Firstly I’m just going to contradict my own title by saying that I don’t really believe there is such thing as ‘typical’ in terms of zodiac sun signs. Your birth chart is a complex adventure in itself, and what you find there can sometimes counteract or dampen the characteristics of your sun sign. However, as I have several planets in Sagittarius in addition to my sun sign, I thought it would be fun to share where this rises up in my life!
Sagittarius is stereotypically known as a traveller, an adventurer…someone that needs to wander. I love being in nature and seeing new places, and whilst I know I would love to actually travel, this trait has always been something that has concerned my inner world. Whereas the stereotypical Sagittarian is always thought to be travelling the globe, this popular interpretation has stemmed from the fact that Sagittarius is a mutable fire sign, meaning that, as fire signs go, it is about expansion and movement and change. So whilst the ‘sporty explorer’ is certainly considered an accurate portrayal of Sagittarius, this doesn’t have to be in the physical, visible sense. I’m not literally a traveller, but I’m definitely an explorer of sorts. It comes across in the way that I work and the way that I think, learn, and communicate, and through the ways that I gather knowledge and demonstrate creativity.
I’ve always felt a strong connection to the word multi-discipline. I remember hearing it during lectures at uni and thinking to myself…yes, that’s something I need in my life. Multiple creative outlets and the freedom to choose and change and combine the formats in which I deliver my work. A similar phrase that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy is ‘multi-hyphenate’, coined by Emma Gannon.
Let me tell you a bit about my creative background.
When I was very little, my parents were in a band. That was what they both did for work. So naturally, growing up, my sister and I were taught to play a million different musical instruments each. We didn’t go on big holidays or have expensive clothes, we had music lessons instead, and our tiny house was filled to the brim with every instrument under the sun (usually borrowed or second hand). My mum was (and still is) really ‘arty’, and so the same could be said for brushes and pens and paint – they poured out of the cupboards and spilled from the shelves. And books. I remember imagining the inside of my dad’s head as a giant library, bursting with random facts and knowledge. Astrology was my favourite; I could have listened forever.
If I had to describe my childhood, I would say that it was rich and indulgent. Not with possessions and money, but with time and creativity. We were given unlimited freedom to be curious and creative. I remember making excuses not to see my friends sometimes because I just wanted to stay at home and draw and write and read and make things.
When I was about 9 or 10, I started making magazines. At first these were cute little ‘cut and stick’ collage style things, but soon I started using the computer to compile everything. I wanted to do it all: I roped my sister into modelling and took photos; I drew pictures and wrote letters for the problem page (!); compiled book reviews, things to make, stories, how-to guides... I loved it. I spent the school holidays making new issues and new titles, binding them with sellotape, and distributing them to my loyal readership - my family. There’s no doubt that I had a secure foundation for curiosity from a young age.
Much later I studied Graphic Communication at uni. The course was broad, and some of my friends mentioned it left them feeling like a ‘Jack of all trades’. The focus was always more on the concept, but I Ioved it like that. I didn’t ‘find myself’ - creatively speaking - when I was at uni. Looking back at my work now, it was all quite erratic looking in terms of style. When I graduated, I didn’t know who I was - again, creatively speaking - or ‘what’ I wanted to be. I spent years trying to slot myself into fashion internships and design agencies and different kinds of freelance design work, and although I am tremendously grateful for the huge amount of practical skills and technical knowledge I gained from these experiences, none of them felt right. I felt trapped and squashed and limited...and a bit bored.
Lottie Suki grew from a time of darkness in my life, and it’s sort of like my Cinderella shoe. It fits. I’m a graphic designer by trade - that’s my ‘expertise’ – but I’ve made the decision to use and develop all the skills I don’t want to lose, too, and create my own job title. It evolves and changes, I get stuck, I get stressed, but essentially it just feels right. Like a proper Sagittarius adventure.