Meet Cindee Smith, owner and creative behind VIOLET HARTLEY
My business is VIOLET HARTLEY, I create hand screen printed textiles, predominantly scarves. Hand etched (onto a zinc plate) and hand printed etchings, often hand coloured with water colour pencils.
BOWDO SCARF....ORANGE TASSLES....SWALLOW PRINT IN ORANGE
4 min read
My business is VIOLET HARTLEY, I create hand screen printed textiles, predominantly scarves. Hand etched (onto a zinc plate) and hand printed etchings, often hand coloured with water colour pencils.
I initially studied screen printing in WA (many years ago) and more recently completed a Diploma in Visual Arts in Melbourne. I have worked in the fashion industry most of my career in some way shape or form.
I feel very lucky to have a grown son and daughter and two fantastic grandchildren (who love to help me with drawing and creating).
I have a love of nature & colour and am particularly inspired by birds, trees, animals and my love of textiles and embellishment, which is reflected in my work.
What do you have on your work space at the moment?
At the moment I’m working on a new shipment of large silk/cotton scarves adorned with gorgeous coloured tassels. I am hand printing five new hand drawn designs onto these.
I also have samples and prototypes of art work on large canvas carry bags and silk velvet jackets with artwork on the back.
BOWDO SCARF....CIRCLE OF TREES PRINT IN KHAKI ...GREEN TASSLES
How would you describe your career so far and how did you get into this industry?
My career/business as an artist is really just blooming in the last decade as I have had the time to dedicate to it seriously.
I feel like I have been all my life practicing for it and experimenting with different products (clothing, cushions, etchings and painting) and different avenues of selling from to shops to selected artisan markets. When my daughter was very young I wanted to get out of the house for a few hours a week and learn something new (and talk to adults). Having always loved art in many forms and textiles, when I found something that combined the two…Screen Printing, I enrolled immediately and fell in love with the technique and process instantly.
What are some of the most important/ topical issues you tackle in your work?
It is extremely important to me to keep centuries old artisan skills alive and acknowledged for the skill they are.
I’d like people to understand and appreciate the work, time, experience and dedication that is involved with HAND MADE.
Mass produced, machine generated products don’t require skill and have no uniqueness. Tens of thousands of people can have exactly the same item when it is factory produced from a production line. I think it would be wonderful if people bought one beautiful unique item that has been made with love and with time honoured techniques and to know that no-one else has exactly the same item.
RED, NATURAL, GREEN, COTTON CHECK WITH WHITE FOLKBIRD PRINT
What are some things you learnt on your job that you didn’t expect to learn?
I was surprised to learn that if you give people too much choice with a product such as different styles, colours, fabrics, prints and size it will often cause confusion and because they can’t decide…they buy nothing!
Because I am very decisive and instantly like something, I thought people that loved handmade beautiful items would be the same.
Do you have a typical workday?
Normally…(not at the moment because of the Coronavirus) I rise early and travel to my daughters house to take my fabulous grandchildren to school. I love doing this because it makes me start the day early and by 9.15 I am up dressed, feeling fresh, happy at starting the day with a laugh with my grandchildren and back in my studio ready and eager to go.
From there, it could be designing new scarves or prints or actually printing, drying and heat pressing scarves.
I often have loud music on when I work, it makes me relaxed and happy and content.
What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career?
I always have a million things I want to do and create — so sticking to and concentrating on even a couple of projects is hard for me.
Money! Always a challenge as you need to invest in fabric, inks, screens etc. and it's all very expensive and it might be several months before any return on your investment.
Computer stuff…anything to do with a computer! It doesn’t come naturally and I prefer to use my hands and make something than spend the time to work it out.
BOWDO SCARF…BLUE TASSLES…
What do you do in your ‘down time’ (and do you have a guilty pleasure)?
I love what I do so my “down time” is often doing the same things.
I read books, I’ve just read and loved Phosphorescence by Julia Baird.
Visiting art galleries and fabric stores.
Sitting on the verandah with my husband in late afternoon/evening and drinking Negronis.
What are some of the things which inspire you?
Nature - trees, birds, animals and flowers.
Colour - can be in nature or in a fabric store or what someone is wearing.
Music - puts me in a relaxed mood to create.
How do you balance work/ life?
As my studio/workspace is at home my husband usually makes me balance work/life. When he comes home from work tired, hungry and wanting to talk, I know that this is the end of my working day. When he is away l'll often work late into the evening, then I get tired and hungry and start making mistakes.
Best creative memory?
I often travel to India to work with weavers and textile artisans to create my scarves and when my first delivery of scarves arrived from India I was so excited I couldn't even wait to take the boxes inside to open them. I stood on my verandah tearing open the boxes. The smell of the natural freshly woven silk and cotton, the vision of hundreds of colourful tassels and the feel of the natural fabric against my skin was overwhelmingly euphoric.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to break into the industry you are in?
LOVE WHAT YOU DO! If you love what you do you will find a way to make it happen.
Find your tribe - the people/customers that understand, appreciate and also love what you do.
Have a little chuckle to yourself if anyone ever says “ I can do that, it's easy”. They probably won’t!
Find the people that give you energy, support, belief in yourself and love and surround yourself with them.
Website www.violethartley.com
Instagram www.instagram.com/violethartley
Meet Trudy Rice, artist and textile designer
Hi I’m Trudy Rice, I am an artist and I live in Port Melbourne, Victoria. I also frequent the coastal town of Lorne on the iconic Great Ocean Road where much of my inspiration comes from. I work primarily with works on paper and enjoy depicting our native flora and fauna. I also dabble in abstract painting.
Trudy in her Studio. Photography Annette O'Brien and Styling Alana Langan
3 min read
Hi I’m Trudy Rice, I am an artist and I live in Port Melbourne, Victoria. I also frequent the coastal town of Lorne on the iconic Great Ocean Road where much of my inspiration comes from. I work primarily with works on paper and enjoy depicting our native flora and fauna. I also dabble in abstract painting.
My range of textile designs on 100% linen are a transference of my work from paper to fabric. I hope my work brings a sense of peace, calmness and connectivity with the natural world we live in.
What do you have on your work space at the moment?
It has been in my sites for some time to create an online workshop and our current global situation has given me a push to make it happen. I have been filming my second online workshop. The first one is up and running! Here is an introduction to the first workshop https://youtu.be/SVQv6LddXaU
I have also set up a small painting studio at home so I feel I’m being creative whilst helping my son to be motivated about online learning.
How would you describe your career so far and how did you get into this industry?
I’ve always been creative in some way, working with fashion designers as a model in my younger years, making jewellery, I tried my hand at being a makeup artist, going back to study art and falling in love with printmaking. I was told very early on that my work looked like it was printed on fabric so it was almost a natural progression from my works on paper.
I am now also working on some larger projects like murals and wallpaper design.
What are some of the most important/ topical issues you tackle in your work?
I am all about preserving our environment. Showing it’s beauty in my drawings and artworks, using all non-toxic materials in my studio and manufacturing locally in Australia as much as possible.
What are some things you learnt on your job that you didn’t expect to learn?
I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to technology but I never thought I’d be setting up my own website and running social media campaigns. You become a bit of a jack of all trades running your own arts business. I have slowly outsourced and this has been really important for me to keep being creative.
Last year I hired my sister who is a talented photographer and is now taking images of my homewares and writing for my social media outlets.
I have also engaged a PR agency. Once I started having more of a flow of incoming work, I really needed the help.
Do you have a typical workday?
I am much more in my creative zone in the afternoons, so I know that I’m better doing paperwork in the morning and then making art in the afternoon.
What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career?
Working out how to manage working with galleries, pricing my work, pricing larger projects and the biggest challenge has been how to pivot my business to manage through our current global situation.
Trudy drawing in the studio with some of her homewares. Photography Annette O'Brien and Styling Alana Langan
What do you do in your ‘down time’ (and do you have a guilty pleasure)?
My down-time is generally staying at home with my family, cuddled up on the couch and drinking a glass of good red wine with some stinky cheese! I am Dutch after all.
What are some of the things which inspire you?
Getting out into nature is definitely inspiring. Whether that’s in my local park or hiking in the bush.
How do you balance work/ life?
I try to keep a good diary and finish working, especially on the computer by 5pm. I like to be home to cook the dinner, have that glass of red and spend time with my family.
Best creative memory?
Gosh… there have been so many highlights, from features in a magazine, large projects coming to fruition. I love seeing my art go to a good home. Its like sending off one of your children.
I do love when I have an ah ha moment in the studio. When you hand pull a print from the printing press and you are pleasantly surprised at what has come out.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to break into the industry you are in?
Find what makes you passionate and keep making decisions whether business or pleasure that help to fuel that passion.
Meet Lilian Tran of ISĒ
Lilian Tran is the founder of ISĒ, and organic Belgian linen company which crafts timeless pieces that are crisp, luxurious and sustainable. Read about how Lilian got to do what she does, what makes her tick, and how she has cultivated her creative career.
Image: ISĒ
5 min read
Lilian Tran is the founder of ISĒ, and organic Belgian linen company which crafts timeless pieces that are crisp, luxurious and sustainable. Read about how Lilian got to do what she does, what makes her tick, and how she has cultivated her creative career.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
When I was younger, I wanted to be a fashion designer because I loved making my own clothes. I eventually studied at the Whitehouse Institute of Design and went on to work in fashion. My career was spent working in Australia for the majority of my early years, and later working in fashion capitals like London and New York, which have been some of the best years of my life career-wise and in terms of personal development.
With a busy lifestyle, I try to maintain a comfortable balance in my life. For my mental and physical health, I take pilates reformer sessions through the week, which I thoroughly enjoy. I see my family every Sunday for dinner and I make sure I have time for my partner and my friends. My weeks are busy but I stay organised and make it work.
What is your current business/creative pursuit/job?
I started ISĒ, in 2019 with the hope to create an honest business, built on an uncompromising quality standard with ethics and sustainability at the forefront.
I had been feeling disillusioned by the fashion industry since the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse and it made me question the ethics and sustainability of the fashion world I was so drawn to. This was a big part of my why. I chose to make products for the home because I came to realise how important sleep is for your well-being.
My life is pretty demanding so I place importance on maintaining a balance, recharging and sleeping well to stay healthy.
Image: ISĒ
How would you describe your career so far and how did you get into this industry?
I feel fortunate to have the opportunities I have had. Though, I also believe that it doesn’t come handed to you but is received through hard work, and maybe a little bit of luck.
My career in fashion gave me the expertise to understand the manufacturing industry well. I have been able to gain experience in small businesses, where I was able to get hands on with a lot of different areas, and larger businesses, to specialise in what I did.
When I landed my job in London, I was given the luxury of travel to meet with suppliers, go on sourcing and inspiration trips around the world on a regular basis to make my designs come to life. The skills I gained in London allowed me to specialise in what I did and gave me creative freedom.
Once my time was up in London, I made my way to Berlin to work on my portfolio and then headed to New York and landed a job there. New York was a different kind of beast that really challenged me in many ways. Upon my return to Sydney, I decided I was ready for my next challenge, to create a story of my own grounded in values I felt strongly about.
What does a typical work day look like for you?
I typically arrange my week in advance, in order of tasks of importance. I’ve learnt too well in the past that I am not productive when I have too many little things to do in the day as I lose focus. My week consists of emails, meetings, marketing, liaising with our suppliers, and admin for the most part.
Image: ISĒ linen
Image: ISĒ leather throw
What is the most important aspect of your job/ creative pursuit?
I have a responsibility to maintain the health of the business and the planet. My vision is to uphold the company’s vision and values at a high level. Every partner we take on and every employee we hire believes in our vision and values.
What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career?
Presentations were probably my biggest fear in my early days. I am more comfortable with it now, but I won’t lie, it still makes me nervous to present my work. Its definitely a great skill to have and a skill worth mastering as it’s an important part of showcasing the work you have been working on and sharing it with the people in front of you. It’s exciting but at the same time a little daunting.
Understanding how to organise your time is also very important. I find it’s great to sit down on a Sunday evening and plan for the week ahead so you know exactly what needs to be accomplished. Things don’t always go as planned, but at least you have a framework to start with.
What do you do in your ‘down time’ (and do you have a guilty pleasure)?
I enjoy my self care routine. It’s something that I have placed a focus on over the last 5 years. I have a weakness for Thai massages. It always leaves me feeling de-stressed and refreshed.
Image: ISĒ
What are some of the things which inspires you?
I am a big believer that you can be inspired by absolutely anything around you. I take inspiration from talks that I attend, galleries, travel, magazines and people.
Patti Smith continues to inspire me with her prose and her authenticity. My mentor, Gabrielle, inspires me everyday with the knowledge she shares on absolutely everything. My copywriter, Rossella, is quite possibly the kindest, most generous and humble human I know. Melinda Tually and Clare Press were the main people I turned to in the early days to learn about sustainability when it was all very new to the world many years ago. Instagram is a great source of inspiration also. Our suppliers persistence and dedication to sustainability inspires me to work with them to make a change for the world.
Best creative memory?
I was in year 5 working on a project on the planet Saturn. It was an exciting project because I was able to work on a large piece of black cardboard, write my findings in metallic coloured pens and create a work of art with silver and gold glitter. It was probably my proudest work.
What would you tell your younger self?
There is no such thing as a negative experience. Everything in life happens for a reason, so find the positive in the every bad situation and learn from this.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to break into the industry you are in?
Do your research and make sure you enter it with a lot of persistence, passion and drive. It’s the only thing that I believe will make you successful, because you’ll realise that it may take a little bit longer than you think to get to where you want to be and there’s probably not going to be a lot of money coming your way for a little while. The only way is to be realistic with your expectations. Keep it real.
Image: ISĒ
How to maximise your website during the Covid-19 crisis
Now is a time to focus more on your website and make it a major priority. As everyone is sitting at home working (or pretending to!) on their phones, you have a customer base waiting for you to adapt and allow them to continue their pre-virus habits. In a time of uncertainty, you can be one of the few parts of someone’s life that stays mostly the same.
Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels
2 min read
It’s the new weather talk - ‘what a strange time we’re in!’
One week we’re discussing which swim will be the last of the summer, the next we’re watching music live on Instagram in pj’s at home because everything in real life is cancelled. While you’re at home, let’s get your website working harder for you.
Although it’s easy to get wrapped up in the negatives (and the minutiae- how to squeeze more food into the freezer) there are opportunities for many creative businesses online. Website updates often get pushed down the daily to-do lists, because, well, there’s more pressing things to attend to.
But now is a time to focus more on your website and make it a major priority. As everyone is sitting at home working (or pretending to!) on their phones, you have a customer base waiting for you to adapt and allow them to continue their pre-virus habits. In a time of uncertainty, you can be one of the few parts of someone’s life that stays mostly the same.
Use this checklist to maximise your website for during the coronavirus crisis and beyond:
Firstly - Check your contact details are up to date and if you have a contact form test that it works!
Add an announcement banner on your website - tell people if you’re still in business, and what has changed in the customer/business interaction.
Get on social media, even if it’s been a while or you don’t usually utilise it often - you will need to get used to it and make it a new regular business habit.
If your website doesn’t currently take payments, engage a web designer to add an online store.
Update your online products, services and menus, reiterating where you can the hygiene practices you’re implementing.
Expand your online offering - add new packages, a wide range of price points, delivery options (no-contact delivery is gaining in popularity), or more payment methods.
Communicate each of these additions/changes on social media, email lists and blog.
Submit to guest blogs, articles and wherever else you can! Focus on what you can add to your people’s lives, rather than the negatives of this situation.
This period of isolation has some potential for creative small businesses. It’s an opportunity to connect with your customers in new ways and use your creativity for your business model as well as for your products.
Plus, when we’ve all come out the other side, some of us might decide we actually prefer the couch office!
Author Bio:
Candice is a web and graphic designer, and owner of Paige Digital. She helps creative small businesses translate their work into relatable brands and sustainable online businesses. Candice has extensive e-Commerce experience and loves working with passionate women to make a difference, large or small. Staying home for her means baking and gardening (and working) with her toddler.
Top five COVID-19 “glass half full” benefits to keep me sane
A message from the President
Ok, well just when we thought the kick-off to 2020 couldn’t have gotten much worse, we have suffered the unwelcome birth of COVID-19 taking over the world like an 80’s Armageddon movie. TOTALLY INSANE!!! This week I have committed to dedicating no further energy for negativity and will be attempting to enjoy some of the benefits self-isolation and working from home will bring us all.
Photo by Allie Smith on Unsplash
3 min read
A message from the President
Ok, well just when we thought the kick-off to 2020 couldn’t have gotten much worse, we have suffered the unwelcome birth of COVID-19 taking over the world like an 80’s Armageddon movie. TOTALLY INSANE!!! This week I have committed to dedicating no further energy for negativity and will be attempting to enjoy some of the benefits self-isolation and working from home will bring us all. Here are my top five COVID-19 “glass half full” benefits to keep me sane:
1. No Peak Hour Traffic
Typically I drive to Melbourne each day in hideous peak-hour traffic and am typically filled with rage after the 1hr 50mins journey. Nope - not anymore. For the unforeseeable future I will be enjoying the beautiful surrounds of my quiet surfcoast town in Victoria and partaking in regular beach walks and consumption of fresh coastal sea-breezes. Ok, so I know you may want to punch me now but seriously, most of the year you would empathise with my 18hrs of commuting so please, allow me this little gloat!
2. Home Improvements
I’ve attached a few images of the things we have done this weekend to make our home working space more serene. We painted the walls of our bedroom a cosy Dulux Wentworth blue (once Bauhaus minimalist white) which seems to have really given a kick to our prints and plants. I am lucky enough to have two office spaces to use and this weekend we did a mini make-over on both of them so we can stay sane over the coming weeks and months (insert awkward emoji).
3. Memes
If there is one positive I can take from the last few weeks is the sheer volume and quality of pant-wetting social media content in circulation. I have been saving up my favourites and have attached for your viewing pleasure (although no doubt you have seen them in high rotation anyway).
4. Leggings & El’ Natural
I’m not one to conform to social norms for the sake of it and I do proudly call myself a feminist but at the ripe age of 44, I don’t have the radiant skin I once did and do feel more human when I spruce up with a bit of make-up and actually blow-dry my hair (which is naturally mousey blonde and so thin my scalp is visible). The last few days, I have enjoyed my sans-make-up face state, the frequency of my pyjama bottoms, yoga pants and leggings. I’ve even held multi-person Zoom meetings “newsreader style” with a blazer and black T on top, and some daggy over-stretched leggings and Uggboots down the bottom. This is genius and I am not ashamed of adorning this attire during Covid-19 times. I do fear this may become a habit hard to break but for now….
5. Out of the woodworks…
I have heard from more people over the past 2 weeks than I have in 2 years! It has made me feel loved and of importance which has been reassuring. Of course, it also promoted thinking “Holy shit, I should call…. And reach out to…. And Skype…”
6. Take-away…
OK, I know I said top five but this is critically important. All my favourite restaurants down in the surfcoast are now doing free delivery or take-away and hell, what sort of community-minded person would I be if I didn’t support them and order copious amounts of Devonshire teas (not joking, I can do that now!), Italian, Japanese and Vietnamese? I have told my husband (who does 80% of the cooking) that it is our civic duty and therefore we must continue on this culinary path (insert wink and dancing girl emojis). I am anticipating significant weight gain and bank account depletion but at least I will be content and helping other small businesses stay afloat!
So this is how I will be surviving, and I hope you are too. Remember to be kind to yourself and to others. Meditate, breath and try to get outside for some fresh air and sanity. In coming weeks all of us at CWC will be looking to bring you all some new content via digital forums - be patient with us while we work out the best way to do this. Sending you all virtual toe-taps + elbow pumps!
- Amber Bonney, CWC President
Six Tips for Interacting with Customers When You are in a Unique Niche
With the recent period of uncertainty, many of us may be thinking of how we conduct our creative businesses, and how we engage with our customers and each other. Whether you are reflecting on your current practices, or devising future strategies, if you work in a unique niche, there are some things to consider for interacting with those who seek your service or product. Angela Baker explains.
Photo by bongkarn thanyakij from Pexels
4 min read
With the recent period of uncertainty, many of us may be thinking of how we conduct our creative businesses, and how we engage with our customers and each other. Whether you are reflecting on your current practices, or devising future strategies, if you work in a unique niche, there are some things to consider for interacting with those who seek your service or product. Angela Baker explains.
Companies that offer in-demand products and services – products for home and office; health and beauty-related items; clothing and accessories, software, games, technical devices, etc. have a large potential customer base and can develop a broad marketing strategy that will be spread all over the web. Even if they narrow their base, to specific age or income groups, their audience is still broad.
But what if you have a small, rather unique niche? What if you are a wedding planner? What if you are a creative writer? Suppose you are a songwriter of religious choral anthems? What if you create made-to-order wall art? What if you craft unique urns for the ashes of loved ones? You have a far smaller audience and customer base.
With that small base, you have many benefits but also some unique challenges in terms of customer interaction.
First the Benefits
There are some benefits to a small, unique niche.
1. You have a smaller customer base, and you can focus more on high-quality engagements and very personalized nurturing – via emails, responses, follow-ups. You can also accommodate specific customer service requests that may veer from the normal.
2. You don’t have as much competition as larger niches do. You can get to know your competition very well and continue to monitor their strategies and prices. Think about how many companies out there are selling furniture – those that focus only on furniture and those big-box retailers who have also gotten into the furniture business. Now, you sell custom-made furniture, made only as it is ordered. Your field of competition is far narrower. The “big boys” can’t compete with you.
3. Word of Mouth Marketing. When you have a niche market, those customers tend to talk with one another. If you have a fully gluten-free bakery, for example, that audience makes up a group that talks to one another and makes recommendations. Sam Johnson, Marketing Director for the writing service Be Graded, puts it this way:
“We provide writing help to students. In the grand scheme of things, we operate within a small niche. And students talk to each other a lot. When they ask for recommendations from each other, and we come up positive, we get more business. Our happy customers are the best marketing we have.”
4. You more easily become an “expert.” With so few in your market place, it is easier to position yourself as an expert – through your website, your blog, your social media presence, and your advertising. You can provide education on the topics that most interest your smaller audience.
5. You need fewer resources. Businesses spend a lot of money on data research to identify and understand their target audiences. With a small niche, your need to do this diminishes a lot. You can still dig into the data, but you have a very small demographic to identify and analyze. It costs far less. You also do not have to segment your audience as larger businesses do.
6. You probably enjoy your work more. When you are passionate about one smaller product or service you are providing, you do not see serving customers and marketing as drudgery. You love what you do. Plus, you get to be the big fish in the small pond.
Establishing and Maintaining Great Customer Interaction
Your success ultimately depends on how customers feel about the product or service you have provided and how they feel about you personally. All of this adds up to your reputation and how you manage it.
Here are six key factors in successful customer interaction:
1. Communication, communication, communication. Each customer or client is a “jewel.” You want to protect it, polish it, and maintain its brilliance. You want to be in continual communication with your customers from the moment they make a decision to purchase from you, through the final delivery of the product, and thereafter. For example, Top Essay Writing’s policy is to put every student and his assigned writer in direct communication throughout the process of filling that customer writing order. In the end, the student gets what he wants and is happy. With a small customer base, you can keep those lines of personal communication open and prevent misunderstandings and dissatisfaction.
2. Act as a consultant, not a salesperson. When a potential customer contacts you, do a lot of active listening and ask solid questions. You need to give hits person the impression that you are an expert, you know what you are doing, and that your role is to ensure that they get exactly what they want. You may make suggestions, provide plenty of options, etc. but always listen for their feedback.
3. Make yourself available as much as your own schedule will allow. Do not put them off. Set a definite time for a conversation if you are not immediately available. And keep that appointment, without exception.
4. Show appreciation at all times. This can be in the form of a gift, holiday cards, and even discounts on a future purchase. For example, Classy Essay provides its customers with a discount every time they return.
5. Address any concern, question, or complaint immediately. You cannot allow these things to fester, or you will ultimately lose that customer. Make it right, even if it means you earn a little less.
6. Showcase your customers on your website, in your social media posts, and even in your blog if you have one. Everyone loves a little public attention – it’s a psychological thing. And it gives you a chance to show your work as well.
It’s Really All About Relationships
Every interaction you have with a customer should have one goal – establishing, solidifying, and/or improving your relationship with them. When you stick to this goal, your business will grow.
Author Bio:
Angela Baker is a self-driven specialist who is currently working as a freelance writer/blogger for several writing services including Studyker, WriteScout and Subjecto. As well, she is an editor and blogger for what she considers to be the best online essay writing services review agency, Pick the Writer. Rounding out her current work, she also writes for LiveInspiredMagazine. Angela is passionate about her career as a writer and hopes to inspire others to do the same.
Starting a creative business when you have young children
Whether you start a side hustle at night after the kids go to bed or launch a business during maternity leave, choosing the freedom of a business or freelancing is an increasingly popular choice for women who have young children. But there are questions. A lot of them. How, exactly, does it work? When do you work, how do you work, how do you decide what type of business to start?
To answer some of these questions, we interviewed three Creative Women’s Circle members who have forged this path for themselves. They give us some behind the scenes insights into the process of starting their businesses, and how, exactly, it all works.
Kerri Hollingsworth with her daughter
5 min read
Whether you start a side hustle at night after the kids go to bed or launch a business during maternity leave, choosing the freedom of a business or freelancing is an increasingly popular choice for women who have young children. But there are questions. A lot of them. How, exactly, does it work? When do you work, how do you work, how do you decide what type of business to start?
To answer some of these questions, we interviewed three Creative Women’s Circle members who have forged this path for themselves. They give us some behind the scenes insights into the process of starting their businesses, and how, exactly, it all works.
Our interviewees
Nadine Nethery, based in Sydney with three children, runs Can Do Content. She is a copywriter who works with female entrepreneurs, helping them to find their brand persona and their ‘why’. A lot of these women are also juggling their business with family life, and it is Nadine’s mission to help them find their voice.
Nadine Nethery. Image: Sister Scout Studio
Kerri Hollingsworth runs antiquate from her home in Gippsland, Victoria . Combining two passions, one for upholstery and weaving and the other for sustainability, she uses recycled materials to create one-of-a-kind armchairs, each piece telling its own story. Kerri runs her business alongside being a mum to her three year old daughter.
Kerri Hollingsworth
Melbourne-based Tess McCabe is a familiar name in CWC circles. The previous president of the Creative Women’s Circle board runs Creative Minds Publishing, a boutique publishing company that produces and sells high-quality books and resources that provide practical advice and inspiration for creative professionals. She juggles this alongside part time work and caring for her two kids.
Tess McCabe
What prompted you to start your business?
Image: Kerri Hollingsworth
Kerri: I started out doing standard upholstery before my daughter was born, while I was working as a flight attendant. But I was getting frustrated with the amount of waste I was producing in my home and my business. I was looking at the fabric scraps— my business of upholstery art, Antiquate Artistry, came from wanting to be less wasteful. The idea just evolved. If you let it evolve then its amazing where it goes.
Image: Tess McCabe
Tess: I could say that wanted to diversify my income to incorporate products, but really I just wanted to design nice books and make all the decisions! Plus publishing is not a big money-earner (at least the way I do it!)
Nadine: The flexibility, and being able to do what I love. Corporate life isn’t for me.
How did you get started?
Image: Sister Scout Studio
Nadine: Like many female business owners I started my business as a side gig, around my day job in corporate events in communications. One of those boring days in the office I decided to give it a go. At the time I had two kids and was working full time. I thought, no pressure, and see how it goes. Then I got to the point where I almost had too much work, and went on maternity leave with my third child and have been working on Can Do Content since then.
Kerri: I was on maternity leave from my job as a flight attendant and when I was waiting to get the call to go back for retraining, I thought I would just give the upholstery business a go. Qantas called a few months later, but by then I had got into a magazine and had a front cover feature, had held an exhibition and I had three orders – one for eight chairs. I decided to leave flying. It was a really hard decision, but I couldn’t ignore the feeling, it was like my heart was bursting. And I knew I couldn’t combine flying and being away with motherhood.
Tess: It started unofficially through self-publishing Conversations with Creative Women in 2011, and was formalised into a company in 2014.
Image: Tess McCabe
What obstacles and challenges have you faced?
Tess: Books need marketing to sell, so once the book is produced, while there is no more ‘making’, you have to find time to keep on top of marketing. Finding time is always a challenge!
Nadine: Probably confidence – imposter syndrome. I know I can write, I have a background in marketing, I know there is a need for my services but I still questioned myself. The self doubt and wondering if I’m good enough.
Kerri: I think the biggest challenge was probably my mindset. I’ve always been a really positive person, but you can’t help the fears that come up where you wonder if people think it’ll be silly, I’m constantly working to quiet those little voices that say ‘you’re stepping outside the norm’. A lot of us a fear of success because then people might react in a certain way.
What are the pros and cons to running a business vs having a job when you have a family?
Nadine: As a mum the paid sick days are a pro of a job. Whereas in your business everything stops and comes to a halt. You need a big support network if you have a deadline, partner, family and friends that can help. But the flexibility and the reward for finding a passion that you happen to get paid for, rather than showing up to an office everyday to get paid for something that you don’t want to do are the highlights of having your own business. And I love that no day is the same, no client ever has the same story.
Kerri: Financially having your own business there is more pressure. With a job you turn up and do your job and you go home and you know you’ll be paid. There was so much I loved about flying, but I know not being in the job I remember the good and not the hard parts – like the 23rd hour you’ve been awake and you still have to drive home.
Tess: I was running my own business as a graphic designer for various clients before having kids, so working for myself on my own books meant that I didn’t have external deadlines, only my own. But the money is different when you have a product-based business vs a service-based business. Time is not the only outlay and there is more financial risk.
How do you structure your business around your family?
Image: Tess McCabe
Tess: Because I’m mostly the primary carer (and I have a p/t job) and my husband works full time, I use one weekend day when he is home to concentrate on my business. Outside of that, it’s night times.
Nadine: Before going on maternity leave, I worked on my lunchbreak, and then also in the evenings. I tried to keep the weekends free. At the moment its during naptime and the evenings and I still try not to work on the weekend.
Kerri: It looks different everyday – when my daughter was younger, it was a bit easier, because I would go into my workshop and work while she was sleeping. Nowadays when I’m working, if she wants to stay with me and I have to keep going, then she loves to help so I’ll give her something to do alongside me. I’ll set up a little loom and she’ll weave alongside me. I try and include her in everything so she doesn’t feel like she’s excluded. I hope that she sees it more as we’re playing together rather than ‘mummy’s at work’. We go on walks around our property if need be to reset. The two days she’s in daycare I do the things that I need to do that I can’t be interrupted for.
Final words of advice
Image: Sister Scout Studio
Kerri: The main thing is to remember who you are. It’s so easy for mums to lose touch with yourself. If you’ve got a bit of an idea, don’t say its silly, because the voices that say that are just trying to keep you safe. Push through that because its really worth it. Your children and family fill your heart in one way but having your own purpose – they don’t take from each other if you give each their space.
Nadine: Don’t wait for the perfect moment, if I waited for the perfect moment it wouldn’t have happened. If you have that underlying passion and desire for something, just do it. If you think too much then you can always find a reason not to do it. Just give it a go and the worst that can happen is it doesn’t work out. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Don’t listen to the mum guilt, something has to give, if the dishes aren’t done, whatever, its going to be ok.”
Tess: It takes a village! Utilise and ask for help. And don’t be too hard on yourself – businesses can evolve as your kids grow.
Connect with Nadine, Kerri and Tess on Instagram:
Bec Mackey is a freelance feature writer who has worked in the media industry for over fifteen years. She writes about wellbeing, work, personal development and parenting, and when she can muster the energy and courage, she writes about Things That Matter. Connect with Bec via Instagram or at www.becmackey.com