Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Lets Meet: Peas and Needles
Let's Meet: Junk & Glitter
Makers Month: Lets Meet: Nylon Sky
Makers Month Lets Meet: Hackney Potter
We wouldn't be able to have our Makers Month without our Lets Meet section that we run throughout the year and it just makes it extra special when its in this month too. H has been obsessing over the ceramics that Hackney Potter has been making and showing on their Instagram page and so it only seemed fair to have a little chat with them.
What was the first thing you remember making?
I’ve always been making things; ever since I was little I’ve been drawing and creating. My favourite thing to do as a little kid, was draw with candle wax and reveal the image with washes of black paint, the image appearing seemed like magic to me. Ceramics has the same effect on me now, when glazing something it looks nothing like it will when it fired, so when the kiln is opened and the final product is revealed its magical.
How did you find your creative side?
My mum always did activities with us kids, and TV was full of creative shows like, Smart, Tony Hart, Art Attack, Bitsa, Penny Crayon and Smarty Arty in Zzzap!! I can’t think of a time that I wasn’t trying my hand at someone thing creative, and luckily for me it was encouraged. It seemed obvious to me to do arts at college and university. After university I struggled to find time to be creative, 9-5 jobs really disrupted things. Until I found out about the drop in pottery workshop at Hackney City Farm, then I was hooked.
What has been your favourite ever make? Whether that be for your business or pleasure – tell us about it.
The marbled mugs I’m making at the moment are my favourite. Although the most recent make is usually the favourite. Then as new ideas develop, new things are made that replace the last as favourite. I never feel 100% satisfied for long, which pushes me forward and keeps me making.
What are your favourite ways to stay inspired?
I believe inactivity breads inactivity, and that creativity works the same way. To stay inspired and full of ideas you have to keep making, it keeps your brain ticking.
I am part of a shared studio space called Clay Collective and the other makers there are incredible, everyone is so different and it’s a constant inspiration. Going to exhibitions never fails to inspire, and Instagram is another great place to gain ideas; I’ve got a huge folder on my phone of screenshots that I look through regularly. Also it’s important to give yourself time to explore new ideas and possibilities.
Who are your favourite Designer/Makers right now?
I have so many favourites! The 11 other makers in Clay Collective are huge favourites right now; being able to see their processes, and watch work develop makes the end product more amazing to me.
The Hilma Af-Klint at the Serpentine is mind blowing, she was in an all-female collective called ‘The Five’ in Victorian Sweden, and made these epic works through challenging the spirits as a mystic. Her work was unseen until way after her death, and so it was only recently we discovered her work. Her abstract style pre-dates Kandinsky and other abstract painters. (exhibition on till 15th May)
On Instagram im currently loving:
What crafty item is top of your wishlist?
Everything on the bath potters website!
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Watching films and videos online, hanging out at the studio and going to the pub with my boyfriend
Tell us a bit about what you have coming up? any little projects you want to tell us about.
I have just been taking part in Pick Me Up Festival at Somerset House with Clay Collective, and that has really taken all of my attention for the last couple of months. I am next taking part in the Clay Collective open studio on 4th and 5th June, and the Independent Ceramics Market in Peckham on 17th July, so please come visit me!
Hackney Potter
Seriously you guys, you have to check out Hackney Potter's work, total love! I just need a big house with lots of visitors to require use of ALL the beautiful ceramics! ha ha.
Thank you for chatting to us Hackney Potter and hope you guys enjoyed this little delve into their world.
H,xxx
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Let's Meet: Alice Tams
Let's Meet: Lucy Alice Designs
Who's who: Craft Candy
This month's Who's who comes from Zoe at Craft Candy, you may remember last month we went to the launch party for the app and had a great time, so here is more about Zoe and what Craft Candy are all about.
Who are you?
I'm Zoe, 9-5er by day and crafter and Craft Candy founder by
night.
What do you do?
I'm the founder of Craft Candy, the UK 's first craft events listing
website and App for the iPhone & Android. Craft Candy is all about community, so we've developed a
craft events App which is free to download, the App is fitted with GPS listing
local craft events in mile radius from where the user is standing. Craft Candy lists craft workshops, markets and clubs but
what makes us just a little special are our creative Advertising packages. Each
package includes social media, i.e. tweets, posts or pins depending on the
package, to help to spread the event details further than our website &
App.
Unlike other sites if you have a free event, i.e. craft
market, knitting group or meet-up etc. you can list your event for free on
Craft Candy, just upload the event details to the website and it also appear on
the App.
I come from a crafting and making background and I
understand the margins for making are tight, so I created monthly pay-as-you go
advertising options to ensure companies aren't tied into a contract and
starting from £10 even the smallest budget can list their workshop on CraftCandy.
How did you start?
I started as a blogger, blogging about local craft markets
and workshops and over 18 months my blog grew and grew and it turns out I
wasn't the only person looking for local things to make and do. Eventually I
decided to take the plunge, researched the market, or multiple markets, craft,
social media and the smartphone App market, (I'm not technical so it wasn't a
quick process) to see how feasible my Craft Candy business idea was.
Obviously I thought my idea was amazing, but being a
start-up in a market which has seen limited marketing investment unlike
fashion, car or technology industries and talking to people about my business
idea who have never crafted before and just associated craft with old women was
depressing and in the end I gave up talking to potential business partners or
investors and I decided to go it alone and so I started saving. Eventually my
partner Chris kind of took pity on me and told me he would consider investing
if I completed a survey of businesses in the market, I did, the findings were
great and now I have a business partner.
What's Next?
Over the next year we have three aims:
To grow Craft Candy across the UK ,
very early on, we dipped our toe by launching Craft Candy in London ,
but three weeks ago we opened it up to the rest of UK ,
the GPS in the App will now work anywhere where there is a craft event in England (which
has been uploaded to our site).
The App launched on the 10th March and we intend for it to
be a beta App, which means whist you are using it, we are keen to gather your
feedback & comments to help to refine it, Good or bad we don't mind, we
just want to improve its functions.
Finally, we need to grow our Shop Directory, once our users
have learnt or developed a skill, they need supplies to do it in their own
time, but where do they buy supplies? Eventually
our Shop Directory will have a comprehensive list of retailers to pick from.
What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to
the beginning?
This is a great question, I hate regretting mistakes, but I
love to learn from them, preferably other people’s mistakes rather than my own,
but there have been a couple along the way. If I could go back and whisper
advice in my ear it would be to get references when engaging with a company or
freelancer to do work and to simply be patient.
Patience is a virtue as they say, but we at Live it. Love it. Make it. never have enough of it! Craft Candy is such a great resource and so you should definitely check it out to put workshops on there or to find workshops in your area or perhaps if your spending a few days somewhere for work or whatever, you could see what is in the local area for you to check out! We Love it.
Live it. Love it. Make it
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