Today we're introducing you to IzziRainey, a small textile business based on a family farm in Norfolk.

Nicola: I’d love for you to start by telling us the story behind how Izzi Rainey started, and what it is you do?

Lara: Hi. IzziRainey is a small textile business based on Izzi’s family’s farm in Norfolk. We design and manufacture high quality homewares, stationary, kitchenwares and small accessory products. Izzi takes all of her inspiration for her designs from farm life and the Norfolk countryside. All of our products are made in the UK, and most are made by Izzi here on the farm!

Izzi and I have been friends since we were 13; just before we graduated, she mentioned that she wanted to start her own textile business back in Norfolk. I jumped at the chance to work alongside my best friend, and had always loved her designs, so in the summer of 2014, IzziRainey began! 

Nicola: Can you tell us about the different roles you both have in the business and why you think you work so well together?

Lara: Izzi is the sole designer for the business, she does all the marketing and makes a majority of the products that we sell here on the farm- she is the genius behind it all!  

I am more in charge of the day to day running of the business; managing our customer and trade customers, planning our fairs, the money side of things and general everyday tasks.

Nicola: Can you share with us how growing up on a farm in Norfolk has inspired the work you do today?

Lara: Izzi has lived here on the farm all her life; she has been showing her Highland cattle since she was six and has always been involved in the day to day running of the farm. This has been such a huge influence in her life and subsequently in her designs - all are inspired by her family’s farm, the surrounding Norfolk countryside and other local farmers' livestock. The farm is still very much part of everyday life here at IzziRainey.

Photo: Tom at Gnowangerup Cottage

Nicola: What do you love most about what you do?

Izzi: I love being able to combine my passion for design and for farming by being able to design prints that have been inspired by my family’s home and our idyllic surroundings here in Norfolk. By having our studio here it means I can still play a big role in the farm but also able to run IzziRainey too!

Lara: I love working with someone who is so creative, as I’m not. I find it so interesting seeing something start as a simple pencil drawing and end up as a finished product- it is always amazing seeing the journey of a product. I also love being able to work with my best friend- there are always lots of laughs!

Nicola: I’d love to know more about the process of how your work develops from initial idea to the final piece.

Lara: Izzi starts by collecting imagery and doing drawing of different ideas, these ideas are then translated into prints through a wealth of hand stamped techniques, which form the basis of all the fabric designs. These are then sent off to be digitally printed into lengths of fabric here in the UK. Even though the fabric is digitally printed it still retains the textural quality of Izzi’s original hand stamped prints. 

The fabric then returns to us to be made into the products that you see in the shops and online. Many of the fabric products are made here on the farm, however over the last few years we have begun to outsource some of the production too- just so we can keep up with it all! But everything is still made in the UK - British design and manufacturing is at the heart of our business.

Nicola: Can you tell us more about where you live, your workspace, and what a typical day for you both is like?

Lara: We live in the heart of rural Norfolk, and our studio is based in a converted old dairy.  We are very much in the ‘farmyard’ with Monty the Highland Pony next door and chickens wandering around too. Our studio is a hub of activity - it is where all the designing happens, products get made, orders get packaged plus lots more. 

Day to day, Izzi arrives at the farm about 7 to feed and check on all her cattle before we both start in the studio. Izzi will generally be making products, designing new prints, getting inspiration from local farmers for new ideas and I will be sorting orders, finding new places for our products to be sold and generally making sure the quality of our service matches the high quality of our products! Days obviously vary dramatically as Izzi may be needed on the farm or we may be out and about at fairs or seeing shops- we take every day as it comes! 

Nicola: And lastly, if someone reading your story were inspired to follow their own creative dream, what advice would you give them?

Lara: Just go for it - if you feel that you want to give it a go then you should. It is an invaluable process to go through and full of fun too. All I will say is never be afraid to ask questions and make mistakes. We have spent the last four years trying to learn as much as possible through talking to people and asking lots of questions- you learn so much from other people who have done it all already!

Visit the website, or follow IzziRainey on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Today we hear from Jade and Charlie at Black Barn Farm, a place where fair food, farming and business collide to create something truly unique; prepare to be inspired.

Nicola: I’d love for you to start by telling us more about Black Barn Farm, who you are and what it is you do?

Jade: Our farming communities are decaying, threatening our nation’s food security. We have lower seed and soil biodiversity, higher suicide rates among farmers, longer paths to market, lower profits to growers, obesity/health issues, higher levels of food waste yet higher levels of food scarcity, and more disconnection from our food and to our rural communities than ever before. Yet we ALL eat and have the ability to consider food choices and how they impact our health, farmers and rural communities. By farming in a regenerative way we can have the most impact of all on the health of our soil, community and selves.

Both Charlie (my husband) and I were fortunate to enjoy country childhoods. We both grew up on small farms with parents who revelled in producing their own food. 

I was especially fortunate to live in a very rich fertile part of our State where both Winters and Summers are relatively mild. My parents grew virtually all their own food, used permaculture principles as their guide and bartered for things we couldn’t make or grow ourselves. They strived for intentional simplicity and while it made us feel like the ‘weird hippy kids’ it sowed deep seeds and  I yearned to have my hands in the dirt even in my teens. 

When Charlie and I planted our first real veggie garden, we watched as the small scale apple and pear growers bulldozed their three/four/five-generation apple farming heritage into the ground because there was no one to take over the farms, and no one wanted to buy the land with trees on it. This broke our heart and made us want to reinstate the growing practices in our own area. 

We spent ten years researching small scale farm models which incorporated direct paths to market, opportunities to connect with our eaters and were diverse enough to minimise the vagaries of mother nature. Those ten years allowed us to search for the right property and save enough money to buy it. We have been on our 20 acre property in Stanley, Black Barn Farm, for two and a half years and in that time have begun our educational workshop programme with open days, grafting days, community lunches, and educational lectures with schools and universities.

We have undertaken our irrigation infrastructure  and soil regeneration programme both of which are key to allowing us to plant the 1500, mixed variety, orchard trees  - grafted on site over the past two Septembers as well as the 2kms worth of cane berries, which are all lined up for planting this Winter.

Our plan is to open the orchard in January 2020 as a pick-your-own orchard which offers 6 months of harvest and workshops/events to really engage people with the excitement and delight of growing your own food. We want to bring celebration back into people's association with food and reignite their love for it. Unless you love something, you will not fight for it and unless you understand it, you cannot value it, and if you don’t value it you willingly waste it.

Our business has six diverse aims: 

EAT - cafe on site all supplied from the kitchen garden

LEARN - 12 annual workshops and open days

STAY -  on-farm accommodation 

GROW - nursery selling all varieties that we have in our pick your own orchard including the understory plantings (due to open in August)

PICK - pick-your-own seasonal fruit and vegetables available from late Nov - late May every year. (due to open in Jan 2020)

CONSULT  -  the banner under which we both undertake an enormous amount of community connection and education. 

We now share this story all over Australia so other community food enterprises can be inspired to have a go at creating their own community which values food.

We’ve also launched ‘co-op living’ – 12 events annually, teaching people to reconnect to their food and to each other.  We have movie screenings, community pot luck dinners, morning tea gatherings and workshops in things such as fermentation, grafting, compost creation, sourdough making and seed saving.

We have driven the collaboration of 14 government agencies to come together to create a local food strategy in our region.

And finally last year we launched "Greener Grass Camps", which is a school camp programme which connects kids to their food in a really fun, interactive, hands on way.

Nicola: Can you tell me about the Black Barn Farm Orchard philosophy and why it is so important to you?

Jade: We feel strongly that food is a sacred, celebrated wonder, not a low cost, easily wasted commodity. Because of this philosophy, we are determined to create a space which people are drawn to for connection, learning, belonging and respect for the people and place. Our Black Barn will be the physical building which connects people to place and place to food production.

From a food growing perspective, we believe healthy, nutrient dense food comes from trees and plants which are grown in super healthy soil and this takes time, biomass, biodiversity and carefully managed disturbance to the ground.

We are a permaculture based horticulture operation which emulates patterns in nature to holistically and sustainably integrates the physical and social needs of people and the ecosystem.

We use permaculture principles in all our growing which means we don't use synthetic chemicals ever, rather we use compost, mulch, worm juice and home made teas to encourage good microbial rich biodiverse soils which support healthy plant growth. We mimic the natural growing system wherever we can with lots of woodsy under-material, inter-plantings and never over-plant which allows the plants to breath and minimise fungus growth. We have a very diverse orchard and vegetable garden which minimises pest management and although its not a problem yet, we anticipate we will need to net our berries to protect against birds.

Nicola: I'd love to hear more about the nursery and your future plans?

Jade: Each year we have grafted and taken cuttings (and will continue to do so) for 600 mixed species trees (peaches, pears, cherries, persimmons, figs, currants, apples and crabbe apples). We have also grown 1000 understory plants each year (marjoram, coriander, garlic, tagasaste, marigold,  chilves, Cow-pea, Clover, Siberian Pea-shrub, Amarynth, Zinnia, Comfrey, Borage. These are for the orchard rows and mimic the natural eco-system but provide a diversity of attributes such as nitrogen for the soil, natural growing or decomposing mulch, insect attraction for pollination support.

We deliver a workshop around this (which has sold out within days for three years running so we will continue this until demand fades) and then we plant into our nursery area for 12 months. Because many of the varieties we are growing are hard to find heritage varieties, they are much sought after and because our growing practices are ethical, we have found there is a strong growing market to support this.

Nicola: I’d love to hear more about the workshops and events that you run?  Can you tell me more about whom they are for and what it is you wish to teach others?

Jade: The audience is very dependent on the particular workshop. But to generalise, those who are attracted to Black Barn Farm are those with a deep yearning desire to connect to other like minded, simple living folk. They are seeking skills to mimic our production approach, they are looking for ideas to build their own community, they are looking for support to grow their own food. 

In the coming 6 months we are offering a wider range of events including:

• Introduction to Permaculture (in conjunction with a permaculture education expert)
• Mid Winter Wassail Ceremony (invited guests)
• Mid Winter Orchard planting (invited only)
• Mid Winter Heritage Tree Sale and orchard tour

We love our events because it gives life to what can otherwise be a little lonely and isolating existence on the farm. Sharing our journey and our knowledge is something we both reap a great deal of satisfaction from. 

Nicola: Your work and life is obviously inspired by nature.  Can you tell me why nature is so important to you, and how it influences the work you do? 

Jade: Biofilia is a concept which is integral in each and every one of us, however I have a very high need for connection to the outside, natural world. I was fortunate to spend vast blocks of time as a child literally living in the elements. My dad was an artist and we spent a great deal of time on camp with him while he painted or locked outside the house during the day while he painted in the Studio. We also grew all our own food so our deep rhythmic understanding of the seasons, the influence of weather, the connection to the cyclical nature of each year was bedded down very early and both my brother and I have continued this pattern of living with our children now entrenched in annual growing, preparing/readying, eating, storing, valuing the food we grow as a direct descendant from the type of weather we have experienced that season. 

Our way of life is simple, predominantly outdoors and extends from the boundaries of our farm to the roadsides where foraged foods are found, the nearby bushland where we wander for bushwalks, the also nearby pine forests where we hunt for mushrooms, the not too far away mountains where we escape to on especially warm days, the abundant rivers we swim in weekly , our own dam which we frequent every day while its warm, the haybales we scramble on, the bird book which each of us reaches for even if we know the name of the bird we just spotted, the wood we grow and cut for our warmth,  the hay we grow to feed the stock and the remaining straw we use to mulch our vegetable beds. 

Our year here is very much defined but the distinct seasons, and our daily patterns are endlessly evolving so there is rarely time for any day to become mundane.

Charlie: Nature is the most important thing in everyone's life, it's just that most don't realise or appreciate it. Irrespective of who we are, the level of importance nature has for each of us is a matter of fact not personal interpretation. Nature provides the means for each of us to exist, it literally provides the air we breath, the water we drink, the food we eat and regulates the atmosphere we are dependent on. Modern society has been able to obscure this fact to our increasingly urban population, however each person sitting in an apartment is still reliant on each of those ecosystem services to deliver the means required for their existence, even if the urbanite can't see, smell, hear or taste the very ecosystem or piece of nature that provides those essential services.

Nature is the largest influencer of our work at Black Barn Farm,  we seek to understand the pattern of relationships that exists in a natural forest so we can design a similar package of processes and patterns within our orchard system.

Nicola: And lastly, if someone reading your story were inspired to follow their own creative dream, what advice would you give them?

Jade: Start where you are, with what you've got and be willing to make mistakes - some of your most magnificent discoveries will be through adversity, trial and error. Further to this, don’t be afraid to follow your instinct...even if it differs from what your spoken ‘goal’ is.

We have had a very clear long term plan for more than 20 years and while the path has meandered here and there as I’ve followed my instinct, made mistakes and been surprised by outcomes, it has never wavered from the end goal which we are lucky enough to be united on.

In response to what your community needs: collaborative efforts are incredibly powerful and from little things big things grow, so do your research and just start!  Sow that seed and watch it grow.

Also, you can only move as fast as the community you are working within, so be sure to really understand their "WHY" so you can speak to it and bring more people on the journey with you.

You can find Black Barn Farm on their website or follow progress on Instagram.

Today we're introducing you to Francey Bunn, beekeeper, creative, and the owner of Tea and Wildflowers.

Nicola: We’d love you to start by telling us about Tea and Wildflowers and your creative journey so far?

Francey: Tea and Wildflowers is the name of my small business selling honey and beeswax products with potential to include handmade and old things in the future.  I came up with the name to fit with the idea of plant based living and to conjure the magic of my everyday. Childhood memories of long sunny afternoons with tea and books in our South London garden have stayed with me. The garden was packed with fruit trees and we enjoyed its bounty throughout the year: open tarts and mousses in the summer and jams and jellies to take us through to the next harvest. 

One year our apricot tree broke under the weight of fruit and my mother made so much jam.  I'd been wanting to keep bees for ages; it's a craft I feel I'm suited to because I love the summer and enjoy new knowledge and skill sharing. Beekeeping is about so much more than honey. Hanging out by the hives watching these beautiful insects take flight and return home laden with pollen on a golden afternoon is so joyful.

I put back my plans when we adopted our first dog an unruly GSD who took a while to settle and then four years ago I joined the local beekeepers' association hived a swarm or two and now have six colonies. Each of my queen bees has a name from medieval literature; Guinevere, Aliénor and Isolde were the first three I kept in the apiary nearest home. Hopefully the colonies will expand again this year; I usually inspect the hives as soon as we get temperatures of about 10C, typically a nice sunny day in March. I'm nervous to see if the colonies have survived especially when we've had snow and freezing conditions. I try to inspect the frames without too much disruption and am praying for the biscuit coloured slab of brood that proves the queen bee is happily laying eggs. If all is well I'll just put the hive roof back on and make weekly inspections thereafter.

Sometimes a small intervention is needed to keep the colony happy. I never rush things and often go back the following day after I've had a long think about what to do for the best. There's a lot of lifting of wooden boxes and as I have my hives in three different locations I drive round quite a bit and I have to be organised with my kit. I don't normally take frames of honey from the hives until July when I feel confident about surplus levels. The honey I sell is raw, filtered once only and comes from a single hive; a truly artisan product. I talk to the bees quite a lot, telling them about what's going on in my life, encouraging them and thanking them for sharing and we toast the bees with honey cocktails at our family harvest supper in October to show our appreciation.
 

Nicola: From where do you draw your inspiration?

Francey: I draw inspiration first from the landscape around me: small farms, green pastures, hills, valleys and woodland are part of my DNA and I need this kind of setting to prosper. I'm inspired too by women and men who have gone before me, from my own family and others I know through their writing and creativity. As a child I loved to read about adventurers like Laura Ingalls, Amelia Earhart and Grey Owl. I didn't become an aviator but I do my own version of Little House on the Prairie and of all the road trips my husband and I have made, it's the great wildernesses of the Pacific Northwest that continue to nourish us.

Perhaps most influential of all is my French heritage, stories from way back about growing vegetables, making cheese and drinking tisanes are my personal treasure trove.
My creativity runs through a collection of projects, harvesting honey, candle making, dyeing cloth and using herbs for health and well being, and they all have plants as their starting point.

Nicola: Can you tell us about the process of your work, from initial idea to the finished product?

Francey: I could usefully tell you about my candle making here. As a beekeeper I have quite a bit of wax at the end of the season and as I love candles I thought I'd try making some. I started with hand dipping which is the most made by hand method but the results weren't pleasing so I started researching moulds. I found a pine cone mould I thought looked pretty realistic and then considered some of my vintage baking tins. The sweet floral aroma of the beeswax persuaded me to sell my candles online and locally and they've been a runaway success. I needed to source more beeswax which I was able to do locally as I know quite a few keepers so this make is sustainable; I have plans for pharmacy jar candles this year.

Nicola: Can you tell us about where you live, what your workspace looks like and what a day in your life is like?

Francey: We've lived in a small village just north of the Cotswold Edge for a long while now and I'm grateful for the warm Atlantic breeze that sweeps up the Severn and Avon valleys keeping us above freezing temperatures for most of the year. My garden isn't vast and I've planted it to echo the surrounding landscape, trees and hedges and grass at different levels. There is a woodland area under some mature birch trees which I look out to from my little studio or summer house as it's known. I'm very fond of the old brick wall which runs the length of the garden. It belonged to the farm buildings serving the Manor House across the road: a lovely antique next to our modern house. A few visitors have commented about the absence of flowers in my garden. I'm happy with shades of green and brown with a few white pelargoniums to dress the porch in the summer.

I'm not a morning person so my day doesn't really start till after 9 but I often stay up late. You might have guessed that I'm a tea drinker and I have a different brew according to my mood.  My favourites are verveine, mint and lemon balm, all from the same plant family. I try to have a window of creativity in the morning and one in the afternoon when I might pour some candles, visit my hives, go on foraging walks and style photos to use on my website or for Instagram. Fun admin tasks like planning, ordering supplies and catching up on IG tend to be an evening thing. If I have a longer piece to write I do that in my PJs as I eat my morning porridge.


Nicola: When you aren’t creating what do you enjoy doing?

Francey: I like to spend time with my children which these days often involves the internet. My son lives in Arizona and I love chatting to him on Sunday evenings, his Sunday morning.  My daughters are quite a bit closer in London and Oxford and it's lovely to exchange visits and texts with them so regularly. They tell me they like to read about what I'm up to on Instagram and we swap ideas and recommendations all the time.

Swimming is my first choice for exercise, the feeling of being in water is so restorative and mindful. I'm a regular at the Cheltenham Lido in spring and summer and in winter I use indoor pools. My favourite swims though are in the sea but I have to be on holiday for those as we live about as far away from the coast as is possible here in the UK.

Nicola: We’d love to hear more about your love of photography and all things hand-made, and how you incorporate both of these into your daily life?

Francey: I can't really separate photography from writing, both tell stories and I like to use them together. I guess Instagram has made me see it this way. I love photos that tell parts of stories which we then fill in. I have a new website coming online this summer. I want to extend my IG, make it bigger and deeper. Concept wise it's a kind of grimoire but more natural secrets than supernatural ones. My first posts are about foraging, teas and tisanes and a short story about a beekeeper. I write because I am but it can be hard sometimes when the words are heavy and I'm just not getting my ideas across. Light is everything for a good photo so I know the places in the house and garden and the times of day that are more promising.  As with writing I keep trying things out, make small changes and try again.

Handmade things make my heart sing and I buy from small producers like Winchcombe pottery or I browse Etsy, but to be honest I don't buy much, I just look after the things I already have and sometimes reinterpret them with paint or dye. I like a pared down aesthetic so clutter is not my friend.

Nicola: And lastly, if anyone reading this would love to follow their own creative dream, what advice would you give them?

Francey: To anyone who's just started out on their creative journey and I'm not very far down that road, I would recommend a few things; scheduling short and long term goals, so last year it was setting up my shop on Etsy, finding local stockists and getting some kind of brand identity going, and this year, I've got some help with my Instagram and with my new website. It's so important to invest in yourself too because early success will give you the feeling of achievement you need. Working with others is also great for development. I've recently started a shared project with Heather, a herbalist I met on the Creative Countryside Winter Gathering in January (check her out on IG @northstarnomad); we are exchanging letters about dyeing cloth and growing honey plants like buckwheat, phacelia and quinoa to provide pollen and nectar for bees. I've made a start with dyeing linen using walnut shells and avocado skins. Seed sowing so I'll have some strong plugs to plant around the hives is next up. It was Heather's suggestion too, that we share some reading and we've chosen Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer to take us through the next few weeks.

I feel I need to say more about reading and how books including fiction are so important in the creative journey.  Whenever I have an idea, I develop it through reading and conversations with folk who have done something similar.  Only then can I start to work independently and make something of my own.

Follow Francey on Instagram, find her on Etsy or visit the website

Nicola: I know you come from a long line of women, seamstress’s, embroiderers and homemakers, and that Nellie and Eve is named after your grandmothers.  Can you tell us more about the journey you took to beginning your business?

Helen: From a young age I have always been a maker, taught by my grandmothers and mother, I made clothes for myself and friends and pressed flowers in a press made by my father, which progressed into a range of hand produced greetings cards years later.

I indulged my love for antique quilts and vintage fabrics for several years, but it was when I moved to Wales 15 years ago that I found my true place in the countryside. A friend invited me to join her at the local spinners, weavers and dyers group held in the village, and from that day I was hooked on wool in all its glory. Actually making yarn from a raw fleece appealed to my love of all things natural and making completely by hand. Spinning yarn is still my favourite thing to do, it’s a gentle, mindful way to make something that has so many uses. I wanted to help promote the many overlooked uses of this sustainable fibre, and to pass on skills I had learned ….'Nellie and Eve’ was born.

Nicola: Your products are all made by hand in your workshop and reflect your love of a homespun lifestyle.  Can you share with us what a homespun lifestyle means to you?  

Helen: Homespun for me means making, baking and growing your own. Not buying new all the time, make do and mend, and treading gently on the land.

Nicola: Why is it so important to you to use locally sourced fleeces?

Helen: I live in Wales, surrounded by sheep with lovely wool on their backs. There is no need to go elsewhere for this natural, sustainable product. I know where it's farmed, I see how the sheep have been looked after, and that's incredibly important to me. In my own small way I'm helping my local community.

Nicola: We’d love to know more about the process of how your work develops from initial idea to the final piece.

Helen: It always starts with fleece. Depending on what I want to make, I will first wash the fleece in an old tin bath by hand in the garden. The wool is then left to dry naturally, before being carded (or combed) using a hand cranked carding machine. This process results in a smooth, airy wool batt which I can then spin into yarn or weave.

I spin the yarn using one of my six spinning wheels, each one helps me achieve different results and weight of finished yarn. They all have their place, really they do! I can spin up to 500 grams of yarn in about half an hour on one of them! But it usually takes a full day to have a spun, plyed skein (200g) that’s ready to be used in a knitting, weaving or crochet project. The wheels are also an essential tool when running ‘Learn to Spin Yarn’ workshops at my studio.

I use locally sourced super soft Shetland and Blue Faced Leicester as well as Jacob wool for my online hand spun yarn collection.

If I want to add some colour to my collection, I will pick plants from my garden or the hedgerows and use them to dye with. It's a long process to get to the point of knitting a jumper, or weaving a rug but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It's a labour of love and a lifestyle I enjoy; slow living.

Nicola: Can you tell us more about the workshops you run?  We’d love to know whom they are for and what it is you teach?

I run workshops in crochet, knitting, peg loom weaving, plant dyeing and hand spinning….all the things I love to do myself and that are fun to teach. I teach at various venues and festivals as well as my studio and love the interaction and connection with people that want to learn new skills. I teach anyone who wants to have a go, young or old, all are welcome. It’s incredibly rewarding, especially when I got a call from a customer saying that the only thing on her son's Christmas wish list was a loom and some wool. I had taught him to peg weave at a summer festival and was thrilled, this makes it all worthwhile.

Nicola: We’d love to know more about where you live, your workspace, and what a typical day is like for you?

I live on a hill in rural Carmarthenshire, south west Wales. My husband built my studio which sits nestled in the garden surrounded by fields of sheep, some of which provide me with fleeces.

A typical day for me will always start with coffee and a walk with my dogs, followed by checking emails and perhaps posting on social media. That’s when the typical day ends as my work is so varied. I may be packing up orders, preparing for an upcoming event or workshop, dyeing yarn with seasonal plants or swatching a new design, but at some time during the day I will always make time to spin some wool.

Nicola: And lastly, if someone reading your story were inspired to follow their own creative dream, what advice would you give them?

Helen: Follow your heart – it’s your true you - and stick with it. Keep it simple, honest and mindful.

You can find Helen at www.nellieandeve.co.uk, or follow on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Nicola:  We’d love for you to start by telling us about what you do and how your business has recently evolved?  

Josephine:  Until the beginning of 2018 I was growing my own handmade business, creating country home décor using British-made textiles. However, since then, I’ve been going through a transitional period, creating my mentoring business. My mission is to help other handmade business owners get organised and create a plan to grow their business, so they can create the lifestyle they dream of.

For the past few years, I’ve been exploring how I can live a more authentic lifestyle. I’ve worked as a project manager in marketing for the last eight years, and I love a timeline and spreadsheet, but I was starting to feel a pull towards doing something more hands-on. As a result, I set up my handmade business.

This year, as I turned 30, I really started to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I dug deeper into what it was I loved about my handmade business. The making side was a creative escape I loved, but I was no master. What I really enjoyed, and where I flourished, was in the organisation and planning.  Which was interesting to me as it tied back to my project management day-job. 

While growing my handmade business I had developed a super simple way to review, organise and plan my business so I could focus on delivering my own creative work. I’m now using this method to help other makers get organised and plan better in their business. Sometimes it’s the things that come easily to you that you don’t realise are useful to others. So far I’m really enjoying helping other handmade business owners plan to grow their business in a focused and intentional way. 

Nicola:  What do you love most about what you do, and what inspires you? 

Josephine:  The thing I love most about what I do is helping makers grow their handmade business so they can create a lifestyle they love. All the work I do with makers ties back to their personal goals and aspirations. I firmly believe everybody has the power to build a business that gives them a happy and fulfilled life, doing what they love.  But to make that happen it’s essential to have a focused plan & clear direction.

Through my work, I get to meet makers who are incredibly inspiring.  There is so much talent out there and many small, creative businesses deserve more exposure. These makers get me excited about what I do, and I love helping them build a sustainable handmade business. 

I also love the light bulb moment when makers realise that keeping on top of their business and planning for growth, doesn’t need to be painful or time-consuming.  That it is actually fun and rewarding. I also see makers realise just how much they’ve achieved when they stop for a moment and look back. By taking them through my process I’ve seen makers fall in love with their businesses all over again 

The countryside around me is also a source of endless inspiration, and time spent outdoors always lifts my spirits. When I’m struggling to write, or I’m stuck on a project, I’ll head out for a walk with my dogs. Without fail, after about half an hour, my mind relaxes and that’s when the magic happens. Ideas start to flow, and the brick walls I had come up against whilst staring at a screen start to fall down. 

If I’ve had a bad day or am feeling sluggish I sometimes go out for a run (only when I’m feeling really enthusiastic). I often have to keep stopping to record voice notes of ideas I’ve had, or solutions to some of my client’s sticking points. I always come back from my outdoor adventures feeling happier and more relaxed.  

Nicola:  How did your creative process as a maker inform your planning process?

Josephine:  When I was running my handmade business I found it hard to juggle the making as well as everything that comes with a creative business. For a lot of makers, their business developed from a love of their craft.  I meet so many makers who live for the making but struggle to find the time or motivation to work on the other areas of their business. However, in my experience of growing a handmade business, it’s essential to have a plan and to be intentional about the areas of the business you’re giving your time.  

Take launching a new product for example. I found that the making is just part of what needs to be done. First I’d have the inspiration, sketch it out a few times and make a prototype. Then I’d have to source UK-made materials that fitted with my brand values and aesthetic. Using these I’d make a prototype and tweak it until I was happy. Then would come the actual production. I would make a template and some stock.  This would then need photographing and those images would need editing. Product listings would also need to be written and uploaded to my website and other sales channels. I’d then need to promote my products on social media and in my email newsletter. Once the product started to sell I’d need to handwrite a thank you note for each customer, package them up and post them followed by managing my finances and paying my suppliers. So just in that one example, there are a lot of tasks that come with the making that are essential in order to grow a sustainable business. I quickly found that writing ‘launch new product’ on my to-do list made me feel so disheartened when I hadn’t done all of the above within a week.  

I am a structured person by nature, and I’m a project manager by trade, so after a while breaking down all the tasks I needed to do to complete a project started to come easily to me. After about a year in business, I had developed a simple and quick 3-step approach to reviewing, organising and planning my business.

Firstly I would look at my stats and performance, how business was going, and more importantly how I was feeling and how my business was supporting my dream of working for myself and living the lifestyle I was craving. 

Secondly, I’d get myself organised. It’s too easy to let finance and the materials you’re holding run away with you, so I’d get everything back under control.

Finally, I would look at what I’d reflected on, how my business was supporting my goals, what was doing well and which areas needed more focus. From this, I’d pick a maximum of three areas where I’d focus my efforts for the following three months. This half-day per month spent reviewing, organising and planning would help me feel in control and stay confident in my business. Which for me was essential to growing a business is an emotional rollercoaster! 

Around this time I was also meeting more and more makers who were feeling overwhelmed by all of the things they felt they needed to be doing in their business. I realised that a lot of makers I was talking to didn’t know what their most profitable product was, or weren’t selling their beautiful and unique products online because they didn’t know where to start. I knew that the simple 3-step approach I had devised for my own business could help other handmade sellers too.

Nicola:  Can you tell us about where you live, the space you work from and what a day in your life looks like at the moment?

Josephine:  I live in the Test Valley in Hampshire, UK. It is a gorgeous area surrounded by streams and rivers, and with lots of willow trees and wildlife. 

There are plenty of cosy country pubs in the area for a warming Sunday lunch in winter. In summer the nearby town of Stockbridge is the perfect place to meet friends for coffee, and have a mooch down the high street which is full of independent shops.  

However, as an introvert, I’m most happy when I’m at home, emerging from the house to go for a walk or hang out in the garden. Our house is situated up a farm track where it’s very quiet, apart from the odd tractor. 

My workspace is the box-room in our house.  In here I just about have space for a desk to work from and storage for all of my fabric, photography props and sewing machine. At the moment my boyfriend and I are renting so I can’t wait to have a place of our own where I can create my dream workspace.

My favourite thing about where I live is the birdsong.  It makes the ultimate alarm clock. 

At the moment I work part-time as a project manager for a conservation charity. I love working with a brand whose ethics I believe in, however ultimately my goal is to go full time with my business.

The rest of the time I’m working on growing my business. Often my days will be spent writing for my blog, planning workshops, creating course materials and taking photographs for my website. Getting better at photography is something I love at the moment and fulfills another way of getting creative in my new business. 

Working on my business has become a complete obsession. I love it! I’m getting better at making myself slow down but I’ve got a long way to go. I’d like to make Sundays a day off, but at the moment I’m always photographing or writing on the weekends. 

Nicola:  When you aren’t working and creating what is your favourite way to spend your time?

Josephine:  You’ll usually find me in a pair of wellies with a cup of tea in hand. I love getting outdoors. The garden is my favourite place in summer and there is a section of the river nearby where you can swim (only on very hot summer days for me)! I love going there. The water is crystal clear and the dogs enjoy splashing around in it.

Walking the dogs is my favourite way to switch off and it’s when I feel most connected with nature. My boyfriend and I have three dogs; a Springer Spaniel who’s now 12 and enjoying a slower paced life and lots of cuddles, a Sprocker Spaniel who’s got way too much energy, and a very loveable Labrador puppy who’s eight months old. Having the dogs around makes it a bit of a mad (and muddy) house at times but we couldn’t live without them. We’d have nothing to talk about! 

Since my handmade business has taken a backseat I’ve had a real hankering to make all sorts of things again. I love to cook and sew.  I’m not a master at either but it gives me great pleasure to make something with my hands.

The seasons always inspire me to create.  Whether it’s a summer dress, a winter wreath, blackberry jam or sloe gin it will always be triggered by the changing seasons. I also love to forage for seasonal food and foliage. I think it’s magical that you can make the most beautiful things with what’s in nature. 

Nicola:  And lastly, if someone reading your story were inspired to follow their own creative dream, what advice would you give them?

Josephine:  If you haven’t started your creative venture yet, the best advice is to just start. I know this sounds clichéd, but as soon as you take action you’ll start learning more about yourself, where your strengths are and what you want more of in your life. 

If you’re already deep in the throes of working on your creative venture, and you’re feeling a little lost or overwhelmed, here’s a brief run through of my 3-step process to review, organise and create an action plan to take your creative business or project forward. 

1)    Look back and review

Have a look back over the last three to six months. Ask yourself why you started pursuing your creative dream and what your personal aspirations and goals are. Is the work you’re doing still on track with that? Check in with your gut instinct.  How are you feeling about your business/ creative venture? It could be you need to adjust what you’re doing to fit more of what you love into your work.  Or is there something you’ve been meaning to have a go at for ages you think you’ll be great at? 

Look back at your stats, website traffic, sales, income, outgoings, most successful blog post, favourite product you’ve made. Are there any learning’s you’ve made over the last few months you can build from? 

Jot it all down in a notebook and see if there are any recurring themes, and any words or phrases you’ve repeated. Have a think about where your opportunities lie. You might have noticed you get your best sales at markets and that you love chatting to customers one to one, so you want to fit more markets in. Or it could be that you’ve seen a gap in your product range and you want to create that new product line you’ve had on your mind for ages. 

Pick out a maximum of three areas you want to focus on over the next three months.

2)    Get organised

Start recording your progress each month. This doesn’t need to take more than 20 minutes and it will give you something to look back over, so you can see just how much you’re achieving over time. Keep a note of your website traffic, most popular product, income, outgoings, most successful blog post, social follower numbers etc. This can also help you spot trends or areas where you’re doing really well, as well as areas that might need a bit more love.

3)    Make an action plan

 Take your three focus areas and turn them into goals for the next three months. It might be that you want to create a new product line or start learning a new skill. Break each goal down into actionable chunks. If one of your goals is too big to achieve in a three-month period, break it down into something smaller. 

Plot each individual action you need to take over the next three months into a diary, wall planner or calendar, and you’re ready to get going. And remember to reward yourself at the end of those three months!

You can find out more about Josephine on her website or you can follow her on Instagram and Pinterest.

Nicola:  Tell us about your journey to starting Jessica Cooper Ceramics and the work you do?

Jessica:  Working with clay has been a long and non-linear journey! When I was a small child I made mud pies at the bottom of the garden, shaping them carefully and then cooking them in the greenhouse.  I didn’t know that making things was a career option, so I went out into the world and became a mental health worker.

I started working with clay as an adult when my partner bought me evening classes for Christmas. He could see I needed somewhere to focus my creative energy (I was making a lot of ugly sewing projects at the time!). I was lucky to be shown the ropes by George Ormerod, a very encouraging teacher. I bought my own kiln and set up a little studio at home. I met and apprenticed with a Cumbrian potter, Walter Storey, who taught me to throw and showed me the ropes of glaze chemistry.

I have been selling my work for five years and it has changed radically in that time from small, slab built pieces to larger, wheel thrown domestic ware.

Nicola: You say you hope to make imperfect and lively pots that slot into someone’s hand with the pleasing comfort of coming home.  Can you explain to us what this means to you?

Jessica:  For me, pottery is about a feeling more than about the object you produce. I try to create conditions where I can focus intuition, attention, and heart as I work, in the hope these feelings come through in the pieces I make.  My hope is that in using my pots, people connect to some feeling within themself.  I suppose it is a bit to do with mindfulness, being present in the moment and trying to stay true to myself and make my own pots. I naturally throw quickly and like to glaze with energy rather than precision. I enjoy sloshing things about and getting really messy in every process!

I make pots to be used in homes, kitchens and gardens, and I suppose my quiet hope is that tea will be drunk on back steps, a cake will be spooned from bowls and that my pots will get to play a small role in the beautiful humanity of daily life.

Nicola: I’d love to know more about the process of how your work develops from initial idea to the final piece.

Jessica:  I work in a very intuitive way. I find that the more I try to plan my work the more it goes wrong and doesn’t feel like mine. I show up in the studio on a regular basis and make things. Showing up and making is the only important part! I make a lot of rubbish and recycle a lot of pots.

I also keep sketchbooks, mostly written rather than illustrative. I use a kind of personal lexicon to express my feelings through my work. Every form, texture, colour, and decision has a meaning for me. So in this way, if I have something I want to express in a pot, a story or a moment, I use the lexicon to guide my choices. I also try to remain playful and light about my work, I remind myself that it is just pottery, something to find joy in, not to take too seriously.

Nicola: You live and work in a remote part of the North Pennines.  Can you tell us more about your home, your workspace, and what a typical day for you looks like?

Jessica: I live at one of the highest points in the North Pennines. Our home looks out over Cross Fell, and into the Eden Valley. Our views are really exceptional. I have a shed-come-studio in the garden with kiln, wheel and clay. It’s a simple workspace and I love working with my door open or taking my wheel to throw outside on a sunny day. I also work in the shared studio at the Alston Pottery, where I apprenticed, to make some of the bigger pieces.

At the moment a typical day is spent with my one-year-old son. I work in a flexible way around his needs. Each week we plan out our family schedule to ensure I have child-free time in which to work, usually two days or 16 hours over the week. I find it critical for our domestic life to have designated time for work, otherwise family, business and domestic life can become a messy tangle of unmet needs. Generally, I try to be doing one thing at a time, but this is a juggle!

Nicola: I know your work is inspired by nature.  Can you tell us why nature is so important to you, and how it influences the work you do?

Jessica: Often I feel moved by intangible parts of the natural world, the sunlight fading matt blue over a fell, the quiet stillness of early winter mornings before the sun comes up. I try to celebrate these feelings and tell the stories of life lived in a wild landscape through my pots.

Nicola: And lastly, if someone reading your story was inspired to follow their own creative dream, what advice would you give them?

Jessica: I would say that it is ok if you feel like the odd one out or a bit of a black sheep. I come from a family where my way of living and working is pretty alternative, compared to the traditional corporate jobs and lifestyles my parents and siblings have.

Creative dreaming and living are often about working out what your own measures of success and wealth are, and what you need to feel rich in a whole sense. It is a perfectly admirable dream to find a way of living and working that works for you

You can find out more about Jessica below:

Website 

Facebook

Instagram

Nicola:  You are a new Mum, artist and seasonal explorer who went from burnt out city girl to a slow living advocate in the countryside.  Can you tell me more about this journey?

Becky:  I’ve always craved connection, but it was only when I moved to the farm a few years ago I truly found it. Before then I struggled by in the city feeling a bit lost and very disconnected from my surroundings, my creativity and my health.

When I made the move to Broughgammon Farm to live with my then boyfriend (now husband) it was a huge leap of faith, but it paid off.

Through working and living on the farm I began to get interested in gardening, the seasons, slow food and living naturally. I began to meal plan, swap all my skincare and makeup to natural options, minimise my wardrobe, as well as paint again and I shared these breakthroughs on my blog.

As well as giving me a sense of connection and peace, this more anchored, slower and natural life has been beneficial in healing my autoimmune condition. I’m now aware of how little we need to be happy, how the small things can bring so much joy and how powerful nature is!

I’ve also just become a mum and I’m excited to share this beautiful country life with my son and learn the art of slow motherhood!

Nicola: You approach life from a holistic angle, from what’s on your plate to the products you use on your skin, and even what’s going on in your mind. Can you tell me more about how you incorporate this into everyday life? 

Becky:  The concept of slow living sums up how I aim to live. It’s about taking time to reconnect with nature and our surroundings every day, and about bringing a sense of ritual to the little things.

Even on chaotic days I like to do something small to bring me back to the moment and to nature.  It could just be picking fresh flowers from the garden to put beside my bed, or using lavender essential oil to help aid sleep at night. I’m always thinking of how I can be more present and natural, and remembering to take the time to breath in the beauty of the day.

Nicola:  I’d love for you to tell us about the courses you run?  Who they are for and what it is you teach?

Becky:  I run an online course called Natural Living that teaches people how to rekindle their connection with nature and live a more natural life. It has lots of lovely projects, from blending herbal teas to making your own natural skincare. It shares everything I have learnt over the past few years that’s had a powerful and transformational effect on the quality of my life and health. 

I also organise artisan slow-food classes here on our farm (Broughgammon Farm). We teach everything from foraging to cheese making. 

Nicola:  Can you tell me about your podcast and the message you share?

Becky:  I have a podcast called Nature & Nourish, which chats about how we can live a more connected and slower life in tune with nature. I celebrate each month with a podcast episode dedicated to it. This helps me remember which food is seasonal, what events are happening and what I can look out for in nature.

Other topics covered include living mindfully, the environment and everything natural!

Nicola:  You live in a little seaside town called Ballycastle on the North Coast of Ireland.  Can you tell me more about where you live and what a typical day in your life is like?

Ballycastle is such a gorgeous place to live; it’s a cheery seaside town that has retained its sense of community. Everyone knows everyone and I love that! I

depend hugely on my local town for running shopping errands, going to the library, baby classes and also showcasing my paintings in the local gallery. We live just outside of the town on our ethical farm surrounded by fields. I love having this space as it fuels my creativity.

A typical day in my life is varied especially since becoming a Mum, although it usually contains plenty of tea, gardening, writing and brainstorming future plans with my farmer husband. 

We’re aiming to become more permacultural over the next few years and possibly build an eco house!

Nicola:  And lastly, if someone reading your story were inspired to follow their own creative dream, what advice would you give them?

Becky: Don't wait for the perfect time. I’m a big believer that we should live in the moment and live for today. When I made the break from the city to the countryside it certainly wasn't ideal timing, but on reflection I wish I’d done it sooner! Perfectionism can really hold us back, but if you have a dream you should make steps towards that right now!

You can find Becky on Instagram.

Nicola:  Can you start by telling us about The Home Paddock and how you came to start your own business?

Sarah:  I’ve always had a strong desire to own a little business of my own. As a teenager I wanted to have a shop filled with rustic furniture and beautiful things. I had a lovely dream of spending my days restoring furniture and arranging the shop to look amazing! Reality is a big leveller, but the desire to have a creative business never left.

Over the years I have had an endless string of ideas that never felt quite right or got off the ground. I had started making children’s clothes under a label called Clancy and Belle, but when I fell pregnant with Eleanor (now 5 months old) I quickly realised it wasn’t a sustainable venture. So instead, inspired by the very talented Rebecca Desnos (@rebeccadesnos), I began to dabble with natural dyeing as it was more flexible and family friendly. I am now totally hooked!  

I rebranded my online store to The Home Paddock, in reference to the farm/country location and my products being for the home. Everything fell in to place and I had a positive response to my launch just before Christmas last year.  I have been dyeing non-stop since.

Nicola:  I know you come from a family of makers and that you learnt botanical dyeing from your Grandmother.  Can you tell us what botanical dyeing is and the process involved in making your products?

Sarah:  Botanical dyeing is a process that has its roots in the earliest days of textile production. Essentially it is the gathering of natural materials such as barks, leaves, flowers, lichen or even soil to create colours for fibre and textiles. The gathered materials are then boiled in water and left to seep, to draw out as much colour as possible.

Some plants and materials are more suitable than others and create more lightfast and intense colours. Eucalyptus leaves and bark is a good example of this. Usually plants that are high in tannins make great dye plants. Herbs are often great for dyeing with as well. I only work with natural fibres such as wool, cotton, Linen, hemp and silk.

Before the material goes into the dye pot it must be prepared so it can absorb and maintain as much of the dye as possible. First there is scouring, where I boil the fabric for several hours to remove the chemicals from processing. I then soak the fabric in soya milk to mordant the fabric. Mordant means ‘to bite’.  The mordant allows the fibre to take up and retain as much dye as possible. It also assists with the fabric maintaining as much colour for as long as possible. The fibre is then put into the dye pot and heated.  It is then left to sit and absorb the dye for a day or two. This is when the magic happens! The fabric is removed, given a quick rinse and sometimes an afterbath (to alter the colour) before being dried. At this stage it is always exciting to see what colours and markings have been revealed.

There are always subtle differences when working with natural dyes.  There are so many variable elements that can alter the colours you achieve. This is one reason I love this process so much, as nothing is predictable and you get something slightly different each time. The fabric is them left to sit and cure for at least a week before a final wash and iron.  Then it’s ready to go!

Nicola:  Can you tell us where you draw inspiration from for your work?

Sarah:  As long as I can remember I’ve had a strong attachment to the Tasmanian landscape. I grew up on a beautiful sheep farm in the midlands of Tasmania and would spend my days helping on the farm, or walking and riding around the farm making things and collecting natural treasures. It was a very idyllic childhood rooted in nature, and very much influenced by the weather and seasons.

This desire to express my attachment to the landscape and place continued through my university art degree where I studied textiles, print making and painting. Painting was my major and I continued this for a long time after university. But with a busy family life I found it increasingly difficult to find the time or headspace for it, so I returned to my roots of textiles and dying.

It is immensely satisfying to use raw and natural ingredients to make something that will be used and treasured by others. I also love the fact that textiles are such an integral part of our everyday life. Their humble domesticity can be such an expression of status, culture and shared histories.

Nicola:  You live on a rambling cottage on a family farm in Tasmania, Australia, which is a beautiful part of the world.  Can you tell us more about where you live, your family life and why you love living here?

Sarah:  We are very blessed to live in Pipers River, which is in the North East of Tasmania. It is located in the heart of a world renowned wine region, thirty minutes north of the city of Launceston and close to many pristine beaches. I refer to it as the land of milk and honey!

My family moved to a small farm here about twenty years ago. The property which is named ‘Laroona’ had previously been a dairy farm, but had been let go for many years. My parents tackled the huge task of renovating and restoring the old farm cottage, which was built in the 1900’s. My mother, who was a passionate gardener (she is no longer with us but her spirit is very much alive in her garden), created a beautiful cottage styled garden around the few established trees. My father had the huge task of clearing the farm of weeds, restoring fences and planting native tree belts.

My husband (also from a farming background) and I took over the lease of the property a few years ago, and now run a mixed operation of sheep/cattle and some cropping. It is such a beautiful place to live, and we are so blessed to be able to give our children the privilege of a country childhood just like our own.

Nicola:  You obviously have your hands full with three young children, the farm and your business.  Tell us what a day in your life looks like at the moment?

Sarah:  Busy! We are a family of fowls (early risers) so our day begins early. We have wriggly cuddles in bed with the children before getting started with the day. I always have a cup of tea in bed to get me going, as once my feet hit the ground its pretty non-stop! Depending on whether it’s a home or school day determines the pace and flow of the morning.

Home days tend to have a slower, gentler start. The children will often play for a while before breakfast, while I potter and get as many jobs done as I can. If the weather’s fine we like to get outside before it gets too hot. We love spending time in the garden, feeding animals, going on bush adventures (and foraging for dye plants!), or playing under the trees on the trampoline or in the cubby house. On the weekend we often head out on the farm with Chris to tend animals, feed out hay, or help with other farm jobs that need doing. Both Annabelle (5) and Clancy (3) love doing creative activities like painting, craft and creative play. We are always on the lookout for natural bits that we bring in to use in our craft and play.

Midday is usually lunch followed by rest time. This often gives me an hour where I run like a mad chicken tending to my dye pots, sewing or packing up an order. I have discovered the power of working in small blocks of time! Before I had children I always felt I needed a great chunk of free time for my creative pursuits, but now I realise that I can achieve a lot in little blocks of time throughout the day. This is another reason why I love the dyeing process, as it is so flexible and can be tended to here and there as it suits. The children love my dyeing and I try to involve them in the process as much as possible. I am a firm believer in passing down traditional skills to the next generation. They often bring leaves and flowers in from the farm or garden for my ‘dye pots’, and love creating their own dye concoctions in their role play!

Afternoons always fly by with play, jobs and dinner preparation. We try to eat dinner together (depending on what time Chris, a plumber, gets home) at the table every night.  We discuss our day and talk about our best thing and not so good thing that happened. I really encourage gratitude and we talk about things we are grateful for. Evenings tend to be a quieter time with baths, play, lots of books, songs and cuddles. Once everyone is settled I usually try to do bit more work in my studio before collapsing into bed!

Nicola:  What is your favourite way to connect with nature?

Sarah:  My garden;

Walking;

Bush adventures.  In the winter we love to have bush picnics and make billy tea and cook sausages on a campfire;

Just sitting on a mossy bank and breathing and observing;

Foraging and gathering things for my dye pots.  It has made me see the wealth of resources that I am surrounded by. I’m always on the lookout for different plants to try dyeing with; and

Stopping on the roadside to gather great big bunches of leaves to take home.

And lastly, if someone reading your story were inspired to follow their own creative dream, what advice would you give them?

Honour your creativity! For a long time I felt as if I had to put my creative pursuits aside or second to ‘real life’.  As if having time to be creative was a luxury. But I learnt the hard way that being creative is like breathing for me.  It is an essential part of who I am, and how I interact with others and the world around me. I feel incredibly lucky to have the support of so many beautiful friends and networks such as Instagram.  I finally feel like I’ve found my tribe.

Find something that you love doing, that way it is play not work. The best way to do this is to experiment with different mediums, crafts and art forms until you find what fits. My family roll their eyes at all the different ‘projects’ I’ve had over the years!

Be creative in some way every day, even if it’s something small like arranging flowers for the table. It will allow your creativity time to play, give you freedom to experiment and say to your creative soul, ‘I love and honour you’.

Baby steps! It can be overwhelming starting a new business. So start small and work towards the bigger things. It’s amazing what you can achieve in ten minutes! I no longer have the luxury of blocks of clear time, but it’s amazing how much you can achieve by doing things in little spurts throughout the day. It also feels great to tick a couple of things of the list each day, no matter how small they are!

Visit Sarah's website, or follow her on Instagram. All photographs copyright Luca Edwards.

Nicola:  Can you start by telling us about Cowparsley at Home and the journey you took to start your own business?

Alison:  The countryside, most notably my time spent on Dartmoor, has had a huge and lasting influence on my life; both as a playground through my childhood, and as a comfort and anchor during challenging times in my adult life. When my daughter, now 25, left home I needed something to nurture ... and so Cowparsley was born.

Nicola:  You describe your products as being ‘Comfortably English’ in design, as well as subtle and understated.  Can you describe the theme of your products and what inspires you in your creative process?

Alison:  I had rather a nomadic upbringing, with many home and school changes due to my Father’s occupation in the Royal Air Force. This left me with a strong desire to ‘root’ myself. Due to this home became increasingly important to me.  

I am drawn to the comfort of time-worn houses, where the comfortable style and decoration have evolved over time, reflecting the personality and needs of the families living there. I love the wild romance of English gardens.  Flowers are essential to my wellbeing.  

All these influences appear throughout my designs and inform the themes I choose. I don’t follow trends.  I can only work with what I love and has meaning to me. 

Nicola:  Can you share with us where you live, what your workspace looks like, and how a day in your life unfolds?

Alison:  I live in a small village on the edge of the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. We converted an old hay barn into a workshop. This is where I work on my wallpaper designs, often making mood boards to help me tell the story behind the patterns. I have an online shop, so as orders come in I pack and then send them from the post office in a neighbouring village. My product range is small but all made to the highest quality.  This is far more important to me than mass sales. I use social media, in particular, Instagram and Pinterest, to promote and market the brand.

Nicola:  I know you are currently rethinking the direction of Cowparsley at Home.  Decisions like this aren’t easy when you have put so much energy into creating your business.  But I also think they are important stories to tell.  We’d love to hear yours if you are comfortable talking about it?

Alison:  I often wonder if one can be both creative and business-minded equally and successfully?  I struggle with the latter. The reality of running a business can be daunting.  As I work alone it is isolating at times and hard to remain confident in what you are doing.

I have recently made the decision to step back from Cowparsley and the pressures of the business to rekindle my love of working alongside other creative people who inspire and empower me. This decision means Cowparsley will be taking a back seat in the future.

Nicola:  I also know you have started working alongside Grace Alexander, who featured in Issue 3 of the Creative Countryside magazine, on her cut flower and seed business. I’d love for you to tell us how you came to start working together and what excites you most about this new opportunity?

Alison:  Many years ago I did a floristry course, and although technically helpful I found it rather restricting.   However, flowers remain hugely important to me. I love the wildness and the ‘natural just picked from the garden or hedgerow style’.

I have recently started working alongside Grace Alexander, who I met when I attended a few of her flower workshops at Forde Abbey. Grace has a unique, natural and refreshingly honest approach to how she grows her cut flowers and packages her beautiful seeds.  Grace knew I was looking to reconnect with flowers and the land again.  She offered me a couple of days working with her and gardener Danny Burlingham in her flower field, helping to style photographs for both home and garden.

Nicola:  And lastly, if someone reading your story was inspired to follow their own creative dream, what advice would you give them?

Alison:  For anyone thinking of starting out in a creative business I would say never let age be a barrier.  Also, think about what you want from the business.  Will it be full or part-time?  Do you need it to provide a regular income?  It is a very competitive market out there. Be true to yourself and be authentic. Working alone can be isolating though, so find other creatives you can bounce ideas off and who will offer support.  But most of all, if it makes you happy then do it!

Photography by Jake Eastham and Alun Callander.
You can find out more about Cowparsley on Instagram and their website.

Nicola: So we can get to know you better, can you start by telling us about yourself and Gnowangerup Cottage?

Tom:  Hi Everyone, I’m Tom.  I’m a 30-something, checked shirt and galvanised watering can addict from Norfolk. I studied History and Archaeology at Hull University and currently work with students with learning disabilities at a Landbased College.

I inherited Gnowangerup Cottage from my grandparents who emigrated to Australia in the 60s. They were due to go to Melbourne but were offered their money back if they got off at Perth in Western Australia, which they agreed to do. They stayed in an army camp and worked until they could afford to buy some land...which was called Gnowangerup! It’s Aboriginal for the place where the Mallee Fowl nests. When they came back to the UK they were looking for a place to buy.  They came across this place they used to cycle past and dream of owning. The bank was foreclosing on it, so they snapped it up and named it after the land in Fremantle near Perth.

The Cottage was originally built in the 1830s and was two separate one-up, one-down farm worker dwellings. My grandparents built on a little extra and added to the land with a source of wood for the fire, a few fruit trees, and space to keep chickens and have an allotment style garden.

My Gnowangerup Cottage Instagram and Blog began when a friend encouraged me to start documenting the ‘good life’ of producing your own fruit and vegetables, and trying to gain a degree of self-sufficiency. Over the years my Instagram has changed into a place to share my wildlife photography; however I still keep elements of gardening and general country life running through it.

Nicola:  Tell us about the Norfolk countryside and what you enjoy most about living there?

Tom:  What I love most about the Norfolk countryside is the diversity of habitats! We have the wonderful north Norfolk coast with amazing variety, from tidal creeks and salt marshes, to huge expanses of unspoilt beaches. The beaches are important to both Common and Grey Seals for giving birth to their pups, and also important to wintering birds such as Sanderlings coming over from Siberia.

In the south we have the Brecks, a landscape of tranquil forest, open heathland and agricultural land that is home to many unique or distinctive birds, plants and animals. Somewhere in the middle are the Norfolk Broads, Britain's largest protected wetland, and third largest inland waterway, with the status of a national park. It is also home to some of the most rare plants and animals in the UK, such as the Bittern and the Swallowtail Butterfly. I love the slow pace of life and lack of streetlights, but perhaps not so much the terrible WiFi!

Nicola:  You are very passionate about nature.  Can you tell us where this passion comes from, and why it’s such an important part of your everyday life?

Tom:  Growing up in the Norfolk countryside with parents who loved nature was a massive influence. They weren’t experts, but would always point out different birds and tell me facts. Having the observers books on the shelf helped too! It’s really important to me because it is my way of relaxing and de-stressing. How much more relaxing can it get than sitting in the middle of the woods listening to the birds singing and the bees buzzing?

Nicola:  I love the nature photography you share on Instagram and on your website.  Can you tell us how you got into photography and what you love most about it?

Tom:  I’m very fortunate in that my grandparents invested in some land many years ago that includes woodland and an old disused railway line close to the cottage. Exploring it as a kid I saw lots of amazing wildlife that I wanted to capture on film. Also the stunning filming on shows like Planet Earth and Spring Watch are an inspiration, and make me want to get out there and see it for myself.  I’m lucky enough to have a place to go where others won’t disturb me.

What I love most about photography is the anticipation of not knowing what you will see next! It's an adrenaline rush similar to fishing, when the float bobs or the fly line twitches. It gives me a chance to get out into the countryside and test my skills, and to get close to completely wild animals. It's great when you set up in a spot that feels good and you're rewarded.

 Nicola:  When you aren’t pottering about your garden, and taking amazing photos of nature, how do you enjoy spending your time?

Tom:  It goes without saying that those are my two favourite hobbies! I really love taking my camera and walking around my local RSPB and Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserves, as well as exploring the countryside. I am currently spending a lot of time modernising the cottage, with the help of my dad who is a builder by trade. My other passions are sailing on the Norfolk Broads and riding my motorbike, although I freely admit I’m a fair weather rider! I love looking after my chickens, and I have all the equipment ready to start beekeeping!  

Nicola:  And lastly, if you had one message you wanted to share with our readers about looking after our natural environment and the creatures that live in it, what would it be?

Tom:  It’s so easy to get disheartened by the global issues we face today around the use of plastics and the destruction of habitats. I think the most accessible way to look after our wildlife is in our own backyards. This is something we have direct control over, and I try to think of wildlife in everything I do in the garden. It is so easy to make your garden more wildlife friendly. Everyone can leave a patch of lawn to grow longer, plant pollinator friendly flowers, put out bird food and nest boxes, and create a bug hotel and a pond! 

Visit Tom's website, or follow him on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. 

Nicola:  Can you tell us about Jules Hogan Knitwear?  We’d love to know how your business has evolved to where it is today?

Jules:  I started the collection in 2010 while working full-time for a knitwear design studio in London. We focused on knit as constructed textiles with a hint within the design of the fabrics’ end use, mainly garments for men and women. These designs were sold worldwide to fashion designers and retail shops. Developing designs at a fast pace, and commuting on and off for 20 years, began to take its toll.

I wanted to slow down, enjoy the therapeutic process of making and have improved life balance.  My focus was to develop ideas from initial inspiration, through to the design of the fabric and making a final piece. Making decisions on yarn quality, fibre content, silhouette and working with British companies where possible.

I initially began by making fashion and home accessories, and this developed into garments.  Working on exclusive colour palettes for stockists and bespoke orders has become a fundamental and enjoyable element of the business. I enjoy this collaborative aspect, which pushes my boundaries and helps me look at things through fresh eyes.

Nicola: Where does the inspiration for your work come from?

Jules: Inspiration and technique have remained constant throughout my work. I am drawn to tradition; the effect of weather on materials, land and seascapes, simple geometric patterns and striping with the use of subtle neutrals, bright highlights and blended yarn.

 I am constantly taking photos of the everyday, things spotted on my daily walks and take visual notes of things I see. The collection is constantly evolving, and an initial idea fuels another and then another, coming up with a fresh development.

Nicola:  We’d love to know more about where you live, the space you work from and what a normal day is like for you? 

Jules:  I live in Tilehurst Village, which is on the outskirts of Reading near the countryside and open fields. My studio is a meander down the garden.  It’s my creative haven with several re-conditioned vintage-knitting machines, both hand flat and industrial, yarn, mood boards, and books.

Each day is slightly different depending on what is in the order book.  It usually starts with Instagram over breakfast, catching up with the accounts I follow and interacting with posts.  I then check my emails before heading into the studio around 9 am.  

I am very disciplined during the day and refer to my planner for tasks that need to be achieved. I like to have a few solid hours knitting in the morning before stopping for lunch around 1 pm.  I then walk Jaxon up to the park or woods, taking photos of anything that inspires me.  Or I use this time to refresh my mind and think things through.  The afternoon is usually spent doing some more knitting, putting garments together or finishing.

Nicola:  I know you are committed to quality and use the finest British materials, including Scottish spun lambswool, sourced from a family mill that has been spinning yarn in Scotland since 1766.  Can you tell us a little more about that story?

Jules:  I have been using this yarn quality for over 20 years, so it was at the top of the list to use in my collection. The shade card is extensive with colours that reflect my work, good neutrals, and deep saturated colours. I mainly use the melange shades that have many fibers of different colours spun together, to make a new colour giving depth and texture.

The mill has a policy of animal welfare and the dyes meet British Standard. 

Nicola:  Can you also tell us about your process from the initial idea for a knitwear piece to the final product?

Jules:  Even though each piece appears simple there are also technical elements to consider. It starts with a sketch, calculations to work out the number of rows and stitches, where a pattern will start and end. I also spend time experimenting with small samples of colour, trying out different combinations.

The machine is threaded up adjusting the tension so that the yarn runs freely through the feeders and carriage of the machine.  I follow the sketch in my notebook so I know where to change colour, place markers for a sleeve and where to shape the neck. Garments are fully fashioned (shaping by moving stitches from one needle to another), and this takes time but gives a beautiful effect.

When a piece is finished it is cast off, lightly pressed, put together using a linker (a sewing machine for knitting), washed, air dried and pressed again.The final part of the process is sewing in care labels and attaching swing tags. 

Nicola:  You say your pieces are simple, handcrafted knitwear for those that like to make a quiet statement. We’d love for you to tell us what this means to you and how you interpret this in your work?

Jules:  I make knitwear to enhance but not overpower the wearer. Colour palettes flatter different skin tones, and the highlights of bright colour add a bit of surprise and individuality. Silhouette masks areas that don’t want to be shown, while allowing certain parts of the body to peep through. It's about making people feel great about themselves.  

Nicola:  And lastly, I’d love for you to describe the type of person you think your knitwear is most suited to and why? 

Jules:  It is quite difficult to describe a type of person, as my customers are so varied, but through observation, I would say, people that care about provenance, the story behind the work, and appreciate handcraft.

Find out more here: 

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Nicola: You are a writer and artist who specialises in nature, landscapes, rural heritage and ethical living.  Can you tell us more about the work you do and the journey you took to be doing what you love?

Tiffany:  I’ve always loved nature, birds, trees and being outdoors.  But the love I had during my childhood was abandoned slightly over my teenage years when I discovered boys, alcohol and other exciting things.  After finishing college I studied English Literature in Bristol and then moved to London to complete my Masters in English at UCL.

It was here my curiosity for the natural world crept quietly back into my life after I started volunteering with the London Wildlife Trust in ancient woodland called Sydenham Hill Wood. This helped me rediscover my love for wildlife and, although I had always wanted to be a writer, I realised nature writing was my true calling.   Combined with my hobby as a wildlife artist, I wanted to try and communicate the wonders of the natural world to others through my writing and artwork.

Now I produce both of these on a freelance basis for magazines and newspapers, and I also recently appeared on Radio 4’s Tweet of the Day and Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas on Channel 4.

My first book will be published in March, Food You Can Forage with Bloomsbury books, and I am about to be commissioned for my second - a narrative non-fiction book on our relationship with the night sky.  

Nicola:  You grew up in the chalky hills of the South Downs.  How did this inspire what you write and teach about today?  

Tiffany: I’ve spent most of my life in the South Downs, having now returned here after a few years away in Bristol and London. For me, it's a magical landscape bursting with wildlife, culture, and history. So many of my childhood memories originate from adventures outdoors in woodlands or along the coast, finding badger skulls and collecting conkers.

It was recently recognized as a National Park by the government, and I think this reflects how vibrant the area is. From the haunted yew trees at Kingley Vale to the flower-smothered gardens of Lewes, the South Downs are a huge part of who I am and will forever weave themselves into my work.

Nicola:  Describe to us why nature is so important to you, and your passion for engaging others with the natural world.  

Tiffany: It’s been said a thousand times over the last few years, but Nature Deficit Disorder is becoming a real problem in our society. Studies have shown that when we choose not to spend time in nature it affects our mental and physical health, as well as disconnecting us from our natural roots and rhythms.  When I hear a great tit’s see-saw song in late winter, and know that spring is almost here, I am filled with the most intense sensation of joy that not even a stuffed crust pizza or photo of Harrison Ford (Blade Runner-era) can replicate.

Everyone can benefit.

From spending more time in nature and, aside from the positive effect it can have on our wellbeing, it is essential to the future of our planet. David Attenborough once said: ‘No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced.'

I want to secure a healthy environment for my children and grandchildren, and I hope that my writing and art will inspire others to cherish wildlife and nurture a new relationship with the natural world.  

Nicola:  Can you tell us about where you live and what a typical day looks like for you at the moment?

Tiffany: My days are extremely varied at the moment and, in the words of Prufrock, tend to be measured out ‘with coffee spoons’.  I live in east Hampshire with my partner, right in the middle of the South Downs National Park. We live in a little flat in the pretty market town where we both grew up, although we didn’t meet until many years later!  I’m currently in an exciting but scary stage of my life, as I recently made the decision to leave my job and pursue a freelance career with my writing and art. So over February, I’ve been tying off the loose ends at my job at Butser Ancient Farm, where I’ve worked as Creative Developer for over three years.

From March onwards I'll be spending most of my days writing, painting and getting distracted by the long-tailed tits hopping around outside our window, as well as spending lots of time outdoors for inspiration.  I try to find time to go running a few times a week (something I only discovered recently), and I enjoy riding around the Hangers on a friend’s horse that I help look after. I also have an exciting calendar of talks, festivals and events lined up for this year, so I’llbe preparing for those and traveling around the country over the spring and summer months.

 Nicola:  Your first book, Food You Can Forage, is due out on the 8 th of March.  Can you tell us what the book is about and why you wanted to write it?

Tiffany: My first book is all about foraging wild food and embracing the countryside, something that I am passionate to share with everyone.  In my experience, foraging can often seem intimidating to beginners, or something they associate with horror stories in the news. But foraging can be an adventure for friends and families at any age, and I wanted to present it as a relaxed and rounded hobby that takes you outdoors into the countryside and ends with something delicious on the kitchen table. I really wanted to celebrate the hobby as a new way to engage with the natural world, so I also included sections on different habitats, what wildlife you can spot, folklore and mythology, my own illustrations, photos and a selection of tested recipes at the back.  

I think the best thing about foraging is that it can unite everyone through a shared love of food.So even if you aren’t naturally drawn to spending time outside, this might entice you to take a walk in the woods in search of a moment of wildness.

Nicola:  What did you enjoy most about writing your book?

Tiffany: It has to be writing the recipes! There are twenty recipes in the book, and I couldn’t help including two of my favourite food groups: booze and cake.  We had hours of fun testing samples, deciding which type of gorse petal mead tasted best, or how much icing to drizzle over spiced elderberry buns. I’ve never written recipes for publication before but I love cooking and spending time in the kitchen, so it was brilliant to be able to share some of my favourite creations. I really wanted to include recipes as it makes the art of foraging so much more rewarding when you can transform your discoveries into a snack or meal, rather than just harvesting things and leaving them to wilt tragically by the coat-rack.

Nicola:  And finally, if anyone reading this has a creative dream they would love to follow, what advice would you give them?  

Tiffany: In my experience, being able to pursue a dream in the creative arts is all about opening yourself up to the universe. There are so many wonderful writers and artists in the world, each with their own voices that need to be heard, but I’ve found that the most successful artists I know are those that are proactive, seeking out opportunities for themselves.

 My book deal actually came about through a lucky encounter - I wrote a blog post on foraging that was seen by the right person at the right time, and I’m grateful every day for that jammy moment that changed my life. But before that I spent many years throwing everything I had out into the abyss, writing and painting and creating things that I hoped would lead to new opportunities.

I went to networking events, joined online forums, interacted with others on Twitter, and tried my best to share my work with the world in the hope that it might lead somewhere - and it did!  I would encourage everyone to keep creating, particularly at a time when the world needs hope and creativity more than ever, and to try your best not to let the more mundane routines of life squeeze out precious hours of creative time. I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason, so long as you are in tune with the world and keep your heart and mind open to new opportunities.

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