in2 pieces
What's your name?
Xanthi
Where are you based?
Perth, Australia
Tell us about what your ordinary day looks like.
I work at a university library part time, and am responsible for ordering, cataloguing and processing all sorts of items for the library collection. When I’m at work, I puzzle in the staffroom with my coworkers on our breaks. When I’m not at work, I also puzzle!
How did you get into the world of puzzling?
I’ve been puzzling since childhood and was an occasional puzzler through adulthood until COVID happened and the my puzzling kicked into overdrive.
What makes you keep puzzling & how often do you puzzle?
The art keeps me puzzling! So many talented artists out there and puzzling their work helps me savour their amazing talent and creativity. I puzzle almost every day. It helps me to relax, gets me away from screens, and just generally brings a sense of peace and equilibrium to my daily life.
What is your favorite type of puzzle?
I’ll try just about anything! Cardboard, wooden, ribbon cut, random cut, round, shaped- you name it! I am also happy to puzzle mini puzzles, lower piece counts and higher ones too. Largest piece count I have done so far is a 4k one but am hoping to go higher and higher. As for themes, I love biblio, Halloween, spooky cute, and cats, but I’m pretty open to trying just about anything.
During puzzling sessions, do you listen to anything or puzzle in silence?
I love listening to audiobooks while I puzzle. I have no trouble concentrating on both at the same time. Infact, I consider audiobooks and puzzles to be the perfect combination. Both my eyes and ears are engaged and it helps me to achieve ‘flow’..
If you were to describe what puzzling means to you, what would it be?
Making order out of chaos.
Tell us about your other interests & joys.
My other interests include diamond art painting (a lot of artwork used in jigsaw puzzles also appears in diamond art form), reading, cuddling my cat, working on my YouTube channel, and seeing live comedy shows.
Do you have anything you want to share?
I enjoy speed puzzling though I’m pretty average. I especially love practicing and competing with my team. We have come second two years in a row in our state competition, which has been such a thrill. The friendships I have made thanks to attending puzzling events has been the best aspect of this hobby.
I also pour a lot of effort into my puzzling YouTube channel and have connected with many fellow puzzlers all over the world thanks to it. It has also helped me to learn new self taught video editing skills - no mean feat for this Gen-Xer!
