[Image courtesy of Jessica Swift]
I love happy people.
And Jessica Swift is definitely one of life’s happy people (see here for the Do What You Love interview with her).
Have you heard she is making rainboots covered in her gorgeous designs and carrying secret messages?
We would call them ‘wellies’ here in England.
She needs your help to get them manufactured – and bring puddle-splashing happiness to people all over the world.
Check out her fun Kickstarter video here – only six days to go!
Sometimes I find myself overthinking things when I am trying to create something.
Usually when I find myself stuck, or frustrated with what I am making, it is because I am thinking about it too much. And when I am in the zone, not really thinking at all, it always works out better.
Last week my little nephew – who is five years old – took this photo of me with my ipod. He didn’t think about it at all. Just aimed it at me, moved it around a bit then hit the button. And for someone who doesn’t usually like photos of myself, I love it!
And it really made me think that sometimes we just need to ‘hit the button’.
Have you found yourself overthinking things lately?
Today’s shared stories come from Edinburgh-based artist Rhiannon Connelly and designer Ayesha Puri in New Delhi, India.
I recently gave up my career of nine years as a tax consultant with a leading ‘Big 4’ firm to pursue my dream of becoming an entrepreneur and setting up my own venture, All Things Pretty (ATP). We focus on cushions and table linen and are slowly looking at expanding into other product lines in home décor.
Giving up my job was not an easy decision as my nine years in the role had given me a comfort zone. I had worked hard to build a career and position for myself and often wondered if it was worthwhile to give it all up to do something entirely different. However, although I had no experience, I did have faith, which to my mind is the most crucial ingredient to success.
Though my family was very supportive of my decision, I did meet a lot of people who warned me against the competition, the long gestation period for setting up your own business and the many other factors involved in giving up a steady, secure means of living. This meant it took me a while to make up my mind. The realization to finally take the plunge came about two years ago when I was setting up my home with my husband and shopping for home linen. That’s when it struck me that if I had a keen eye to spot things for my home and I actually enjoy the process of hunting for the right stuff and finding the perfect spot for it, I would probably enjoy it as a business. I do believe in the adage that you must do what you love and love what you do. However, though that was the trigger that sent me thinking.
I finally took the plunge only a few months ago when I decided “If I am going to go give this idea a shot, it has got to be now” – and thus ATP was born. I currently retail my products through a few home décor stores across India. It wasn’t an easy start with the retail stores – I wrote to dozens of them requesting for them to see my work and give me an opportunity to display my products. It took a while for me to understand how to go about manufacturing and showcasing merchandise at stores. During my initial few meetings, I met some very helpful, wonderful people who very kindly showed me my mistakes and guided me on how I should proceed. Even though every meeting may not have resulted in a sale or an opportunity for a tie up with a store, I learned so much from meeting experienced people who had been involved in this field for years.
It has been about six months since I have been fully involved in ATP. I am looking at expanding my market and selling my products overseas. In the next few years, I hope to get into exports, open a lifestyle store and be known as the one stop shop for home décor.
[All images courtesy of Ayesha Puri]
Find out more on the ATP Facebook page
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Doing what I love – without realising it, this has been my guiding principle all along. My first experience of a “proper job” was so spectacularly awful that I left after a few months, and from then on I’ve always felt it was a priority to enjoy what I was doing. But that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been ups and downs and I’ve had to maintain a flexible approach. However, the threads of colour and travel keep appearing.
My first real passion was textile design using painted silk but after seven or eight years I basically burned out and made the difficult decision to stop (despite having been quite successful with a lot of outlets including Liberty of London, and seeing the likes of British TV personalities Jon Snow and Philip Schofield wearing my ties.) This tough choice led to quite a blue period – however, I was fortunate that I could return to tourist guiding ,which I also really enjoyed, and this gave me some breathing space.
Image – Rhiannon Connelly
Over time photography became more important, growing from something I did ‘on the side’ into a full time occupation. At first I did weddings and portraiture, which I liked but realised after a while I did not love. And then photographic art became my main focus – specifically a particular style of Polaroid manipulation, which partly attracted me by its vibrant colours.
But then Polaroid went out of business, leading to another period of creative block. I resolved to find a way to use up the last of my supplies in a joyful way to get past this. What I came up with was the “12 City Project” where I spent a week a month for a year photographing 12 European cities. This was quite an ambitious plan but I did complete the shooting part on schedule. I think that just announcing my plans at the outset gave me a lot of the momentum to carry it out.
Now I have used nearly all of my supplies and although the Impossible Project is working on new film types, so far it does not yet suit my style. For me, the bright colours are as essential as the ability to manipulate the images. Instead of falling into another blue phase I’ve started to develop a range of textiles using my existing images. And I’m on the lookout for a different medium in case the film doesn’t give me the results I want.
If there was anything I would like to have known earlier on it would be that discovering and doing what you love is not something that happens in a straight line but rather spirals in and out so that no skill learned is ever wasted. And to follow any interesting avenues without worrying that it is a “wrong” direction.
Whatever happens, in the future I would like to grow the textile range, explore licensing and find ways to share some of the techniques I’ve learned with others.
[All images courtesy of Rhiannon Connelly]
To find out more about Rhiannon and her work visit her website.
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Would you like to share your story on Do What You Love and reach a new audience of creative souls?
Please see here and contact me for more details
There is magic in the air as the bonfire crackles, sparklers hiss and laughter floats past in the wind.
Open-hearted souls from all over the world are gathered deep in the English countryside to create, discover and grow.
This is just the beginning…
On the opening night of the Do What You Love retreat, as wine flowed and stories were shared, I took a moment just to watch.
And I am sure I could actually see new friendships forming, creative wings unfurling, and possibility bubbling up.
There is nothing quite like a creative retreat to connect you with like minded people, boost your confidence and gently guide you in your true direction. And that is why I am so delighted that today sees the launch of Seek Your Course, an innovative concept from Jess Greene, which provides a database and online hub for connecting you with creative learning opportunities online and around the world.
I have been mentoring Jess over the past through months as she has developed this from idea to valuable tool, which gives you the wonderful world of creative retreats and online creative courses at your fingertips. I know how powerful retreats and e-courses can be, and am excited that so many more people will get the chance to get involved, now the information is being provided in one easy-to-navigate place.
I hope you will use Seek Your Course to find whatever is the right course for you, connect with others and step into this brave new world!
[All images taken at the Do What You Love retreat in May by NavyBlur.]
For more posts about the May retreat see: Full of Love / Reflecting / Bloom True with Flora Bowley / Paper heaven with Rachel Hazell / Delicate wax and wire sculptures with Priscilla Jones
Here are a few of the lovely stationery and supplies finds I made at the gorgeous Salts Mill in Saltaire. Just love the way they are displayed…
See here for yesterday’s post about the lovely building that houses all these finds.
This is my kind of shop… what’s yours?
One of the things I love about the north of England is the old industrial beauty of some of its buildings. This place used to be a thriving hub for the textile and other industries, and many of the old buildings have been saved and converted – and are still very much loved. I lived in Manchester for several years, firstly in a converted cotton mill and then in a lovely area of the city by its working canal, where the old wharfs now serve restaurant goers and picnickers. Now I live in Leeds I have fallen for buildings like the Corn Exchange, a 150 year old Victorian building which used to be centre for trade and is now a beautiful home for independent shops, delis and cafes. Today I wanted to share another gorgeous building with you – the Salts Mill in Saltaire, which has been converted into an art gallery (featuring David Hockney) and huge open space selling paper, books, stationery – all things I love!
I love the way they use a hotchpotch of furniture – from this designer sofa…
… to this old school desk
… and even a garden bench.
Their displays are wonderful, with everything laid out as if it is in someone’s home being shown to friends.
They sell all sorts of things – from artists’ palettes to potted plants.
If you ever find yourself near Leeds it is definitely worth a visit, and if you are feeling energetic it can be reached by a lovely long cycle up the canal towpath…
Pop back tomorrow to see what gorgeous papery finds I discovered…
Is the blue paint peeling away or being revealed? Depending on how you screw your eyes up, either could be true. It depends which way you look at it.
Ahh perspective. Been thinking a lot about this lately, and how important it is to seek out and listen to other people’s perspectives, and then make your own call on things.
There is so much wisdom all around us – and so much inside. It sometimes just takes a few words from someone else to make us think about things in a different way, or from a different angle, and that can be so valuable.
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What about you? Have you found someone else’s perspective helpful lately?
So excited to have been invited to moderate a panel at The Creative Connection Event featuring inspiring artist Kelly Rae Roberts and creative business mentor Kathy Hansen. We will discuss ‘The Nuts and Bolts of Launching a Creative Business’. It will be a fantastic opportunity to draw out real insights and practical advice from three women who have achieved so much in a relatively short time, learning some incredibly valuable lessons along the way.
The event is the brainchild of Jo Packham, the creative force behind Where Women Create. It will be in Minneapolis in September (more details here). Will I see you there??
Today’s shared stories come from American photograher Kat Sloma.
You don’t have to do what love to make a living, but you need to do what you love to truly live.
A few years ago, I had a conversation with a good friend. She and I worked together at the large corporation where I’ve earned a living as an engineer for the last 19 years. She asked, “Do you want to stay working here forever?” I laughed and said, “I don’t know, I don’t have anything I’m passionate about. I don’t know what I’d rather do. I guess I’m here until they don’t want me anymore.”
Looking back, that conversation is a significant indicator of how I was living (or not living) my life. I was floating along, letting other people plot my course. I was expecting someone else to fulfil me. Was I alive or just going through the motions of life? I had given up my power. The power to choose, to decide, to own my life. I wasn’t even seeking to find what I would really love to do.
Since then, much has transpired. Layoffs at work made me realize I couldn’t float along any longer. Watching the same friend leave the company for something she truly loved forced me to acknowledge there are other ways to approach life. Such as, approaching life with intention. I was ripe for a change, so when the opportunity to live and work in Italy for two years came along, I took it. And it cracked me wide open.
I finally did the work I needed to do, digging through the hidden corners of my soul, to find what it is I love. I discovered I love to create. I love to capture the beauty of the world around me, through my camera lens, words, paint and pencils. I also discovered, more than anything else, I love to teach and encourage others to create too.
Today, I’m still at the same corporate job. It is still how I make my “living” and support my family. But I’ve found what I love to do as well. I’ve taken back my power and the ownership of my life’s happiness. Along this journey, I’ve found it is doing what I love that makes me truly alive.
[All images courtesy of Kat Sloma]
Kat is an artist and photographer with a passion for inspiring others to find their unique vision of the world. For the last two years, she has been living in Italy and traveling Europe with an eye to finding the beauty of the everyday, whilst also working in the corporate world. You can see more of her photographs, read about her creative journey and learn about her e-courses at The Kat Eye Studio.
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Would you like to share your story on Do What You Love and reach a new audience of creative souls?
Please contact me for details.
I spend far too much time in cafes.
When I go travelling I tend to gravitate towards cosy, welcoming places and love sitting with a steaming coffee watching the world go by.
This picture is of one my latest discoveries, in Oia on the Greek island of Santorini.
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What about you? Where is your favourite cafe and why do you like it so much? Recommendations are always very welcome…
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