Monday Motivation: Opportunities & Inspiration

OPPORTUNITIES

• Ideas and Pioneers Fund – Paul Hamlyn Foundation

The Ideas and Pioneers Fund supports people with unusual or radical ideas to improve the life chances and opportunities of people in the UK. The Paul Hamlyn Foundation is looking for ideas which relate closely to their own charitable mission – they aim to help people overcome disadvantage and lack of opportunity, so that they can realise their potential and enjoy fulfilling and creative lives.

• Development Awards – Princes Trust

Development Awards are grants of up to £500 to help young people who are struggling to access education, work or training due to a lack of funds. You can apply if you are a UK resident and are:

• Aged 14-17 and do not have/are not expecting to achieve 5 GCSEs grades A-C-(or equivalent), or

• Aged 17-25 and unemployed or working fewer than 16 hours a week, or in education fewer than 14 hours a week

INSPIRATION

• Article - What to do when work feels meaningless

• Video Series - Reaching Higher with the Irish News X Ulster Bank

"Womenfolk: On Inspiration" by Rebekah Johanson of Lines & Current

Since starting my online minimal accessory brand nearly three years ago, I’ve found that this thing of “inspiration” has been the key to being able to put out at least two new collections every year. As designer for the brand, keeping things consistent is really important as I really want my brand supporters to feel connected to every piece in the collection. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new piece or one of the originals, I want my customers to recognise the DNA in the design and feel connected to it.  But on the other hand, i want the customer a fresh experience and evoke feelings of excitement at the same time. As a designer, this has got me thinking about inspiration: How to be inspired and how to stay inspired. Here’s some thoughts.

Absorbing yourself in your work. Being consistent with research in your chosen discipline and creating a vision board for your work is a great idea. I use Instagram and Pinterest religiously when I am starting to flesh out new collection that my customers are going to want to buy, but often, this really isn’t enough and can just produce prescriptive designs that really aren’t part of a deeper story i want to communicate.

Be counter-intuitive. When I’m feeling completely void of inspiration, I do the opposite of the first point. I get out of my head and completely detach myself from the design work i need to do. I stop waiting for inspiration to hit. Rarely the bolt of lightning idea actually happens, but i devote myself to meaningful self-care. For me, as Mum to an eight month old boy, we go out for runs with a specifically designed “jogging buggy” and listen to a podcast that doesn’t have anything do do with fashion design. The designs that prove to be strong selling haven’t come as a result of hours on Instagram scrolling but have somehow materialised from daily life, travel and daily fuelling myself in ways that inspire and interest me. Detaching from the discipline for a time can be a great tool for reigniting the imagination. My creative outlets as a jewellery designer, writer and content creator have a cross-disciplinary element that all feed into each other and I find that taking the focus away from one of these disciplines is a great way to actually ignite it.

Consider that we are ‘Receivers.’ If there is a flow of inspiration in this life and we are open, perhaps we can be the receiver that ideas can flow through? This may seem a little ‘out there’ to some, but if you believe there is something grander out there, that there is an unlimited source of possibility, ideas and creativity, then just maybe, we can tap into this flow and rather than inspiration coming ‘to’ us, it comes ‘through’ us.

Follow Your Bliss.  I love the notion that to be or stay inspired I can simply ‘follow my bliss.’ Follow the inklings that guide you as a creative. They may be drawing from the well of inspiration you have been filling up over a lifetime. I try not to be overly concerned with the outcome or whether it will make money. Your passion is the currency you’ll need to bring your idea to fruition so follow what your gut is saying and what genuinely sparks inside.

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linesandcurrent.com

"Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life…" by Rebecca Killen Ceramics

Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life…I love this sentiment and truly believe it. I have been ‘working’ on Rebecca Killen Ceramics for over three years now and I continually feel blessed to be able to do what I love every day. But really this work started much longer ago at a time when I didn’t really consider clay to be a career. I found clay through a passionate teacher at school and have been learning about and exploring the material ever since. It was only through taking a year out during my Fine and Applied Art Degree to study business at a college in the U.S.A that I realised the possibility of combining these new found skills with my passion for ceramics. Fast forward a few years and I am delighted to be selling my handmade bone china products internationally and throughout stores across the U.K and Ireland.

Having made loads of mistakes along the way here are a few tips that might help in getting your work out of your studio and into the world:

Say Yes 

At the start of your journey it is important to explore different avenues to really understand which route is best for your business. Saying yes to opportunities that come up at the beginning will open doors and introduce your brand to new audiences. 

Seek Mentorship

After graduating I was successful in gaining a place on Craft NI’s ‘Making It’ programme, a creative business start-up scheme that provided participants with studio space and business mentorship. This opened up a network of makers including previous participants who had gone through similar experiences, their guidance and support was key in the development of my business. This was a structured scheme but it can be as simple as asking for help, seek out someone 5 or 6 six years ahead on the road and take action on their advice.

Test the Market

Whether it be through exhibitions, craft fairs or on social media it is important to get a grasp on what customers are drawn to and how much they will spend on your product. This gathered information really helped me to create a core collection before approaching potential stockists.  

Work with Stockists

Your stockists are incredibly valuable, listen to their feedback as they are dealing directly with your customers on a day to day basis. There is also the potential to collaborate with your stockists, this could include an exclusive range or a one off statement piece. This is a great way of challenging your practice whilst staying true to your individual style.

Say No

Contradictory to my first point but sometimes it’s okay to say no as stretching yourself too thin can be detrimental to your business. As business has progressed I have learned to trust my instincts and during busy periods only commit to opportunities that I will be able to fulfil with integrity.  

Images by Esther Irvine Photography

rebeccakillenceramics.com

"Defining who you are" by designer Emily McIlwaine

The way we spend our time defines who we are. It’s important to make sure we are putting our time into something we really believe in. For me, this can be described in three main points.

Identity

It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that weaving found me. I had started a degree in textile art, but felt that I could neither be classed as ‘artist’ or ‘designer’. When I started weaving, the process was all consuming. There was something so fascinating about the rhythmic, meditative (some might say boring!) processes to weaving fabric that appealed to me. Identity for me means finding a career path that engages your head, hands, and heart. Once you find your design identity, immerse yourself in it! 

Community

The more educated and skilled in our disciplines we become, the more we encourage others to share that passion, and it starts the ball rolling for a fantastic support network to share ideas with. Supporting each other’s disciplines and business ventures lifts the standard here in Northern Ireland for good design and strong practices, bringing creativity and job opportunities further afield than just the big cities. For this reason and more, Blick Shared Studios is an excellent regional hub for creatives to meet, share and inspire.

Inspiration  

I find cross-disciplinary experiences stimulate creativity and encourage me to produce more interesting designs. It can encourage me to appreciate the skill needed to create something beautiful, functional and well designed. Most inspiration for me comes from fine art, or sculpture. Don’t be afraid to immerse yourself in something completely detached from your discipline; you might just break that creative block! 

instagram.com/emtextiles

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Heidi Sandstrom.

"Seeing the bigger picture in the day-to-day" by Hunter Paper Co.'s Emma Jackson

I’ve been working for myself now for 4 years, firstly as a freelance illustrator after graduating from a degree in illustration, and for the last 3 running my own stationery and greetings card brand, Hunter Paper Co.

Hunter Paper Co. originated as a side project while I was freelancing and quickly gained momentum and became my full time business. It took a while to niche down to what was really selling, find a consistent brand style and also tackle learning the business side of things, but 3 years on from officially setting up the business I feel like I’ve really found my flow and I’m beginning to strategically plan ahead more and more.

It’s so easy when you’re building a business, especially if you’re doing it on your own to get caught up in the day-to-day. There’s so much to get done, you want to say yes to everything and the to-do list never seems to get smaller! So I thought I’d share some tips of what I’ve found helpful in planning ahead and thinking strategically.

Look at the year as a whole

I usually do this at the start of the year, I mark into a diary or a calendar big work events in the year, even if they aren’t set in stone. That way when I have those big events in mind, I know they’re on the horizon so it probably isn’t a great idea to veer of course too far in the months leading up to those big events. I also highlight calendar events such as Mother’s Day, Valentine’s etc, which play a huge role in my business, so if something like this could boost your sales it’s worth paying attention to them even a few weeks before.

Prioritise on a daily basis

It’s easy to get into the studio in the morning and just start working on the most exciting thing or the thing you’d like to do the most. If there’s a big project looming though this procrastination can have a huge knock on effect. Write a to-do list of just 3 - 5 things and put them in order of priority. This gives you a little bit of structure in your day, when there’s really no rules - sometime you’ve just got to be the boss and discipline yourself.  

Do your accounting!

I have to admit, I’ve only really learnt the value of this in the last few months! 🙈  If you’re on top of your accounts you can plan ahead with confidence and stress a whole lot less! It’s also given me a little extra motivation, I’ve set income goals and I’m driven to reach them each month rather than just producing work and seeing what sells!

Make it visible

In the run up to big events in my business, like a trade show for example, I draw it all out and pin it to the wall in front of my desk. I draw out a calendar and cross out days to remind myself how quickly time is passing and I don’t have time to browse facebook! I also put floorplans for the show, or design drafts or to-do lists up on the wall in front of me, so everything is easily accessible, and it also reminds me to keep the final goal in mind in everything I’m doing.

 hunterpaperco.com