It's that time again for our monthly Who's Who. This month comes courtesy of a great little company from Essex called Sketch.inc, which stems from a lifetime of carrying around a sketchbook and being inspired by everything around you. Sounds like a great idea to us!
Who are you?
I’m Becky Kemp and Sketch.inc is simply the creative outlet for the contents of my Sketchbooks. Sketch.inc HQ is my home studio in Colchester.
What do you do?
Sketch.inc offers a range of decorative homeware and unique jewelry born from the pages of my beloved sketchbooks. Every product starts with a sketch and grows from there, whether it’s a brooch or plate. Ultimately I enjoy the act of play and discovery, influenced by a combination of Danish design and Japanese illustration.
How did you start?
I had been selling a small number of paintings and prints online for a while with little success. When I came across a blank Russian Doll in a craft shop I recognised it's potential as a canvas for my sketchbook character designs. Remembering the Russian Dolls I once graffitied with a marker pen as a child, they made perfect sense to me. Between the Dolls and brooch designs (originally intended for a friends Wedding Party) my sales were beginning to interfere with the day job. Around this time my father also passed away leading me to reassess my life and what I wanted to do with it, so I decided to dive head first and moved back to England to be closer to family and realise my creative dream.
What's Next?
I have a number of projects in the pipeline that hopefully will ease my day-to-day workload. Painting and all things handmade are at my core, but to expand my business I need to look at my manufacturing techniques to extend my wholesale range to retailers. This progression is proving to be far more difficult than I had imagined, trying to balance the essence of what is predominantly a handmade business and the needs of retailers is a tricky job.
What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to the beginning?
I don’t believe in regrets but I do wish I had started this adventure earlier. I had been thinking of selling my work online for years but life seemed to get in the way and starting out was very daunting, so the dream was forever being put on hold. I would tell the younger me to go with your gut feeling and do what you love, there’s no time like the present!
You can find out more about Sketch.inc or shop for Becky's work at the below places.
Instagram: @sketchinc
Twitter : @sketchinc
Shop: sketchinc.bigcartel.com
Sammy bought herself one of Becky's brooches a few months back, that you will have seen in one of her friday favourties posts. We are defiantly fans!
Live it. Love it. Make it
H & Sammy
