Isla says:

It's really important to have a narrative that is perfect for the object. So, when I am creating, I start with the object. The object feeds everything I do. What you really want is for it to be as if you've just walked into a room someone has just stepped out of and you're trying to figure out what's happened. In my imagination, I think, “Who lives here”, “What materials would the tiny person have to work with to create the space around them?”, “What would they be doing in this place, just before or just after we get to peer in?” And then I put little storylines in the scenes. In this egg, there is a deck of cards on the table, a cup and plate by the sink, as if someone has just been in there and has stepped out moments before. Classic miniatures are too pristine, they aren’t realistic to me. Dioramas are more like a 3D version of a book; you’re setting a whole scene. Creativity for me, is making something out of nothing, but using your imagination; that’s what makes this different for me that other art forms I’ve tried. With miniatures, there is so much opportunity to do that, and it is so liberating because you can go anywhere you want, follow any flight of fancy. It gives me such a thrill to sit down and have the whole world in front of me and think, “What world am I going to make out of these odd bits and bobs?” Miniatures are cute and engaging and they draw people into that world of imagination with you. There is just something about miniatures. They strike inside; they go really deep. I wonder if miniatures are a way of condensing big, complicated feelings into something achievable, that people can access in a playful way. They surprise and delight – it’s just magic.