An Art To It

Creativity has always been part of Sarah Pooley's life. But after completing a degree in textiles her career took her into the knitwear industry where she found a job she loved designing patterns for a brand of knitting machines. When she started her family having a home based career was preferable and the beginning of the next chapter in her creative life was in soft furnishings for interiors. It...

There probably aren't many artists who can lay claim to a previous career working with stunt horses in film and TV productions, but Claire Howlett can. When she had to abandon her foundation degree in fine art, Claire first turned to art restoration as a potential career but after an enjoyable and educational few years in a darkened room, it was to her other great love - horses - that she turned....

A glance at Emily Hadley's website is enough to make the most accomplished of creative business owners feel (more than?) slightly inadequate. Not only has she and her husband renovated three homes, Emily took charge of the interiors - a service she has also developed professionally - she is also an Instagram influencer and content creator, a silversmith with a range of jewellery… and now runs a hu...

Lucy Innes Williams runs not one, but two creative businesses - her fine art practice and her printed goods and stationery business, Floradore. In our really interesting chat Lucy reveals how she manages to balance the two separate entities, both linked by her love of capturing all things floral. We also discuss the journey Lucy has taken: a graduate in Fine Art from Central St Martins College in...

Textile artist Helen Wilde, aka Ova Bloom has made a career of being in the right place at the right time and grasping every opportunity with both hands. From work experience, (with no less than artist Tom Phillips https://www.tomphillips.co.uk/ to art college, and her subsequent successful career, Helen has been fortunate at meeting the right people and the most opportune moment. But that shouldn...

Colour is at the very heart of Ruth Shelley's creative life.  Growing up in rural Wales with limited external entertainment, making and domestic creativity were at the heart of her childhood, and inspired her move to study textiles at art college.  Travel and finding inspiration in the colours and patterns of south east Asia continued to influence her textile work but stumbling on an evening class...

A love of making - and of maps - has taken ceramic artist Loraine Rutt on an unusual but very successful creative journey. Loraine began her career as a cartographer at London's Birkbeck College https://www.bbk.ac.uk/ but when digitalisation of maps meant that she would be using a computer rather than the more physical approach of a pencil and tracing paper, she decided to pursue her earlier dream...

Growing up as part of a creative family - and a keen painter from an early age - it was no surprise that Sophie Harding decided to attend art college. But inspired by a documentary she watched as a teenager it was the Fashion course at St Martin's college that Sophie enrolled on.  In my chat with Sophie - whose stunning paintings I'm fortunate to exhibit regularly at the Byre Gallery - we discuss...

This is a cheeky little extra session where I talk about my online course 'An Insider's Guide to Gallery Success' and explain why with a number of alternatives to learn about how to best approach - and develop a relationship - with galleries, mine might be the right one for you. There are three reasons that this course fits the bill for you: The Byre Gallery, which I founded in 2014, is a welcomin...

After a successful career as a scientist, Beverly Bartlett turned her jewellery making hobby into her new profession. In our chat, we discuss how Bev has drawn on her scientific knowledge to support not only the technical aspects of jewellery making, but also the aesthetic inspiration for many of her collections.  We chat about the various shows and events that Beverly exhibits and sells her work...

Sarah Hutt is a Northamptonshire based visual artist whose creative journey has taken her from print design, via teaching to being a painter. In this lively and honest chat, Sarah shares the stages of her journey, and talks candidly about her decision to quit a senior job in education, sell her home and downsize to living on a narrowboat to put herself in the best position to launch a new creative...

We all measure or success in different ways, yet we still seem to compare ourselves to others and what they're achieving. In this episode I share my personal thoughts on success. My online course for artists and makers: An Insider's Guide to Gallery Success opens for booking on 16th October and you can discover more about it here. https://thebyregallery.co.uk/pages/courses-and-coaching To find out...

Liz Francis has run the hugely popular and successful Padstow Gallery in north Cornwall since 2018. Since then it has gained a deserved reputation for the high calibre of work it exhibits in its changing and permanent beautifully curated exhibitions.  In our chat Liz shares her journey from studying in an entirely different field (pardon the pun, tune in to discover more!) to finding her dream job...

It was the allure of Cornwall's palm trees that convinced Imogen Bone that moving south for art college in Falmouth rather than her native Scotland was the right move; and she's never looked back.  In our chat we talk about how choosing to study illustration rather than Fine Art gave Imogen a work ethic and structure that has contributed to her success as both an artist, and a creative business; c...

Carin Lindberg swapped her Swedish homeland and a science background for the life of a jewellery designer maker creating stunning pieces from her North Cornwall coastal studio.  In this episode Carin and I talk about how buying a few beads to have a 'play' took her to being a full-time jeweller; how a background in science plus working in mobile phone and website technology has given her a precisi...

Sharon Bruster swapped a career in the NHS for the life of a sea-inspired Cornwall visual artist and has never looked back. She is also the co-founder (along with friend and fellow artist Maggie Cochran) of Prime Women Artists, a support, networking and exhibiting membership for women artists (of a certain age!) In Cornwall.  In this episode we talk about Sharon's transition from pursuing a hobby...

Emily Tapp is the founder and creative behind EOT ceramics, which in under five years has carved itself an impressive reputation for its elegant forms and stylish glazing. With regular sell out online 'shops' and collections for sale in the prestigious Tate St Ives' shop, EOT is a brand to watch. And as Emily is only 27, she is a creative entrepreneur to watch out for.  In this episode we talk abo...

Tara Leaver describes herself as an artist and an aquaphile so not surprisingly in episode Three of An Art to It we discuss Tara's love of swimming and how it counts as research for her underwater inspired paintings.  We also talk about Tara's Artist Membership 'The Happy Artists' Studio' a community and coaching platform where in her role as a 'Creative Encourager' she says that if you are creati...

In episode two I talk to ceramicist Judy McKenzie who, after a life long love of 'playing' with clay decided to pursue a BA and then a Masters degree at the Royal College of Art and now in her 60s is a successful ceramicist showing her stunning Nerikomi work at galleries throughout the UK. We talk about being allowed to be selfish after a life of looking after others; imposter syndrome, being the...

In the first episode I share my journey to becoming a curator and gallery owner; my career in PR in Scotland and London and how my desire to be a creative never really found the right outlet until I discovered I could unleash my artistic enthusiasm by styling other creative's work.  As well as talking about running the gallery I discuss my online course for artists and makers: An Insider's Guide t...

When does your passion become your profession?  Can you take a love of making and creating and turn it into a successful business? This is the podcast where I talk to artists and makers who, whatever their discipline, are all fortunate to have turned their passion for creating into their occupation. As we discuss their journey to being professional artists and makers we explore inspirations, impos...