CREATIVITY + INNOVATION Page 27 of 50

Do What You Love interview – Clare Shields

Posted on 2013-05-02 at 9:00 am.

Paper and illustration obsessive Clare Shields established stationery and homeware brand Lil3birdy in 2011. Naïve in style, the products aim to stir up imagination and fun into the home. All the designs started life from Clare’s London studio as ink drawings and are developed into a range of desirable products. Everything is manufactured in England and ethically sourced, and all paper products are made from renewable resources. I talked to Clare about growing her business, overcoming challenges and what gets her up in the morning.

1. How are you leading a life ‘doing what you love’?

I run Lil3birdy from my home studio on my own, I do everything from designing and production to PR and marketing.

2. What did you do before this?

Before I set up Lil3birdy, I worked for a short while as a freelancer designing textile prints for several international design studios. Previously, I worked in luxury fashion marketing for two years.

3. What was your a-ha moment that pushed you to change / realise your passion in life?

I’ve dreamt of working for myself and creating something of my own since my student years in textile design. After graduating I felt I needed a bit of time to learn about how a creative company operates before I went alone. After three years of industry experience I felt ready to work on a product range of my own.

4. How did you make it happen?

In the beginnings of Lil3birdy I made my own products at home. I was making greeting cards, postcards and gift tags at this point. I would print and cut everything, which was very time consuming but it was a cheap and convenient way to get started and experiment with ideas. In order to test the response of the public and market my first design range, I signed up to some London markets in summer 2011. I also opened an Etsy.com shop. My debut market was Of Cabbages & Kings in North London, which is an established designer/maker market. After a successful first season of sales, I was given the opportunity to meet with some buyers from House of Fraser for their new Mary Portas concession and they placed a wholesale order. Since then I’ve been building up my stockists list and promoting my growing online shops.

5. What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge through out this journey has been to find good quality manufacturers in the UK. I have experienced many disastrous product runs and after many orders with different companies I’ve established some fantastic contacts with manufacturers whom I hope to continue using.

6. Who is your role model and why?

I don’t aspire to a particular person but admire people who have worked hard to make a successful and rewarding career from their craft.

7. What is the best advice you have received?

Try everything

8. What keeps you awake at night?

Ideas I have for the business

9. And what gets you up in the morning?

Knowing I have a plan for the day. I list all my tasks for the year, month and week in advance.

10. What is the big dream for your business?

My future plans for the business is to exhibit at a trade show in 2014 to meet more retailers and establish a larger collection of Lil3birdy stockists. As well as my current stationery and homeware products, I would like to expand the product range to educational gifts for small children.

[All images courtesy of Clare Shields]

Find out more about Clare on her website or connect on Facebook or Twitter.

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Click here for more interviews with inspiring people doing what they love.

Sonam Sapra speaks truthfully about doing what you love

Posted on 2013-03-06 at 11:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today’s shared story comes from Sonam Sapra, a textile designer based in Fiji, who shares the truth about doing what you love can sometimes be hard work (but never hard).

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Winner of Print & Pattern Design Scholarship announced

Posted on 2013-03-02 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

The standard of entries for our second Print & Pattern Design Scholarship was so high that we decided to give away TWO full scholarships, each worth nearly $1000. And the winners are…

GAVIN RUTHERFORD and GENINE DELAHAYE (Check out their work in Issue 3 of MOYO!)

Congratulations both of you! We will be in touch with details of your prize – a place on all three modules of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design. We cannot wait to see what you create, and watch how the course helps you take your careers to the next level.

Huge thanks to Marie Perkins of Print & Pattern for supporting this scholarship and finalising our winners!

Issue 3 of MOYO Magazine is here! Get your FREE copy of ‘The Fabric Issue’

Posted on 2013-02-28 at 6:24 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Our third (and biggest ever) issue of MOYO Magazine. Issue 3 is out now! You can see it here. It includes:

Amy Butler on the business of design
Talking fashion and fabric with Josephine Kimberling
Behind the scenes at the Home Show
A new DIY column from Lil Blue Boo
Announcement of the winner of our Print & Pattern Scholarship
…and much more!

Please help us spread the word about this free magzine by sharing it on Facebook and Tweeting about it (@surfacepatternd #moyomagazine). Please also feel free to blog about it or share it in your newsletter and inspire even more people to dive into the exciting world of surface pattern design!

Get your free copy HERE!

Behind the scenes of the making of an e-course (Make Art That Sells with Lilla Rogers)

Posted on 2013-02-21 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This brand new course is particularly exciting for us because we get to work with industry veteran Lilla Rogers, who is sharing what she has learnt over three decades as an illustrator and top agent. Lilla is an incredible woman – so knowledgeable and savvy, yet so philosophical and kind. She cares for her own artists like a mother hen, and I am thrilled that we get to expand her virtual nest through Make Art That Sells!

Filming Make Art That Sells with Lilla Rogers

There are more and more e-courses popping up all over the internet and some are better quality than others but generally I think this democratisation of education is fundamentally a really good thing. Gooodbye restrictions of location, timing, access etc, hello flexibility, anytime/anywhere availability, and international connections. Do What You Love has come a long way since we launched our first e-course two years ago, and we make it a priority to keep learning, researching, trying new things. When you have delivered courses to thousands of people in more than 50 countries, you soon realise that technology can be scary, but it is also fascinating, and is absolutely your friend if you can take the time to understand it, or find someone else who can!

We are often asked for hints and tips on developing e-courses, so I thought I’d share some behind-the-scenes images from the filming of Make Art That Sells with top artist agent Lilla Rogers, which opens for registration next week (we already have a massive waiting list to get on it if you are interested!)

I travelled to Boston last month to film with Lilla and our professional cameraman Kevin Balmer, who joined us from Portland. Prior to the trip we had spent hundreds of hours developing the curriculum, drafting the content, selecting images, building the virtual classroom, planning the production schedule etc all via the miracles of email and Skype. By the time we all got together at Lilla’s studio for four full-on intensive days of taping, we were so excited to get going with the filming piece. Fortunately Lilla is a natural in front of the camera, and was able to share her insights and knowledge eloquently, generously and often humorously on film. Her studio is a colourful, visual feast, full of real products that feature her artists’ licensed work, and we can’t wait to share the videos with participants when the course launches.

Here is a sneak peek of us at work!

Make up (always worth getting a professional on the case when you are filming in HD – thanks Maura)

Getting the mic on

Talking through the talking points!

Lights, camera, action!

Me in Producer Mode

Always time for some art from the illustrator in Lilla!

I hope you enjoyed that little behind-the-scenes tour! If you have ever wanted to learn how to make art that sells, directly from someone who has sold art for products worth over $100 million, then check out Make Art That Sells.

Wedding wobbles

Posted on 2013-02-20 at 9:40 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

I have had my first wedding wobble this week – nothing to do with actually getting married – can’t wait for that! But more to do with the getting-things-done-by-the-wedding piece. My man and I spent a dreamy day on Sunday planning our service etc, but ever since the long to-do list we created has been weighing on my mind. Haven’t ordered the flowers yet! Or the cake! Or finalised the menu! I am normally a master of organisation and until now have been completely unstressed about it, but this week I just suddenly felt overwhelmed with the need for everything to be perfect, and done already.

But then my lovely man reminded me that whatever happens it will be perfect because we are going to become Mr & Mrs in the company of family and a tiny group of close friends, and it will be a happy celebration of love. It is so true, and deep down I know that, but that doesn’t stop me wanting to make everything by hand and make it all gorgeous.

I was up at 6am this morning sorting all my inspiration images and making lists (my default action when feeling worried about something), and two hours later I felt much better. Sometimes the big things can take on a life of their own which distracts you from the most important thing – WHY you are doing it in the first place. It’s true in business and it’s true in life.

So from now on, for the countdown weeks ahead, I am going to clear my diary of anything that isn’t a priority, breathe deeply, and focus what is really important: Transitioning from one phase of my life to another with the man that I love.

Stellar contributor line up for Make Art That Sells!

Posted on 2013-02-19 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

We are so thrilled to announce an incredible line up of top industry talent as contributors to the upcoming new course Make Art That Sells. Not only do you get access to Lilla Rogers, one of the world’s top agents, you will get industry insight and advice from a host of art directors, senior designers and others at the cutting edge. These include:

ANTHROPOLOGIE: Lauren Graham, Producer

CHRONICLE BOOKS: Kate Woodrow, Senior Acquisitions Editor

PAPERCHASE: Gemma Parris, Card Buyer

EK SUCCESS BRANDS: Deb Tagtalianidis, VP – Creative Direction

ROBERT KAUFMAN FABRICS: Evie Ashworth, Design Director, Retail Division

REAL SIMPLE MAGAZINE: Alexandra Mooney, Senior Designer

OOPSY DAISY: Carly Gray, Creative Director

… and more to be revealed soon!

We already have a MASSIVE waiting list for this course, so if you want to be among the first to be notified (and bag an exclusive discount) then get on the waiting list now. Registration opens next Tuesday February 26 2013 when all course details, price and date info will be released.

Featured in Where Women Create!

Posted on 2013-02-05 at 11:38 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

I have just got back from Boston (more on that soon!) where I was thrilled to walk into major bookstore Barnes & Noble and find the latest copy of Where Women Create, with a 10-page Do What You Love feature in it! It is always such a special moment when you see your writing and photography in a magazine, and especially when the publication is as beautiful as WWC. I have long loved this magazine, and am truly honoured to be included.

In this article I shared my experience of spending six months in Japan, where I was surrounded by inspiration, and had luxurious time to think, but was without my studio all that time. I talk about how I came to realise that you can be creative anywhere, and sometimes it is worth leaving behind all the bits and pieces of a full studio to head out into the world and create wherever you are. It was quite an unusual article for a magazine which is filled with stunning photos of women’s physical studios and creative spaces all over the world, so I must send my grateful thanks to Jo Packham for including it, and recognising that a creative space can be different things to different people, and different for each of us at different moments in our lives. When I was in Japan my creative spaces ranged from temple gardens and paper factories to the riverbank and a bamboo forest.

You can download the first two pages of the article below, but I would encourage you to get the whole magazine if you can (from Stampington here), because it is filled with inspiring articles and delicious eye candy.

Download the first two pages here: BethNicholls_WWC0213

PS A four-page sneak peek of my new column (co-authored with Kelly Rae Roberts) from the new publication Where Women Create Business was included in the back of this issue of Where Women Create. What a treat and a lovely surprise!

Get inspired… join us on Pinterest!

Posted on 2013-01-16 at 4:00 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

If you want some inspiration check out our Pinterest boards – packed with inspiring quotes and beautiful images!

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PS Module 2 of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design begins on Monday! If you want to learn how to Create Your Professional Identity, and promote and protect your work, this course is for you. It will not run again until August, so sign up now!

Make 2013 the year your design business flourishes!

Pattern course graduate spotlight: Faye Brown

Posted on 2013-01-16 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today I would like to introduce another of the talented graduates of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design. Faye Brown is a UK based designer with over 10 years’ experience in the design industry including graphic design, illustration, motion branding and surface pattern design. Faye said, “The course proved an inspiration and relit my passion for bright, beautiful pattern design.’ Faye also has a keen interest in photography and travel. You can see some of her photography here.

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