesthetic that you know reflects you.
Abode Therapy – Digital illustrations to convey emotions brave, kind, calm, peace, rested, uplifted in addition to homepage image, assessments and sessions.
Tell us about a favourite project that you’ve worked on and why it’s important to you.
I really loved creating the illustrations for Abode Therapy. They provide a modern approach to looking after our mental health through personalised therapy plans, designed and delivered by clinically trained psychological doctors. I think what they offer is so important and necessary for the daily challenges we face and creating access to mental health support is much needed. Our values and design style aligned perfectly, and I love working with others who have similar goals as it feels like we can achieve so much more when our vision and processes match up.
How would you describe yourself as a designer and your design work/style?
I would describe myself as a designer that approaches design in a thoughtful way. Time and consideration is taken to look into the purpose of the client brief and offer the best solution for the target audience. I believe design should serve a purpose as well as be beautiful. I value thoughtfulness towards yourself, others and the environment, which inspires my vision for the studio.
Two Degrees South – Brand and web design for Two Degrees South, a female founded sustainability consultancy – they provide building physics and sustainability services aiming to drive low and zero carbon in the building industry.
A lot of people in the creative industries struggle with imposter syndrome and self-doubt – have you experienced this and how do you deal with it?
Definitely! I felt like this for a while and I thought this was because I was new to the industry, but I believe this is something I have experienced throughout my life as I often downplay success. I think we have to give ourselves more credit and remember to tell ourselves that we are enough and we deserve to be successful. Our minds are so powerful, and we are a product of what we think so we must notice our thoughts and rationalise them. It’s also important to speak to others, especially those who care for you or understand how you feel.
Do you have any thoughts on how to address the lack of diversity and inclusion across the creative industries moving forward?
Through Time and Soul Studio, I aim to encourage and inspire others to explore opportunities within the creative industry as it can be a really rewarding career. By sharing our stories and our challenges we can show others what’s possible. I think the more diversity that can be seen, the more people will find creatives they can relate to and realise that they can be in that position too.
Living with Alexandra – Wabi Sabi inspired illustrations for use on social media highlight covers. Home Styling Social Media Account.
If you could go back to the beginning and start your career again, what would tell your younger self?
The path isn’t always linear. You should make time to find out what makes you truly happy. Whilst people can guide you, you have to explore and get to know yourself on a deeper level to be able to make the best decisions for what is ultimately right for you.
Do you have any words of advice for women considering a career in the design industry today?
Go for it and find your unique style and the value you can offer. We all have different perspectives and experiences that shape us as people, and this allows for a diverse approach to design. I believe diversity is so important and special.
Which women creative has most inspired you?
There are so many wonderfully talented female creatives out there which is great to see and so inspiring. I love the work of Carla Llanos and Nicola Jane, they stand out to me as illustrators that really inspired me to get into graphic design.
3 inspo picks + 1 for good luck
- Nicola Jane – @nicolajanecreative
- Carla Llanos – @carlallanosillustrations
- StylishCreative – @stylishcreativebranding
- @storyfulbrands
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Article by Helen Tong
Helen Tong is one of our wonderful DesignbyWomen collaborators.