In Love with Textile and Travel
Her real name is Emyra Bianda Amangku, but friends call her Myra. She was born in May, the second child of three from a multi-cultural parents. Her father was Indonesian from the region of Serang and her mother was Indonesian-Dutch from the region of Menado and Ambon. Growing up, she has always been fond of adventure stories and making crafts, such as creating raffia wigs and dresses. It was a childhood trait that later on became a life long passion in travel and art.
Her eternally poised and calm demeanor conceals a profound and radical mind. She is exceptionally perceptive and bases many of her decisions on intuition. As part of the founding team of Tulisan, she has mastered virtually every aspect of our business including, design, production, logistic, creative writing, textile, and illustration. Hardly any of these areas are related to her degree in psychology which she earned from Atmajaya University.
Her eyes will never disagree with you, even when her opinion differs greatly from yours. Only one tiny area on her face tenses up when she ventures outside of her comfort zone. Myra and I understand each other so well that we hardly have to speak in full sentences. When we discuss new ideas we are like two kids playing tangram on our moleskins. We laugh out loud when we think about how incomplete and incomprehensible we must sound to others.
Though she never studied fine art or graphic design, Myra has a raw interest in art and culture. She loves independent films, such as “The Royal Tenenbaums” and the animated works of Studio Ghibli in Japan. She also enjoys music festivals and occasionally she daydreams about living the life of a nomad. Myra’s eyes become tearful when she’s snapped out of her reverie and back into her bustling reality.
The unique inner workings of her mind are always reflected in her choice of color. Her very first illustrations for Tulisan have a strong contrasting color palette: black, white, blue, yellow, and purple. This juxtaposition implies both firmness and certainty and was very much influenced by her recent trip to Kyoto, Japan, where she purchased a series of books on textile designs from Scandinavia.
Every day Myra dresses as if she were about to go on a long voyage. You will regularly find her wearing comfortable sneakers, vintage-style dresses, vibrant cardigans, and often a colorful scarf.
Since starting with Tulisan in 2010, Myra has truly taken a colorful rollercoaster ride. Working at Tulisan can occasionally be daunting. I once asked her what motivated her to maintain such a steadfast dedication to her job. She told me that at Tulisan she’s found people who share her same spirit and outlook on life. Heading the artistic department of our atelier, Myra believes that everything in life can be self-realized with determination and steely resolve.
Tripple kisses, Melissa Sunjaya