Obsessive Compulsive

In a business where tradition can squelch creativity, it is often difficult to introduce fresh ideas. But for Wellington-based textile designer-maker, craft enthusiast and educator, Genevieve Packer, surrounding herself with what inspires her is the key to her creative license.
A year ago, Genevieve who is best known for her distinctive wallpaper designs, and her art director husband who works for a local video game development company, traded inner-city apartment life for a home across the harbour in the bush haven of Eastbourne.
Thanks to her artistic husband, not to mention a large collection of around 500 different wallpapers that have been collected over the years from auctions and Trade Me, Genevieve is never short of creative stimulation.
Originally hailing from the Hawke’s Bay, Genevieve holds a Bachelor of Design majoring in textiles as well as a Masters in Design from Massey University.
In her height of the creative hub, she taught at the Wellington Massey University campus in the textile design department. For eight years she held this “luxurious” position – so described due to the constant flow of stimulation her students provided. However, teaching with all its benefits, was never something the imaginative fully intended to do and she made the choice to leave in order to pursue other openings that were presenting themselves to her. Opportunities that have included her recent two year stint designing textiles for costumes for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey film.