ENTERPRISE + INITIATIVE Page 32 of 33

Winning Marie Claire award…

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Winning Marie Claire award... Marie claire

A few months ago I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the UK’s 16 most exciting young female entrepreneurs, and awarded a place on glossy magazine Marie Claire’s groundbreaking Inspire & Mentor programme. Brainchild of Marie Claire UK’s editor Trish Halpin, the programme pairs participants with some of Britain’s most successful and influential businesswomen, including interior designer Kelly Hoppen, founder of ethical clothing company People Tree Safia Minney, and fragrance guru Jo Malone.

It felt like all my Christmasses had come at once when I was paired up with an incredible mentor – Kanya King, founder of the MOBO Awards. Kanya has been helping me strategise for my new business, and has been an incredible voice of support and constructive challenge.

KanyaMy mentor Kanya King (Image courtesy of MOBO)

I met with Kanya for another session in London yesterday, and it made me realise the importance and value of having a mentor who has been there, done it, and come through shining. They can help you see the bigger picture, share industry knowledge, steer you away from or around obstacles, inject fresh ideas, give you a totally different perspective, and also, perhaps most importantly, remind you that you really are making great progress.

I came away from yesterday’s session energised and inspired. Thank you Kanya, thank you Marie Claire.

Everyone needs a mentor – have you found yours yet?

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Do What You Love art and creative enterprise retreat

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Natural-Retreats

(Image courtesy of Natural Retreats)

Imagine a magical place in an area of outstanding natural beauty, deep in the ancient English countryside, where you can escape from everyday life, reconnect with the real you, and nurture your creative spirit.

Imagine a time when you are free to indulge your creativity.  When you can step out of your creative comfort zone and take risks, supported by a warm community of like-minded souls, under the guidance of an outstanding teacher.

Imagine a space where you can explore the ideas you have been quietly sheltering for so long.  Where they will be motivated by inspiring entrepreneurs and where, nurtured by your new community, your self-belief will soar.  Where you can grow your creative business ideas, or simply plant the seed of belief that you really can find a way to do what you love, for life.

All this exists.

You can find it at the Do What You Love retreat in May 2011.

It will be an intimate gathering of creative souls, sharing a special journey of change.

Everything will be taken care of.  You just have to take care of yourself.

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Take a look at the retreat brochure below, and see how this could be the most important investment you make in yourself and your creative business this year.

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Registration will be open here shortly.  In the meantime, if you would like to be one of the first to hear more (including details of the early bird discount) sign up for the newsletter here.

Do What You Love interview – Rachael Taylor

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Voted ‘Happiest Person in Britain’, this really is a girl doing what she loves. Rachael Taylor’s bright and fun designs caught my eye some time ago, and I bought an original piece of her work for my studio. As a surface pattern designer and illustrator, Rachel has clients all over the world, and next year she will be bringing out her own line of stationery with US-based Teneues publishing.

Rachael Taylor-Portrait

(Image courtesy of Rachael Taylor)

Rachel graduated in 2005 with a BA (Hons) in Textile in Fashion Design. After working in industry for three years, she set up her own design studio in 2008. Now specialising in surface pattern design and illustration, Rachel works as a freelance designer for clients like WH Smith, Target and Graham and Brown, and runs her own design label, Rachael Taylor Designs. Rachel’s international collaborations include a signature collection with Seascape Lamps USA. I talked to Rachel about loosening up, setting up on her own and getting known.

Rachael Taylor Quirky-Icons-web

(Image courtesy of Rachael Taylor)

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Do What You Love interview – Mark McGuinness

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Rain falls with twilight –

the city’s fingers drumming

on our umbrella 

Rain haiku by poet and creative coach Mark McGuinness

markheadshot250

(Image courtesy of Mark McGuinness)

This Do What You Love interview features Mark McGuinness, a poet, creative coach and trainer and creative entrepreneur. He has been coaching artists and creatives since 1996, when he noticed a high proportion of them turning up in his psychotherapy consulting room. He has also consulted for organisations including the BBC, Channel 4, Arts and Business, the Institute for Practitioners in Advertising (UK) and many creative agencies and studios.

Since 2006 he has been blogging about creativity and business at Wishful Thinking. In 2008 he launched Lateral Action  with Brian Clark and Tony Clark, developing the site as a resource for creative entrepreneurs – first a blog and later the Lateral Action Entrepreneur Roadmap. Mark’s latest course is the Creative Pathfinder, a free 25-week guide to success as a creative professional. I caught up with Mark to find out what gems he could share from his many years of working with creatives (and find out a bit about poetry too).

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Do What You Love interview – Abigail Borg

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Multi award winning young surface pattern designer and illustrator Abigail Borg is riding high, having just been awarded ‘Best British Pattern Design 2010’ by Elle Decoration at The British Design Awards.

abigail borg9

(Image courtesy of Abigail Borg)

Just two years since winning New Designer of the Year 2008 award for her collection of hand-drawn and digitally-printed wallpapers, Abigail’s wallpapers, cushions and fabrics are now stocked in Liberty of London and in stores across the world. She also has freelance illustration clients like Laura Ashley Home. I talked to Abigail about her phenomenal success, and how she is managing her rapidly growing creative business.

abigail mosaic

(Images courtesy of Abigail Borg)

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Do What You Love interview – Russell Crook

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One of my favourite parts of Christmas shopping in London is staring at the mesmorising window displays in places like Liberty’s of London, Selfridges, Harrods and Harvey Nichols. I have often thought it would be a wonderful job to create those window displays, digging deep into the imagination to come up with something more magical, more sparkly and more inspiring than the Christmas before.  So I thought I would ask a professional window dresser (or ‘visual merchandiser’ as they are called in the trade), to share some insight into this life. 

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(Image courtesy of Russell Crook, window of Liberty’s of London)

This Do What You Love interview is with Russell Crook, a freelance visual merchandiser whose client list includes Liberty’s, Nicole Farhi, L’Oreal, Disney and British retail giants BHS and George at Asda.  Russell is from my home town of Southampton, but now lives in the arty town of Brighton on the south coast of England.

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Making plans

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making plans

It’s blowing a gale over here. 

Winds of 90 mph in places, our bay tree was sent flying last night. 

 As the wind whips through the eaves and round the house, I am holed up in my attic office working away on my new creative business venture which I will share with you here very soon.  

So very exciting – I hope you will be inspired to get involved!

Do What You Love interview – Claudine Hellmuth

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So excited to bring you this interview with artist, author and illustrator extraordinaire Claudine Hellmuth. Claudine combines photos, paint, paper and pen into quirky, whimsical-retro collages that she calls Poppets®. Claudine has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and she has developed her own signature product line with Ranger Inc (how cool is that?).

Christine HellmuthArtwork courtesy of Claudine Hellmuth

Claudine has written three books and three DVDs about her techniques, and recently taught a techniques e-course ‘At Home with Claudine Hellmuth’ (which I took and loved) Originally from Orlando FL, Claudine lives in Washington DC with her husband Paul and their very spoiled pets. Today she talks to us about Martha, commissions and her creative business life.

Do What You Love interview - Claudine Hellmuth CH2Artwork courtesy of Claudine Hellmuth

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Exciting creative business news

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Sometimes great things seem to drop from the sky just when you need them. This is one of those times.

With huge good fortune I have been chosen as one of around 15 young female entrepreneurs to be part of a groundbreaking business mentoring programme run by a leading national glossy magazine here in the UK. This awesome opportunity partners us with some of the country’s most inspiring and successful businesswomen.

Kanya King
Kanya King (photo courtesy of MOBO)

I have been gifted the most amazing mentor – Kanya King, founder of the MOBO Awards, the largest urban music awards in Europe with a television audience of 250 million. Kanya is a creative entrepreneur of quite astonishing energy, talent and courage. She founded the awards 15 years ago, remortgaging her house to pay for it. Since then Kanya has won over the music industry, negotiating major TV and sponsorship deals along the way, to turn MOBO into one of the high points of the annual music calendar.  Not only has it been a huge commercial success, but it has also become a shining light for social responsibility within the industry. 

I am so excited that we will be working together on branding and expansion of my creative business – and there are some seriously cool things in the pipeline which I will share with you here soon. I will also use this space to share the many things I know I am going to learn from Kanya, so stay tuned, and get yourself some mentoring by proxy! 

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This year’s MOBO Awards will be held in the music mecca of Liverpool on October 20.

Do What You Love interview – Yvonne Carmichael

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Yvonne Carmichael is the curator of Art in Unusual Spaces, a scheme which opens up empty shop units in city centres for use by artist as project or exhibition spaces, inspiring and sometimes surprising busy shoppers. Artworks so far have ranged from miniature prams to giant robots and from den-making to really short artist films. Yvonne shares her thoughts on exhibiting art from a curator’s perspective.

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Ingrid-Berton Moine’s short artist film as part of ‘Short Shorts: Very Brief Artist Films in the window of 42 New Briggate’, Decemver 2009. Part of Art in Unusual Spaces.  Photo with permission from Yvonne Carmichael

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