Stephane Jaeger

Designs on Orkney

Stéphane Jaeger – making independent lifestyle choices...

"I am from Paris, in France.  I suppose I wanted to do something a bit different from the life I was supposed to be leading. My father has an Art Gallery and I was very much supposed to take it on, but then I didn't.

"I just wanted to live life on my own terms rather on somebody else's. So I’ve just met different people and ended up in Orkney, and I have been here for the last twenty six years.

"I wanted to stay here because the light is fantastic and also it is a safe place for children to be brought up. When I arrived I had one child and was expecting another one. It’s a good place to be.

"You know, open landscape, open skies. Especially this landscape it is wonderful.Yes if I have to live in Orkney it has to be here in Burray. I like it here because it’s completely secluded.

"The next neighbour is round the coast and can't see you. It's a really secluded island. The road down here looks like it is going nowhere. Strangers would never come down here unless they were looking for me. But on the other hand its twenty minutes away from Kirkwall. It’s no distance at all. It’s not very far from anywhere on Orkney.

"My oldest daughter was born in Girvan. We lived near Girvan in Ayrshire. My son was born in Dumfries and Tessa was born in France. But when they were small they were brought up on Orkney so they were quite free to play. Tessa used to have a horse and I could literally let her go in the morning and she would come back in the evening.

"It's a typical island life here where everyone watches everybody else. You know your children are safe. The only drawback for them obviously is the fact that island life is quite insular and there's not very much to do when you are a teenager unless you have a specific hobby like softball, sailing or golf. But that is such a small problem compared to what people face in the city.

"My daughter is now at Edinburgh University, I have got two other children – one is in London and the other is in Livingston. I never thought my children would stay in Orkney. They have to go out and discover the world for themselves but they miss it very much when they are away.

"My son who is living in London desperately wants to move back to Edinburgh so he can feel closer to home.

"I've got quite a lot of friends here and there are lots of foreigners that I know – crafts people, artists and musicians. In terms of the artistic community on Orkney, it's endless because people who do that kind of work are attracted to the type of environment I’ve just described. And also the fact that it's a safe and cosy place. The winters are long and cold, but if you are busy doing things then you just get on with it.

"I used to knit for myself. Farming was going down hill in Britain so the government was really pushing people to diversify from farming. For me instead of diversifying away from farming I decided to use the wool from our sheep. My husband was a sheep farmer so I started doing the hand spun sweaters which is natural wool un-dyed, the natural colour of the sheep.

"I used to spin the wool in a traditional way using a Russian spinning wheel which I love. I started selling my products in The Workshop which is a crafts co-op on the next island.

"I could have had a business doing that, going to trade fairs and so on but that takes up to one hundred hours to make each individual garment. So I had to think of something else to do and I started buying yarn. 

"I've ended up trading with Japan, America and Europe. I think the people like my designs. Quite a few people have come down here to my studio to buy. Most years there were quite a lot of people in fact.

"I have recently decided to give up my knitwear business though and concentrate on alternative practice and studying Nutritional Healing. I am a reflexologist and Reiki practitioner, a business which I run from my home. People here often do many different jobs and follow multiple interests in life. I like to keep myself fresh, reading a lot and putting my interests into business."

Information correct at April 2007