Hello, my name is Elise. I am a former marine ecologist and now full time artist and upcycler.
I’ve always had a passion for the environment. It started when I saw the movie Free Willy when I was 6. From that moment, I decided that my mission would be to protect the ocean.
I got my master degree, my PhD, worked in research, worked at a consultancy and I realised that I was far from my original goal to protect the ocean.
I was questioning myself and wondered what was the point of being a scientist.
So, I started The Jolly Upcycler on the side, upcycling ceramics and fabrics using my own designs. During weekends, I would go to maker's markets to sell my product and people would ask me about sustainability, about what upcycling is.
And when they would buy from me, I would feel like helping the planet. That filled my cup way more than science ever did. So I quit my job in 2024.
And now my mission is to help people reconnect with nature and their creativity and help them upcycle their own items so we can reduce waste on a bigger scale.
I do that by running workshops and teaching people basic techniques they can easily use at home.
Techniques that can be used for so many things like when you are bored with your backpack and you want to personalise it, or when you have a hole or a stain on a piece of clothing to cover it.