This process really opened my eyes to how often the entertainment industry purchases brand-new items unnecessarily and then throws them all away afterwards. In my opinion, this is entirely needless and creates a fast-moving waste cycle that needs to stop.

I try not to be all doom and gloom when it comes to thinking about the current state of the planet and the environment, as it can quickly become overwhelming. Therefore, I want to focus on the positive changes in the industry and what I could do to contribute to that. One of the methods I used as an art director was using charity shops as my first call when sourcing my prop list. This is just a small positive change I could make, as it meant these items got to continue their life cycle even further, didn’t come with plastic packaging, and contributed to a charity.

This inspired the idea for Sustainable Celebrations to source existing materials to upcycle into new creations.

The biggest problem I had to contend with was what to do with everything that was left over after filming was finished. It felt like such a waste to get rid of any of the items, as I could see their potential and knew they would be needed for further films in the future.

This is ultimately what inspired the idea for a decoration rental service, where you can get the pieces you need delivered to you on the day, and have them whisked away afterwards with no waste, no fuss, and no burden on the environment.