Jenny Staniforth is the founder of JS Events, a company that she founded after years of experience in the industry and to further her love for seeing the reactions of her clients when she delivered an awe inspiring event. She plans luxury weddings and events throughout the UK and is a true creative.
At JS Events they take the stress away from you and can plan the ultimate event, right down to the finer detail. With Jennifer at the helm, there is nothing that is impossible. We spent some time with her to find out more…
Tell us the story that led you to launching your brand, JS Events… JS Events has always been my end goal. I had always planned on starting my own luxury wedding and events agency so I had been working on my company products, vision and values for what seems like forever. I knew the events industry was the field I wanted to work in from a young age, in reality however I knew that without gaining some valuable experience I wouldn’t know how to start an events company, so that’s exactly what I did, I went to university and after graduating swiftly moved to London where I gained 7 years of valuable experience. My husband and I then decided to move out of London and move closer to our families in the midlands, this move gave me the perfect opportunity to start my own company, whereas before I had always been pursuing my career within other agencies it suddenly felt like the right time to go solo.
Although this has been a somewhat daunting decision it is one that I have been preparing for, for years with the reward of working with individuals and facilitating my clients as I see fit and to my high standards. It is a decision I am glad I made!
Looking back since launching the brand, is there anything you would do differently? Not really, it has been my dream for a long time and I was just waiting for the opportune moment to branch out on my own, it feels good to have finally done it, I am sure in years to come I will look back and be able to recount a million things I would have done differently but right now I am just proud that I have taken that leap and that it is working.
To date, what has been your proudest event and why? I think my proudest event is actually an early event that I ran around the Monaco Grand Prix. My agency decided to go bigger and better in the second year of me running the event and I have to say I was insanely proud of myself for pulling off the race weekend. It really cemented the fact that I was in the right field as it didn’t feel like work, I just loved it. Of course there were stressful hair raising moments but a solution was always found and we pushed on. It was great!
Where do you get your creative ideas from and how do you stay on trend? I stay on trend by researching, reading blogs and seeing what my suppliers are posting on social media. These ideas then spark me and together with my suppliers I create something very personal for my couples/clients. It is very rewarding when everything comes together on the day and you see the vision that we all had in our heads come to life.
Talk us through an average day in your life? I don’t have set hours, I am on call for my clients 24 hours a day so an average day in my world ranges quite dramatically, however I would say that I spend the majority of my time negotiating, talking and meeting with suppliers. I like to be out and about so where I can I will go to the venue or supplier to discuss a client’s needs. I also spend time with my clients on site visits, food tastings etc. The rest of my time is ideally spent outside walking our dog or with my husband.
The events industry was hit hard due to Covid, how did you pivot to make sure you survived? Having recently launched JS Events prior to COVID, COVID was a bit of a tough blow, however it did allow me to spend quality time on my website, social media and brand presence in general. I also spent a lot of time creating a strong marketing strategy to ensure that I could hit the ground running once we returned to a sense of normality, ensuring that I could recoup the costs that I had lost in the postponed & cancelled events that I had committed to in 2020. This appears to have worked with enquiries, weddings and events now picking up. 2021 and 2022 look like they are going to be very busy!
What motivational quote do you like to read when you are lacking motivation? I don’t really have a motivational quote that I read, but if I am feeling low I like to think about all the positive things in my life, of which I am very lucky and there are many. This normally picks me back up again and relights my motivation.
How do you see the business evolving over the next 5 years? In the next 5 years I would hope that JS Events is a highly trusted and award winning agency that has cemented itself within the industry both nationally and internationally.
What does self care mean to you? Having suffered with mental health in the past, self care is very important to me. To me self care means finding time for yourself, switching off and de-stressing, putting down your phone and any other distractions and relaxing, spending time with loved ones and making sure you actually make the time to do the things you enjoy. if you can establish a good work/life balance, then hopefully happiness will follow.
Find out more and follow JS Events who can be found at the following places:
Caroline is the founder of Cotton Stories, a brand that was created when she was pregnant and had a scan of her belly to see if the little baby was well, which it thankfully was. In all the excitement over the good news, she forgot to ask to get the picture from the scan. Now sitting by the window looking out, the only thing occupying her thoughts was the beautiful silhouette she had seen on the screen. A healthy bouncing little baby with a strong heartbeat. It was an emotional meeting with her, yet unknown, daughter to be. A memory she wanted to last for a lifetime.
It was this special moment that encouraged her to launch Cotton Stories, where she creates unique paintings for unique moments. Each painting is one of a kind and crafted by hand, down to the very last brush stroke. The painting is embossed to guarantee that is a genuine Cotton Stories artwork, and it receives a hand-signed label as a final touch from the artist herself.
We were inspired by her story and went to find out more…
Tell us about the journey that lead you to launching Cotton Stories…
After my scan, I grabbed my paintbrush and tore off a piece of paper from the nearest sketch pad, and started to draw a mental picture of the very first meeting with my yet unknown daughter to be. And that’s where it all began, although I didn’t know it then, but when the requests for my sonogram paintings increased I decided to go all in and start my own business. It’s crazy to think that my very first painting, of my own daughter, was the birth of Cotton Stories and I now paint to people from all over the world.
What is an average day in your life like?
I would say that no day is the same. People often ask me how I can find the time to run Cotton Stories and at the same time be a mother of two. I guess the answer is, if you have a passion and want it to work, you make it work. I got pregnant with my second child just by the time Cotton Stories started to expand and bloom, so I had to work extra hard and focused. It was important to construct a solid foundation in order for the company to keep on growing even though I had less time. I’ve gone from working day and night to finding a balance and a daily structure to be a mother and a businesswoman at the same time.
What does self care mean to you?
I love learning new ways to be creative. The main thing that I always come back to is that I love experimenting with watercolors. It can be anything from blending skin tones to creating various landscapes using different techniques. Whenever I get stuck or feel like I am lacking inspiration I close the door behind me, put on my headphones, turn on some music and just start painting. Since I paint the sonograms daily, which are very detailed and tailored to perfection, it’s a great contrast to just do the complete opposite. It works every time! Before I know it, it is all there. The inspiration, the creativity, the ideas, and motivation to do what I am supposed to do. But trust me, it has not been there all along. It’s been years of searching within myself to understand who I am, as an artist, and what I need in my life to be able to stay creative.
Growing up, I was always known as “the girl who could draw” because I spend most of my time drawing on every notebook I got a hold of. As I grew older, I became aware of that producing art is something I could not be without. It was more than just a hobby, it was an essential part of me that grew bigger for each year. Today I know that I am not happy if I’m not creative. I need it to be the best version of myself and that’s probably why I decided to become an artist as a profession.
What reaction do you get from the mums that purchase your work?
This is my favorite part of creating these paintings. The response I get from mothers all over the world is amazing. I am especially humbled to those mothers who reach out to me asking if I can create a portrait of their lost child. It can be from early miscarriage or as late as stillborn at 39 weeks. I especially remember this one story where a woman lost her baby at 29 weeks. She wanted me to create a painting in memory of her child. She later got back to me to let me know that she was glad she turned her sonogram image into a painting. It helped her in the grieving process and now she looks at the sonogram painting differently. She had turned it into something beautiful, just as her baby. She wanted me to discreetly add angel wings to her image to remind her that she didn’t lose her child, it just turned into an angel that she now carried in her heart forever. Reading stories like this and to be able to be part of something that big and emotional is something I am very humbled and proud over. Since I create each painting by hand I am able to tailor each painting after the customers wishes. It is through stories like this they all become an important and natural part of our product development.
Where do you see your brand in 5 years time?
The company, Cotton Stories, is at a very exciting stage now and we’re extremely thrilled for the next few years. Already this fall or early next spring we will introduce new products, which I unfortunately can’t tell you about right now. All the products will, of course, have the obvious Cotton Stories touch of high quality and design. We are eager to take our brand to the next level and our new products will become a must have element in every nursery.
During Covid19, what changes did you have to make to your business?
All businesses around the world have been affected by this pandemic in various ways and so even we. We, at Cotton Stories, learned that in order to survive, we need to work harder and work collaboratively. I think that has a deeper meaning, not just for businesses, but for society as a whole. We only survive if we work together and support each other during tough times.
We were forced to see things from another perspective, shift focus a little bit, and cherish every small step of success. The biggest challenge we have had during this period is shipping. All the materials we use in our products are made locally in Sweden, but our customers are worldwide, so we’ve worked hard to make sure that all paintings arrive safely to the customers. During a global lockdown, there have been some huge delays, but we decided to put extra money in to ensure the customer a safe delivery, they all arrived.
How much does social media play a role in your business?
Social media is what has gotten us this far. It is a platform that allows us to communicate our brand and our products in a way which was impossible only a few years ago.
We have built Cotton Stories through instagram and close collaboration with influencers to reach people all over the world. Since every painting is unique there are so many beautiful and inspiring stories behind them. We’ve become like a community for mothers and mothers to be. We want to cheer them on and tell them how incredibly strong they are but also share the moments that aren’t picture perfect.
We believe that the love you get, is equal to the love you give. Therefore we do not pay people to collaborate with us. We work with influencers who truly love our product and cherish it as much as we do and want to share us with their audience. Sure we could climb faster if we paid people to like us. But that is not what we believe in. Our products are genuine and unique. We put down a lot of heart and soul in this company so we want the people who collaborate with us to feel the same way.
With the slow return to a new way of life coming our way we begin to reconsider our priorities. We believe that we must continue to pitch in where we can and find new ways of working together for the greater good.
So out of the lessons learned during lockdown of a young, creative and resourceful family in the leafy suburbs of London, comes ZaZaBoom!
A new-found charity-inspired business which is driven by fund-raising for charities in crisis. Their first fundraising mission was to simply make something to sell and to be able to donate funds to get PPE to the NHS heroes and frontline workers. And so the story began with one simple pattern which Karen cut, to make a face-mask as a labour of love. Within just weeks demand grew to such an extent that local volunteers joined Karen’s venture and dusted down their sewing machines to meet the orders coming in and to generate the funds for the NHS.
This is gifting with purpose. Plus, Karen is one of the coolest women we’ve stumbled across in a while so we couldn’t wait to find out more. Here, she chatted to #TeamCoco to tell us more…
Tell us about the journey that lead you to launching Zaza Boom!
The London lockdown began like it did for many others: Our highly active family of four beaming with optimism, creativity and excess energy in need of channeling. Had it not been for the accidental stumbling upon our charitable destiny for the front-line workers, we may not have survived the 3 full months with our sanity intact.
As our sequestered existence began to sink in, our attention naturally turned towards the basic practicalities of food, foraging and the never-ending question of how we could protect ourselves from this looming and invisible virus. My husband, dry humoured and sarcastic in even in the worst of times, informed me that I had been elected to find a way to up-cycle a handful of bullet-proof facemasks made with vacuum cleaner bags, clearly his time had been spent watching YouTube lockdown hacks.
Never being one to cower to a challenge, I gave it a bit of thought and consulted my quick-witted team of advisors: Ava, 6 and Coco, 9. We decided the best move forward was to first start our search for fabrics in the confines of our poorly-lit garage…
I was not in any way handy with a sewing machine before lockdown, and I was lucky to locate my dusty old Singer relic from beneath a stack of boxes. As with most challenges, I tend to hurl myself unwittingly into the unknown and the results are usually a mix of mayhem and regret. The attempt to master the art of face-mask-making was indeed no different. In the early days of isolation, supplies were minimal, and one had to rely on the resources at hand which did not involve the go-to Amazon-Prime. One rather fortuitous perk of my 30-year career as a clothing designer was that I had slowly accrued a sprawling web of worthless memorabilia which included scraps of fabrics, trims, threads and many other artefacts of my past. Apart from the treasure trove of prints, we also stumbled upon a box full of coloured underwear elastics that we decided to use for the masks, and anyone that was trying to make facemasks during lockdown will know that the elastic was the holy grail of scarce components. So that’s it, we made a few terrible ones, then a few mediocre ones and eventually we managed to make a facemask which was actually functional to wear and share. We thought our masks were quite unique and felt like they might actually spread a bit of joy, rather than the usual gloom one normally associates with protective face masks.
And perhaps we could even sell a few of them to our friends, who were looking for ways to protect their families, and donate the proceeds to the front-line workers of the NHS heroes. Like everyone else trapped in their homes with little to do but wait, the front-line workers came to symbolise the hope of our existence and we all tried to imagine how bewildering it must have been for them going in, day after day, to fight an invisible and deadly enemy. It made for many sobering and honest conversations with our little girls and eventually they came to see all nurses and doctors as crusading superheroes for good. I would imagine that their generation will see a spike in university applications looking to pursue careers in the health care field, due to these powerful early impressions made on them during lockdown. Another hopeful silver lining for the kids of lockdown.
The ultimate success of our project was due to two things: the generosity of our global donors and a fortuitous decision to use our colourful and joy generating prints. For whatever reason we had an unprecedented response to our mask making and we found ourselves trying to keep up, day by day. We were making masks every night until past midnight, and we were back up again at 7am to start all over again. Eventually we were brought to our knees and had to reach out via the popular Next-Door App to see if we could find volunteers to help us make the masks, as demand was overtaking our production process!
This led us to the next unexpected chapter of the discovery: the local community, heaving with charitable and dynamic people from all walks of life, from young to old and everyone in between. This new collaboration for a shared goal, brought a very unsuspecting group of people together, close in mind and spirit to keep the venture on track.
A group WhatsApp handle was created, called the NHS Sewing Bee and we used it to coordinate who was making what… for whom … and where on the planet it was going. It wasn’t until Week 5 that things began to get truly unsustainable when we began to run out of our small lots of fabrics and trims. We were challenged, as we did not want to renege on our offer to the donors and we also wanted to continue raising money for the workers.
Our only option to continue was to turn to cutting up fully made garments that were made for a business in the pipeline. It felt cringeworthy at first but then we quickly realised that we could get a whopping 30-40 masks out of one dress, and once we even managed to squeeze 21 masks out of a printed pair of leggings. So, in the end, we did indeed reach our goal of raising £10,000 for the front-line workers for the NHS and we used 100% of the funds to invest in PPE equipment from a resource that thankfully gave us everything at cost. The grand total of what we were able to buy, was 2600 highest-grade surgical gowns and 4500 K95 respirator masks. As the venture took on its own format and momentum, a seed of an idea started to take hold of my mind…
It was few weeks later and 10,000 hours invested into learning how to build a stylish and cool website, that a new picture started to take shape. We were able to launch the first charity-inspired lifestyle brand. We kept the name ZaZaBoom! which my husband had come up with, and we decided to continue donating 100% of all profits for, at least the first 200 days from launch, then going to 25% of the profits in perpetuity.
Our goal is to support charities suffering as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our efforts will be spread across several areas and we plan to continue our mission for the NHS workers until it is no longer needed. We will also soon be announcing a unique collaboration with a new initiative to re-employ many of the homeless by retraining them as NHS support staff. We are also partnering with local food banks to help were we can in the worst hit areas.
Created to support charities in crisis, you are donating 100% of profit to different causes. Why was this important to you?
We were looking to find ways that we could continue being useful, and the natural answer seemed to be to channel our energy and creativity into making lovable, likeable products to incentivise people to buy something unique, made in the UK, while at the same time being able to raise funds and allow us to take our profits and #giftiton to charities in crisis. The facemasks will also stay at the core of the venture, as they generate 100% of the profits for the charities and continue to be made by our community of wonderful volunteers. We now ship our masks for FREE to anywhere in the world to #spreadthelovenotthevirus and to #wearthedamnmask
You believe that the best luxury in life is the luxury of giving. We love that ethos! You have had the whole family involved in this project: how do you plan on evolving the brand over time?
We are all in love with this poignant expression as it seems to perfectly express the essence of what ZaZaBoom! is all about. We discovered that dedicating ourselves to helping others was the most fulfilling thing that we’ve ever done, and by far our greatest luxury. It felt like a great privilege to be a part of something far bigger than ourselves. It’s not only provided us with a positive and productive purpose during lock-down, but it has also allowed us to meet the most incredible group of kindhearted new friends along the way. We expect that we have a long road of healing ahead of us and we just hope that we can continue being useful with our efforts.
The irony is that the surrendering of your heart and time for others can prove to be the most fulfilling and noteworthy thing you will ever spend your life and money on.
What roles do you each play in the company?
That’s a funny question. I consider Ava, 6, Coco, 9 and myself to be co-founders but sadly I’ve been recently informed that I am the only that can sew, design, draw, cook, build a website and therefore I’m in charge of everything. One of most transformative and fulfilling parts of our lockdown legacy has been observing my eldest daughter Coco become massively more confidant in herself. We rather ridiculously hosted our own live shows every Saturday night on Facebook during lockdown. We called it The Saturday Night Love Show for the NHS. We had a loose and home-grown format where we honoured the NHS heroes of the week, the volunteers of the week, and also, we did shout-outs to our donors of the week, who were buying collectable pieces to raise funds. It was all quite surreal, but the most surprising bit was how confidant and animated our little Coco became on camera. Her whole face lit up when the LIVE button started to flash and she was thrilled to chat, joke, do shout outs and one time even did her trademark handstand in the middle of our show. A 30-minute show of Coco and me, camera shy, sitting awkwardly next to her and holding on for dear life. Any parent would have been beaming with pride but I was mostly amazed of how that experience created a massive shift in her shyness levels. The best result was that she managed to create a joyful and hilarious distraction for the 1000’s of people who watched our weekly show. We’ve heard from 100s of followers and friends since we stopped our shows, that dearly miss their weekly dose our madcap ZaZaBoom! show, and yes mostly Coco. We’ve given her a temporary leave of absence to return to the innocence of her celebrity-free childhood and also ensure that we don’t encourage her peaking in her career as a newscaster too early. She even came up with her own hilarious and memorable “sign-off” that she delivered at the end of every weekly show. Coco’s signature “sign off” later became the inspiration behind our iconic ZaZaBoom! logo which inspired our dear friend Lee, founder of the graphic and branding agency Felix and Friends, to wake up in the middle of the night having dreamt of the perfect graphic equivalent to Coco’s signature outburst, which was ZazaaaaaBBBBBOOOMMMM!
We love the patterns on the products, who creates the designs?
I create all of the illustrations and then transform them on photoshop to all over patterns. I have no formal training as a textile designer and have just learned along the way, picking up different things here and there, watching online “pattern repeat” tutorials until my brain baked with frustrations and then one day it just clicked. Since that milestone, I began designing collections, and searching for my unique signature as a textile designer. It took nearly 3 years to finally stand back and say, yes, that it, that’s my “trademark & signature” and this is when I created my first pattern The Gastby Girls, inspired by my beautiful late mum Nancy. It was this first print that I decided to launch our new ZaZaBoom! charity inspired brand. I also included her close mates The Bombshell Girls, Martini Extra Olives Please and the ever-iconic and timeless Crown Jewels. Aside from my family, this is my greatest passion and love, to draw and create whimsical and joy generating patterns
Since launching the brand, what has been your proudest moment?
I think it was seeing the breathtaking results of the campaign photo shoot we did at our house with an absolute dream-team of talent, who all donated their time for the love of the cause. It was a day that we will never ever forget. We even managed to get our super model on top of our house for our most dream like shot.
Looking back, is there anything you would do differently?
Probably not. Although it was tough balancing everything with 2 young girls, homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, it all did sort of come about organically. Sometimes trying to control and perfect everything around us greatly reduces the possibility for magical and unexpected results.
What does self-care mean to you?
I think it means looking after oneself so that you are able to look after others later?
For any aspiring entrepreneurs wanting to launch in you field, what advice would you offer?
I’d encourage anyone to give a thought to the #giftiton concept and choose to Create-to-Donate. Strangely you end up getting back far more than you have given, in terms of love, kindness and karma.
What has been the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Probably that the “idle mind is the devil’s playground.” So, in other words, keep busy when things get tough.
Snug inside Flat White, a coffee shop positioned on a bustling market street in Soho, I caught up with the ray of sunshine that is Elle Adams, or, as her trusty social media clan know her best, The Elle Next Door. Clutching hot coffees, we delved into her words of wisdom for those wanting to make themselves known on social media, as she traversed topics including trolling, influences and how it all began.
Across her various platforms – YouTube, Instagram and TikTok – Elle, who has an Instagram following of 108,000 and millions of video views, is a pop of colour, with a fantastic aesthetic flowing throughout.
How did you choose the name, Elle Next Door?
Elle: I remember being 19 and sat in my living room with my family and I thought ‘right, I want something like girl next door, something chilled. Maybe it’ll rhyme with Elle?’ I think my dad suggested Gossip Elle because I loved Gossip Girl; but I wasn’t a fan. I can’t remember what happened really, but I thought I was quite girl next door-y type, and then it just sort of stuck.
How did you build your following?
It took me around a year to build my following and I’ve never really had overnight growth like some people do. It was always so gradual for me. Zoella shouted me out and in 24 hours I had 12,000 followers. That was the only time I had a big boost. Instagram was a different time then. It was a lot easier to build a following than it is now.
How did you decide on your bright and popping aesthetic?
It looks like a rainbow has thrown up everywhere! Colour wasn’t popular when I started and I’m always in colour. I posted one picture which was literally a rainbow and people just liked it. I think that at the time it was cool to be neutral. The more I did in colour; the more people became engaged. I really found my passion creating that type of content. It became one of my things: London, flowers and colours. Once I’d discovered my niche, I experienced my biggest growth in followers. A lot of people say they come to my page because it makes them happy, how nice is that?
Do you ever get negative comments? How do you deal with them?
I think that everyone, at some point, if you’ve done it for long enough, will get negative comments. I really don’t get that many. When I get comments they’ll be things like ‘this looks photoshopped.’ Sometimes it does affect me; if it’s really savage, I find it quite funny but if it’s personal it can make you think ‘oh, did I offend you?’. On the whole, I’m really lucky and I have a lot of friends with much bigger followings than me that get a lot of negativity.
Do you post every day?
Oh, no. Maybe around three or four times a week, because I feel like I’m focusing on so many other things now that I wouldn’t be able to go out and create a picture a day. I deleted my app, which I do quite often, and when I went back on, I had all of these DM’s and I felt really bad.
I found that, without even knowing I was doing it, I’d open my phone and go straight to Instagram, so I just had to delete it. Even if you don’t think that things are affecting you, in the background, without you really realising it, you do compare yourself to others. Sometimes I need to just delete the app and focus on what I’m doing.
Your outfit choices are amazing – what’s the inspiration behind them?
I tend to, yes, it’s sad that I’m aware of this, picture where I’m going to shoot and then match the outfit to it. I get it wrong all the time. I think the funniest thing about Instagram is that people will scroll back and like pictures from three years ago and I’m like ‘oh god’! I went through a stage of trying to make everything colourful, all the time. Sometimes I’d just pick out really obscure things for the sake of being colourful and it was an interesting time, let’s just say that.
Who are your biggest inspirations on Instagram?
There’s a girl who has a massive following called Marta Sierra and she travels a lot and is so much fun. In every picture she looks like she’s having the time of her life and I see a picture and it makes me feel happy. So, people like her! From a fashion point of view there’s so many people – my whole phone is full of thousands of screenshots.
Which are the best brands that you’ve worked with?
Tourism boards are always the best ones for me. For them to trust you to go to a different country and show it in its best light is amazing, really. I used to work with Primark all the time and River Island as well, they were one of my favourite brands growing up. I’ve worked with Starbucks as well, and Spotify. My all-time favourite job was working with Gray’s Anatomy, promoting the new series. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love the show, I’ve watched the whole thing through four times.
What are your plans for the future?
I’d like to start doing more presenting this year. I went to a YouTube conference recently and hosted a chat with Joe Sugg. Suddenly the room was filled with 600 people! That was an amazing platform because MTV and Facebook were in the room. It went down really well apparently, so I’d love to do some more of that kind of thing.
You can discover the beauty of Elle’s feed at @ellenextdoor
Family owned, Arabella Baby is the brand that makes life easier for busy families. RossAnne is at the helm after acquiring the business a couple of years ago when she spotted an opportunity she couldn’t refuse. She has since taken things to the next level and her story is one that inspired us.
We spent some time with RossAnne to find out more about her plans for the brand, how she juggles her hectic schedule and more…
Tell us about the journey that lead you to launching Arabella Baby…
At the end of 2018 I began looking at the idea to build an Amazon business. As I was learning about how to build an Amazon business the opportunity to purchase some inventory from a woman that no longer wanted to be in the business came up and I jumped at the chance to take over Arabella Baby. She had only been working on it for about 8 months, so it was just the bare bones of a business, but I was excited to “sink my teeth” into a new venture. I quickly decided to build the brand on and off Amazon.
You’re a busy mum, how do you get the balance right between work and home life?
I’m definitely not perfect at this, but I do my best!
I work at home, so for me the number one thing to is communicate with my family! I tell my husband and 9-year-old son when I will be unavailable because of a business call or other meeting and allow myself to be flexible throughout the day if they need me.
I also take time for self-care EVERYDAY! This includes, scripture study, prayer/meditation, exercise or a walk/hike, and a shower;) I also carve out time for personal “maintenance” i.e., hair, lash, and wax appointments. I am a “mature” woman in my late 40s and have learned that reducing stress is the most important thing we women can do for our health, which is the most important tool in my business. I have a “rest and relaxation” mindset. That means I do what I can to reduce the feelings of stress in my life by walking, spending time with friends, spa days (which has been tough this year!), take a 10-30 minute nap (yes this is a tool I use daily!), take a bath or long shower, and anything else that relaxes my body and mind. Hobbies are another great tool. I love putting puzzles together and am currently working on a 42,000-piece puzzle! I usually work on it in the evening before going to bed. Taking a walk, especially in nature, is a fantastic way to reduce stress and lower cortisol levels in women, which does a handful of wonderful things for our health.
A daily task list is a life saver. I love to use the Google Keep app. I also tend to do things on a schedule like planning meals on Sunday, running errands at the same time during the day (for me that is around 2p.m. on the days that I need to go), and going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning.
I also take Sundays completely off. A day of rest from work is a great way to re-charge and re-focus for the week.
Another valuable tool I use to stay balanced is writing in my journal before I go to bed. This settles my mind and helps me sleep.
For any mums wanting to launch their own business, what advice would you give?
I think the biggest key is to look at your skills, gifts, and talents, and choose a business that allow you to shine in those areas and then decide what areas you will need help. Are you a great leader? Can you motivate people as a motivational speaker? Do you excel at public speaking or speaking in general? Can you network easily? What types of activities do you LOVE doing and would you be able to make money selling what you do/make or teaching others how to do/make? These are just a FEW of the questions I would ask.
There are so many types of viable business options that narrowing down the one you want to start can be daunting. Throughout my adulthood I have had numerous businesses, so I am pretty clear on my strengths and weaknesses. I’ve had a few business failures that taught me valuable information about myself. Don’t be afraid of the failure!
I’m also a believer in taking action. Don’t get stuck in “analysis paralysis”. If you have an idea for a business, just start and see where the journey takes you. If it doesn’t work the way you thought it would, most likely it will lead you to another opportunity that is just as great or even better than you thought!
I’m of the belief that God will direct my path, but only if I’m moving. I often think of this quote, “You cannot move a parked car.” Even if the car is barely moving, it can be steered. Just take the next step over and over!
What has been the biggest learning curve since launching the business?
The biggest learning curve in my current business has been marketing and branding. Most of the businesses I’ve been involved in were direct sales where the marketing and branding were done by the company. My husband and I had our own mortgage business years ago that we branded and marketed, but not to the scale I wanted for Arabella Baby. I’ve had to learn how to brand and market my own label this time and it’s been very challenging, but also very fun!
How do you want mums to feel when they buy from you?
I want mums and dads to feel uplifted, motivated and supported by my brand. That is our purpose behind EVERYTHING we do.
Talk us through an average day in your life…
As soon as I wake up, I start with scripture study. This usually takes about 10 minutes, followed by prayer/meditation and then going over my to-do list for the day.
Then I put my workout clothes on and make my son breakfast.
3 days a week: a quick 15-20 minute workout followed by a walk or hike (sometimes on my treadmill if the weather is not permitting an outdoor walk/hike).
Other days: 60 minute walk/hike outside if possible or on treadmill.
Shower and dress for the day.
Time to sit at my computer and get to work.
I have a balanced smoothie for breakfast around 11.
Around 2 p.m. I fulfill orders and drop them off for delivery. Then I run any needed errands. (This is a part of the business that I will hire out as we grow.)
I also eat a balanced lunch before I leave, which usually includes a high-quality protein bar or grab-n-go snack pack (these are sold in the US and include a portion of cheese, sliced meat and nuts).
Around 5 p.m. I start preparing to make dinner. Eating well is a HUGE part of being successful, so I take time to prepare a meal every day except Friday and Saturday when we eat out. If I ever find that taking time to prepare a meal isn’t feasible in my schedule, that will be the time to hire help in my business.
My inventory is made in China, so there are times when I need to communicate with my suppliers after dinner because they are 14 hours ahead. They are typically starting work around 6 p.m. my time.
Looking back, is there anything you would do different since launching the brand?
There are lots of things I wish I had not spent capital on like marketing programs that didn’t net any noticeable sales. When I started, I was searching for anything that would help me be successful at marketing the brand, so I paid for a lot of “expert” programs. What I’ve learned is that marketing takes time and it’s ideal to be marketing EVERYWHERE! Also, it’s best to invest in the experts to do the marketing for me instead of trying to learn it myself!
How much has Covid19 impacted you?
My biggest month so far was May 2020! Lots of people were home shopping and my bundles in a box are perfect to send to new parents!
At this point there are only two members of my Arabella team, me and my Marketing Manager, Madison, who lives in another state in the US, so we did not have to make any changes to be physically safe.
Other than that, the biggest impact has been my supply chain. It has taken a lot longer to replenish my inventory from factories in China slowing down, to shipping issues. Our family has not been directly impacted by the virus, thankfully, so other than being home a lot more, our lives have not changed very much. My heart goes out to the millions around the world who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is to be very aware of my thoughts and work hard to maintain thoughts that empower and strengthen me. I listen to self-help books on a regular basis and this is a theme that comes up over and over. Our thoughts direct our whole life. If we think sick thoughts, we will be sick. If we think healthy thoughts, we will be healthy. If we let our thoughts “go” and direct our lives, we will not end up where we want to be. It is the toughest work in the world to take charge of our thoughts, but it the most valuable work in the world!
Where can people find out more…
You can find out more about our products at arabellababy.com. We’re on the social @arabellababyco. We do our best to create uplifting, entertaining content so come join our club!
Michelle and Wayne are the dynamic duo behind Reiju, a brand that started out following Michelle’s fascination with crystals. Right back when her eldest was starting school in 2014, she felt like she was ready to achieve something new in her life. With her love for crystals, Reiki, angels and spiritualism, she decided it was time to learn as much as possible about these.
Now Michelle is a qualified Reiki Practitioner and Crystal Healing Therapist and nothing gives her more pleasure than being able to help people on a daily basis by sharing the wonderful, positive healing energy that is Reiki & Crystal Healing energy. Here at House of Coco you know we’re about the good vibes only, so when we stumbled across this brand we just had to find out more. We spoke to Michelle to find out more about her plans for the future and so much more…
How has Covid-19 Impacted Your Business?
Our initial thought was that we needed to keep our team safe as a priority so we told our staff to stay at home while Wayne ran the business alone. I was at home with the children so Wayne kept everything going single-handedly, from sending out the orders, to dealing with the many customer queries, accounts, paperwork etc. He has been working until late at night for seven days a week since the start of lockdown which has been really exhausting for him both physically and mentally.
At first we were really worried that customers would simply not want to shop at all, as it really started to quieten down but luckily it picked up again as people realised that we would still be able to operate safely online, and I’m so glad we were able to because people tend take comfort in crystals during stressful times especially.
What does self-care mean to you?
Time alone! My mind is always chattering away at me so I love to listen to music or read books to quiet my mind; I find this very soothing.
Obviously at the moment it has been a lot harder to find a quiet moment in the day so as an alternative I enjoy taking the dog for a walk as I find being outside in nature very calming.
Looking back since launching the brand is there anything that you would have done differently?
No, I don’t think so because everything that we have experienced has led us to where we are right now. We have learnt a lot and evolved and grown as people not just as a business.
If there was anything at all, I would say worry a little less and have more faith because what is meant to be will always find a way.
You are a Wife, Mother and Business Owner, how do you get the balance right to make sure no areas in your life are neglected?
Well nobody is perfect and I still have days where I feel like I have got it all wrong, but I do find that Wayne and I make a good team. We each play to our strengths and this means that we can be flexible when needed and make sure that at least one of us is around for the kids. It has been really hard this year especially, but we do try to make time for just the two to go out for a drink or a meal together.
Weekends are family time and although we never completely switch off from work we try to keep it to a minimum and spend some time together.
We also have a great team working with us who we can totally rely on and love working with, and we class them as our friends just as much as employees.
For sceptics, how do you overcome their objections and teach them that Reiki and Crystals are beneficial?
Scientists tell us that basically, every single thing in the universe is made up of energy. This includes you and me, trees, sunlight, radio waves, our thoughts, and emotions – everything. Reiki healing energy and the energy from crystals is no different, it is a gentle, positive healing energy. I would say simply give either Reiki Healing a try and take notice of how you feel or carry a crystal in your pocket and see if you start to feel the benefits. Some crystals offer comfort, some calm the mind, some give us courage, some help us to sleep more soundly so there really is something for everyone. I think Reiki is something that everyone should try, I use it all the time for myself and Wayne, but especially the children, for example when they hurt themselves or feel unwell. Animals intuitively know how to receive Reiki and where to source it and I often find I am giving our pets Reiki healing without at first being aware!
How much has social media played a role in the success of your brand?
Social media is a crucial part of the business because crystals are very visual so if we can share a new crystal with our followers on social media this is the next best thing to actually seeing it in a physical store. Its so beneficial to interact and connect with our customers and so rewarding when we see a clip of a customer opening their order from us, and seeing how happy they are with it. We gift wrap each and every order as we want the actual receiving of the order to be a positive experience!
In 2017 you were able to retire your husband from his job and now he works with you. What was the transition like?
It was always our long-term goal for Wayne to come over and work full time as opposed to in his spare time, so it was extremely exciting yet scary! Wayne actually left his full-time job the same month that we moved to a new house and moved the kids to a new school. It was a relief however as it meant we could focus all our energies into building the business and obviously the extra support was very welcome. Wayne’s background is in Sales so he brought his own set of strengths over with him.
Talk us through an average day in your life.
The first priority of the day is getting the kids (Kian 11, and twins Rhys & Sophia, 10) up and ready for school (or ready for home schooling at the moment).
While our fab Reiju team are behind the scenes processing and packing the orders, I will take a look at my emails and any customer queries that need dealing with. There are usually quite a few as people like to ask advice on all of the different crystal types and healing benefits – finding the right crystal for you is especially important.
One of my favourite parts of the job is creating new crystal collections so I usually spend the afternoon taking photos of new crystals, researching how they can be used for the maximum benefit and coming up with new ideas.
I always make sure I find time to walk the dog each day as this is my ‘thinking time’ I find walking outside in the fresh air really helps to clear and focus your mind. This is when I come up with my best ideas!
If I am working from home then I will collect the kids from school and this is where the real work starts! Wayne and I are usually ready to sit down and relax at around 9pm. If we’re lucky.
What is your go to quote when you are lacking motivation?
It is actually one that I have on my youngest son’s bedroom wall:
‘You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think’
I think we all need to hear these words sometimes no matter how old we are; it is so easy to forget how much we have achieved in life.
Tell us about the journey that lead you to launching Reiju…
For as long as I can remember I have always had an interest in crystals and their healing benefits and had a small collection at home. Up until having my children I had always worked in office-based roles which I did enjoy but found quite unfulfilling and really had the urge to have a career change. I wasn’t sure what but I knew that I wanted it to involve helping people. However, I was quite limited as I had three beautiful but incredibly young children at home, all under 18 months. After some research I decided to embark on a Reiki healing course and couldn’t believe my luck when I found a suitable Reiki Master who lived just a few doors away from me! I completed my Reiki training but found it hard to juggle this with childcare – it was hard to offer a relaxing Reiki session in my home with three toddlers running around! I didn’t want to give up on the idea though so Wayne and I had the idea of selling crystals that were filled (charged) with Reiki energy so I could still give the healing benefits of Reiki to people but just in a different way.
This idea seemed to work as it allowed me to look after the children during the day and then when they were sleeping in the evening we dealt with the orders and worked on the business. At the time we decided to name the business ‘Krystal Gifts’ using letters from our children’s names (Kian, Rhys, Sophia), however after a few years we made the decision to rebrand to Reiju which means ‘to give and receive a spiritual blessing’ which fits us perfectly! We then managed to secure the trademark to help take us forward to where we are today.
Louisa Roberston is the founder of All things Baby London, the cutest brand that will have you oohing and aahing over their Instagram feed alone. A mum of a 4, nurse and entrepreneur, Louisa knows a thing or two about juggling plates. A lover of fashion and empowering mothers, she worked as a nurse manager managing children with disabilities for 13 years and after her 4th pregnancy in 2017, she felt that there was little choice for contemporary gifting for mum and baby that was affordable and so she wanted to create an option that does just that.
Welcome to All Things Baby, here, we spent some time with Louisa to find out more about the brand, how she creates balance in her life and what her plans are for the future…
Tell us about the journey that lead you to launching All Things Baby London…
I love babies, anything to do with pregnancy, fashion and motherhood. I had been working as a nurse for 13 years but I knew I wanted to start a business related to mum and baby. After having my 3rd child who is autistic, it gave me time to take a step back and evaluate my life. I still went back to work full-time, but I had the bug for change to enable me to be at home for my son. It wasn’t until I had my 4th child in 2017, when i started getting things into motion I felt that there was little choice for contemporary gifting for mum and baby that was affordable. I wanted to create an option for the modern mum to enjoy a unique shopping experience that will help to enjoy her motherhood journey and as well as giving me the chance to be at home more, and so All Things Baby London was born.
You’re a mum of 4, how do you create a work and home life balance?
I think I am still trying to tell you the truth. I love routine and always try to create an environment where we have structure in place as I feel thats where I get a better flow. I always have a cut off time for work depending on what time I have started and always make sure I spend time with the kids daily. The children also know where they are at with routine in place, but there are also a lot of times where life just happens and you just have to go with the flow.
For any mums wanting to launch their own business, what advice would you give?
Do not give up and believe in yourself. It has taken me this long to realise that if I have a bit of belief in myself you can really do anything. It doesn’t matter how little money you have or how many children you have, if you believe and don’t give up magic can and will happen.
You’re a chic, fun and contemporary brand. How do you want mums to feel when they buy from you?
I want mums to feel excited when they get their package from us, before they have even opened the box. I want them to feel looked after as a customer, which is why our customer service is paramount to our business. And lastly I want them to feel empowered as a mother and supported in their new journey.
What’s your go to quote when lacking motivation?
Mama, you have got this or I can – with a little more swear words. And I will say this to myself on repeat until I feel better. We always say I can’t, try flipping it around and always say I can when something goes wrong, trust me it work wonders, that it soon becomes your default in coping.
Looking back, is there anything you would do different since launching the brand?
I am enjoying myself so much that the only thing I would have done differently is start sooner. I think everything happens for a reason and timing is key, but I wished I started sooner because I really think this is my calling.
How much has Covid19 impacted you?
There have been ups and downs. The most difficulty we have had is getting supplies, our normal suppliers were either not operating or delivery was very difficult, which in turn impacted on the business. Nevertheless we were able to stay opened during lockdown where we saw a definite increase in sales. We are able to work from home but I also put in strict Covid19 safe working practices in place. I think this period has been an emotional time for all and watching how so many people have been impacted has been difficult. We are just very grateful we have been blessed to be able to stay opened and still offer mums a great service during unprecedented times.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?
The best piece of advice I have ever received is from my sister, who always tells me to visualise what I want. I can’t tell you how much this has helped me, especially in building a brand.
Here at House of Coco magazine it’s no secret that we love travel. So when we stumbled across Voya, a fashion brand heavily influenced by travel, we felt like it was a match made in heaven.
Voya is their love of travel, fashion and people combined. Using contemporary design they engineer travel orientated fashion, creating flexible pieces made to work for people on the go and to last beyond the season. Using ethical production and sustainable fabrics, they stay conscious to the world around them and aim to inspire you to do the same.
Everything about their ethos is in line with ours so we fell propelled to spend some time with the founder to find out more. Here, we chat to Louise Heim about the brand, her plans for the future and more…
Tell us about the journey that lead you to launching Voya Official…
The CEO & Founder Louise, is a world citizen, she is British born and studied fashion design in London, then worked in the Middle East for 5 years, then on to China mainland for another 5 years & finally HK, where she launched Voya. After working in fast fashion for over 10 years and visiting many different factories for production and understanding the awful reality behind fast fashion. She wanted to try to find ‘the light’ within this wasteful industry and decided to develop her own brand working directly with a family run ethical factory in partnership to launch VOYA.
The concept behind Voya came from an Asian trip she was doing with a close friend, they were meeting in Beijing in December, which is very cold as it is winter season, then on to Vietnam, which in December is abit warmer, and ended in Laos which is super hot at that time, it was a tricky trip to pack for especially as someone who cares a lot about her carbon emissions and likes to pack light. She released the need for a capsule multi-wearable wardrobe, and as a fashion designer she didn’t like traditional ’travel garments’ and craved something much more contemporary.
She started to design and plan her ideal travel capsule wardrobe – which natural fabrics to use, and which are better for which climates. She developed the initial samples, using breathable and natural fabrics, using creaseproof treatments, ideal for travelling and started to build a capsule wardrobe based on that initial journey and then tested it out on other journeys around Asia. Voya was started.
You give back to local communities and we love that you do this, tell us more…
5% of our profits go to supporting local charities. For each garment sold we donate to the local charities in the area of the production. For the garments produced in our Hangzhou factory in China 2018-2020, we donate to the Chinese based children’s charity, Educate A Child. We recently sponsored to a school building project in Guizhou province, which is one of the most impoverished areas of China.
We offset all our carbon emissions using two methods. Firstly we use the company carbonfootprint.com to help us calculate and then offset all our personal & cargo carbon emissions annually. This is calculated on our companies business and personal trips. We list all of our teams trips, commutes and our offices energy bills, & our cargo sea routes as well as our parcel air freights. To save carbon emissions we send all our stock by sea freight. Which is slower but less damaging to the environment. Then we also use Offet, which is integrated with our online store and calculates the carbon emissions on each order, so the logistics & transport of the each parcels sent from our warehouse in the UK, to our customers addresses, is also carbon neutral.
Through these companies we are able to offset our emissions mainly through tree-planting projects in the UK (and recently was able to donate to South Wales school planting project) & Deforestation projects in the Amazon Rainforest. So we are actually able to offset the carbon, plant and protect forests and biodiversity in 2 continents at the same time.
Who’s behind the brand and what are their roles?
Louise is based between UK, HK and China. – currently in UK working remotely with the China/HK team.
China/HK team – Logistics and production, with a full time staff based in the partnership factory to monitor production methods and to focus on quality control.
UK team – Digital marketing, PR, Customer Service.
Content Writers – Freelance Worldwide.
Do you plan on expanding the range in the future?
Yes we do, we are about to launch a European Summer collection (July), and currently developing our winter collection. We aren’t following a traditional fashion schedule as we are making timeless travel fashion, we will always have multi-season product on our site, so that you can buy what you need for where you are travelling at any time of the year.
Given that the brand is heavily influenced by travel, what destination is at the top of your travel bucket list?
Bora Bora – Louise was supposed to be getting married in September, as everyone else has had to we have had to postpone until next year.
Talk us through an average day in your life…
Louise : Wake up, check my emails, meditate, go for a morning run, morning emails, updates from the team – talk to China team for production and development status, talk to the UK team for customer feedback, social media content, new collections design & developments. Chinese study, I have been studying Chinese for around 3 years, so still need to practice around one hour per day. 6:30 Call my family, everyday I have been speaking to my sheltering grandparents on the telephone. Then continue working usually work most days until 9-10pm.
How much has social media played a role in the success of your brand?
It is fundamental to the brand, but as a new brand we are still developing our best strategies, so the best is still yet to come.
What is your go-to quote when lacking motivation?
水滴石穿 Water drops wear down stone – so it means, persistent efforts overcome any difficulty.
How has Covid19 impacted your business?
We are used to working remotely and working with various people all around the world, so our working way or structure hasn’t changed much. Our UK warehouse was great to respond really well to the social distancing guidelines, so we didn’t have to stop selling or take any sort of break. We kept all our commitments to our production factory and didn’t reduce or cancel any styles, following our ethos, as a slow fashion brand, that works with a permanent basic collection we design and order a small quantity for our store and simply reorder when the styles have a greater demand, to be more sustainable and less wasteful. The biggest impact was really more internal, and as a company we tried to think about all the teams mental health at this time, and provided mediation app subscriptions for all staff members.
What does self care mean to you?
Right now, I think it is more important to be kind to yourself than ever. Breathe in the outside space, walk or run in the countryside.
Take some time each day to be still.
Have you had to make any pivots to survive the pandemic?
Rethink the marketing strategy and plan, a lot of people will be taking a break from travelling, and a lot of our content is travel related, our blog is full of what to wear guides, travel destination guides, so we have been using them as a self care tool, to inspire a sense of wanderlust, letting your mind wander to brighter, happier places.
Here are tips from various lovely members of #TeamCoco on how to make this time the most productive, enjoyable and relaxing experience of your working life.
1. Get a Varidesk.
I was getting serious backache as lockdown began. Long hours at an unsuitable living room chair and table aren’t good for anyone.
But then, I welcomed the Varidesk into my life. It arrived fully assembled with nine different height settings – and is super easy and safe to use. I move it from the top of my wardrobe, to my table, to my window sill, depending on my mood and the light.
Standing desks are proven to reduce stress, increase productivity by 48% and burn extra calories.
www.vari.com
2. Get that work-life balance
Rachel McAlley splits the day up. She spends her morning on housework, laundry, shopping and homeschooling and then the afternoon is for work.
Anna Willatt starts the day with 15 minutes of quiet downtime, screen-free and with a coffee in hand.
Her top tip is: “Be clear when you are clocking off to colleagues or clients and then STOP WORKING.”
3. Make ‘achievement lists’ rather than ‘to-do’ lists
Founder of House of Coco Laura Bartlett says: “Some days I wake up and do what I feel like doing and THEN write it down – so it’s like I have a to do list of things I already achieved and it makes me feel a real sense of accomplishment”.
4. Find your own groove
Bronwyn Townsend spends the morning relaxing, walking and catching up on the news. Then works during the afternoon and evening. She says: “I’m a night owl and the 9-5 schedule was always a nightmare for my productivity.”
For Amira Arasteh, it is all about waking up naturally: “I love to leave my curtains open so the sun wakes me up and I’m not in a groggy mood for the day.”
Deb Donns says: “The opportunity to loosen the boundaries has enabled me to discover what times of day I’m more focused and creative, resulting in a new schedule that I’ll carry on beyond lock down”.
5. Surround yourself with scents
Anyone who has had a mild form of coronavirus and lost their sense of smell will appreciate how important scents can be for wellbeing.
Alexandra Harrison-Chinn recommends: “burning different candles, spraying relaxing scents before bed, using pulse roll ons and shower oils to revive or relax”.
For a new sort of scent, we recommend RAWE Sugar Co’s natural soya wax melts. These are handmade and created with therapeutic grade essential oils – yum!
Here at House of Coco, getting lost in art is more important to us now than ever. With everything that is going on in the world, we all need some escapism. Whether that’s day dreaming about what destination you will escape to (when we can) or checking out the latest works of your favourite artist.
With the latter, we recently stumbled across Kathy Leeds. Not only did I love her surname (I’m from Leeds, call me biased) but her work mesmerised me. Kathy Leeds began painting when she envisioned a particular painting for her own home and decided to do it herself. The piece is an image of her own wooden bowl filled with red apples that symbolized the essence of home to her. Kathy currently works in her home studio in Los Angeles, which she shares with her husband, the sculptor, David Leeds.
We spent some time with her to find out more…
Tell us about the journey that lead you to launching your career
I was an interior and architectural designer for a number of years. I decided to do a painting for my own home, which was a bowl of apples. I never looked back or stopped painting since then. Bowls of fruit have been a recurring theme in my work.
Your Husband is a sculptor, making you a very creative couple. Do you ever collaborate?
No collaboration but we do critique each other’s work in progress and help solve perceived problems when stuck with a piece. My husband serves a very important role for me, which is to stop me from overworking a painting, which is crucial.
Over the years your work has gone through a transition, can you tell me more about this?
I think most artists transition during their career, to keep exploring, to keep things fresh, to spark your creativity. After many years of “magical realism” inspired by my love of Latin American art, I started painting directly from life. Previously, all my narrative compositions were painted from images in my head. However, I did always keep returning to still life, in various forms, which is a reflection of my somewhat introverted personality, I think. I’ve now incorporated both styles. I start with specific reference objects than make compositions from my head, not looking at any object directly, while painting.
Talk us through the average day in your life?
I wake up very early, often take a hike in the Santa Monica mountains with my husband and our dogs, come home and work. We go out to lunch daily to the Brentwood Country Mart, which is close to our home, we know the shopkeepers, have some interaction with people, which is important for people who work in a solitary way. We both love to wander in our local bookstore there after lunch.
Our readers love to travel, what destination is at the top of your bucket list?
I’ve traveled fairly extensively, and have already done my bucket list trip which was an incredible journey with my husband to East Africa. I always dream about going back. We both love swimming in the ocean. Lately, we go to Capri every summer, which we will miss this year, obviously, but I’m already looking forward to our summer visit in 2021.
What do you do when you’re lacking creativity?
I take some time off, try not to pressure myself, and often change medium. Most recently I turned to collage, which then led to the style of work I’m currently doing.
What does self care mean to you?
Many people view creating art as a hobby, not a career. I’d say setting boundaries and not having qualms about saying “no, I can’t”. I need to be diligent about the hours a day I put into my work, and being in my studio. This is something I’ve worked on for years, and not just for my art.
Looking back over your career, which moment stands out as a highlight?
I turned to abstract painting about eight years ago to shake things up in my work. I created a series of paintings that were shown at Art Basel, Miami, which was very exciting. However, I never painted another abstract painting after that.
For any aspiring artists and painters, what advice would you offer them in order to building a successful and profitable brand?
To stay true to yourself, and to not think about “what’s saleable” when painting. It rarely works, and it inhibits the artist’s inner self, from coming through in their work. Also, do not be afraid to fail. All artists, no matter how accomplished, do many pieces that just don’t work.
How much does social media play a role in your company?
The art world has changed. Brick and mortar galleries are closing at rapid rate. Although I do “show” with Runaway Art, which is an online art gallery in the UK, I sell the majority of my work on Instagram. So social media is huge.
Outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Being with my family and friends, hiking, biking, cooking, and reading.
With the current pandemic, the world needs more art. How has Covid19 affected your day to day business?
In hard economic times, art sales are one of the first things to be dropped, which I understand. It’s a luxury. One of the reasons my work sells well, is that I avoid a middle man, and sell directly so that I can keep my price point reasonable.
Kathy, we hope you continue to flourish and creating your work to inspire us all. Be sure to follow her here www.kathyleeds.com
