Up With The Lark And

Tess Newall is a decorative artist famed for her murals and whimsical sense of style. In this episode, we explore the journey from maker to founder, a challenging and rewarding adventure. Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me, Calandre Orton. In this episode, we explore someone we feel we know and a concept we think we fully grasp. I wonder if perhaps w...

A love letter to leather - its beauty, its craft, its supply, its value - with Sara Grady and Alice Robinson, founders of British Pasture Leather.  Curiosity about the supply chain is always to be applauded. Whether we are buying a jumper, a car or a three course meal, it is good and right to consider where things have come from. However, even in this highly connected world, we are too often divor...

We are, it seems, fixated on the new, newness, what's new. A discussion with Rob Abrahms, co-founder of Coat Paints, on the pressure of newness.  Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me Calandre Orton.  We are, it seems, fixated with the new, newness, what’s new. Trends flurry by in weeks, the what’s new button on websites is pressed with an unquenchable...

Exploring what it means to be the CEO with Claire German, CEO of Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour. What does it mean? How does it work well? How do you know that you are ready to hire a CEO? Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast for creative entpreneurs hosted by me Calandre Orton. Up With The Lark is all about the intersection of creativity and commerce, making and profit, designing and sellin...

There is an inbuilt dissatisfaction that drives most entrepreneurs. But does this inhibit a critical element of celebration and reflection? We ask Tabi Jackson Gee founder of Them Outdoors how she feels one year after launch.  Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me, Calandre Orton.  Entrepreneurs are driven. They want to do better, push things on, develo...

Patrick Williams, alongside his wife Neri, founded the interior design practice Berdoulat. In this conversation we explore his first book: The House Rules. It is part memoir, part point of view, part a plea for the house to rule. It is something to treasure as an object and as a window into Patrick’s mind. In this episode, we are fortunate enough to be sitting right at the heart of Patrick and Ner...

A conversation with Sarah Peake, founder of interior design practice Studio Peake. Sarah's creative confidence and courage, independence of thought, work ethic and grit mean that she is admired far and wide by clients and the interior design industry alike.  Welcome to the Up With The Lark 'Breakfast With' series. It is an opportunity to start your day alongside creatives I admire and consider to...

A conversation with Imogen Royall, co-founder of Nothern Pasta Co. A case study in doing simple things well and with determination and joy.  Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast and substack for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me, Calandre Orton. I am a business advisor in the arts and creative industries and have always worked at the intersection of the creative and the commercial. For me,...

In this special episode we are joined by British painter Emily Ponsonby to explore the importance, the relevance, the power of place - here you work, where you exhibit, where you travel, where your work finds home. Before we go any further, if you aren’t familiar with her work I really would encourage you to take a moment to look her up here so that you can have her work in your mind’s eye.  The w...

A conversation about leaderhsip with Sandrine Zhang Ferron, founder of Vinterior.  In this episode, a topic that creeps in to most of the work that I do with founders. It is leadership. Are you a leader? What ‘qualifies’ you to be one? What arena, idea, business or group of people are you leading? What is your leadership style? Is it working? And why does it matter? In the social media age, spend...

A conversation with Beggars Run, purveyors of suits and interesting ideas, about their story and their move over to New York. What can we learn from the American Dream? Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me, Calandre Orton. I am a business consultant working in the creative industries and my career has always existed at the intersection of the creative...

A discussion about leadership and legacy, knowing when it is time to move on and how to hand over the reigns with Megan Piper and Sarah Carrington of The Line.  Welcome to Up With The Lark, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs, hosted by me, Calandre Orton. I am a business consultant working in the arts and creative industries. My work has always existed where the creative meets the commercial and...

An insight into collaboration with Pelican House X Shrimps. Why collaborate? How can we make it an enjoyable and effective process? How do we know whether it has 'worked' or not? Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me, Calandre Orton. In a world where technology shouts and AI feels mystifying, hopeful and threatening all at once, I find myself drawn ever...

A conversation with Xanthe Ross, chef, supper club host and food writer. We discuss the value and importance of being a beginner.  Welcome to Up With the Lark, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs, hosted by me, Calandre Orton. This podcast captures conversations built on curiosity, optimism, and the nitty-gritty detail of what it actually takes to build a career, a business, an enterprise, or a c...

A conversation about Indian design, style and approach to retail with Gabby Deeming founder of Daydress.  A few years ago, I had a conversation with Taymoor Atigetchi, founder of Papier, about the impact of his Iranian roots on the way that he does business. That train of thought stayed with me and stayed with me to the point of preoccupation. And so now, here is the third in our series of intervi...

A conversation about the importance, the joys and the perils of working alone.  We continue our series on creativity, entrepreneurship and mental health. Creativity and entrepreneurship are adventures, magnificent ones which bring people alive, show them what they are capable off and offer a real thrill and sense of purpose and fulfilment. But there are also real challenges, bumps in the road and...

A conversation with Cath Kidston MBE about her new brand, C. Atherley, and the longevity of her creative and commercial success.  Most, many or all of us will have interacted with Cath Kidston's products, story and style at some point. It is certainly a story of creativity, of joy, of home, of both a fresh approach and a sense of nostalgia; it is a jewel in the crown of British design. It’s one th...

A conversation with Victoria Barker, founder of Studio Faeger, on finding and nurturing your creative identity.  The internal life of creative entrepreneurs fascinates me and it is my view that the mental health of this extra ordinary group of people warrants greater discussion. What makes a person create? What makes them keep creating? What part do persistence, patience and pauses play? How do yo...

A discussion with eyewear designer and founder of Soho Bespoke, on the relationship of form and function.  A few weeks ago, I stood in a spectacles shop trying on new frames. I found myself selecting a simple gold-rimmed wire pair. And in the mirror, I was reminded—which, I'll admit, took me by surprise—of four-year-old Calandre wearing something very similar, thanks to the design decisions of the...

A conversation about the influence of Japanese design, business, retail and gardens on Jake Hobson, founder of Niwaki.  A few years ago, I had a conversation with Taymoor Atigetchi, founder of Papier, about the impact of his Iranian roots on the way that he does business. That train of thought stayed with me and stayed with me to the point of preoccupation. And so now, here is the second in our se...

The last decade has seen a great deal of change around the interrelationship of digital and bricks and mortar across the creative industries. Disciples of each approach are plentiful but for most, it’s all about the hybrid. It’s about acquiring, delighting and retaining customers in both formats. It is frankly acrobatic to keep both elements flourishing. One of the tools in this hybrid toolbox is...

Today we will be speaking with Sam Paget Steavenson, co-founder of Botivo. This British non-alcoholic botanical aperitivo has joy, playfulness and vivacity in abundance across flavour, brand and approach to doing business. This is accompanied by a determination, an attention to detail and a focus that means the commercial side is thriving, the company is a certified BCorp and they have been in rec...

In this episode, we are exploring the alchemy, the mystery and the magic of partnerships. For me it is such an intriguing element of creativity and of entrepreneurship. How do they work? Is it about divide and conquer? is it about contrast, connection and friendship? How are decisions made and conflicts resolved? How can you nurture and enliven them in the long term? How do they impact creativity?...

In this episode I speak with Pip Durell founder of With Nothing Underneath to explore having singular focus at your business grows, how to lead, the reality of what it takes and how to celebrate the journey . Start ups are exciting and much discussed but there is something particularly intriguing about those companies that make it to adolescence. You realise what really matters, you start to under...

Gemma Moulton is the founder of East London Cloth. Gemma has crafted a visual narrative, a sensibility, a place and space all of her very own. It is both timeless and of the moment. It draws intelligently and interestingly on the past. The business has evolved quickly from making curtains, to café curtains by post and now as a fabric house of its very own. East London Cloth has made the old, new....