Whitley Bay Carnival-the interview

Hello! 

In May myself and Jess took part in the Whitley Bay carnival online.  The following is a ‘brief’ take of an interview that we took part in as part of that event.  For ease of reading we have highlighted the questions and bullet-pointed the answers; the original transcript is over 5000 words…….

E-Right, Im recording

J-Here we go……

Hi Everyone, we are Emma and Jess, we run babble and yak together which is a blog we started about a year ago.  It is all about the creative, working for yourself but not by yourself being each other’s sort of virtual cheerleaders-it seemed quite fitting to share our understandings on a blog for other creatives to share their experiences.   

Emma and Jess 

We have known each other a long time and had planned to show together this year at Whitley Bay for the first time but for obvious reasons this didn't happen! So, we decided to do something virtually together instead.  Last week we put out a call for questions across our social media platforms and got five really nice questions from some of our lovely followers.   

Please take our answers as they are given, they are not the be all and end all-we can only talk from our experiences and our perspectives.  We’re still evolving and still learning as our work goes along.

Q1- what inspires you and how do you get past the voice that says it’s not good enough?

Emma/Yak

• Inspiration wise I suppose it kind of changes fairly regularly for me-walking a lot in lock-down so its currently trees and forests.
• I like being by the seaside, I think a lot better when I am by the sea, I do a lot of more abstract drawings when I am there.
• Graphic prints are city based, although I am doing a lot of floral work at the moment.
• I visit a lot of historical homes, national trust properties and gardens.
• What I do have, in my working room is quite a big mood board-it changes every couple of weeks with photos, fabric samples postcards, sketches, little things that I have found.

Mood board in work space 

Jess/Babble

• I think mine is more from things that I find. 
• I do look at landscapes and it’s something that I keep popping back to this-especially Northumberland and the surrounding areas.
• collection of objects.  It could be an old tin or an old spool something interesting, antique fabrics, old wallpapers, paper ephemera, tickets cards anything really.   

Altered tin art

So, what about getting past that voice that says you’re not good enough? 

Emma-Yak / Jess-Babble

• For us it’s getting the balance of caring enough but not too much because there are people that will not like your work.
• Confidence, confidence in yourself and in your own abilities
• Value yourself and what you do.  This should be reflected in the price and the quality of the work

Q2-How did you find your style? Is it something you had to work hard at and really think about or did it just evolve over time? The person who asked this said that they were frustrated that they weren’t producing the work that they wanted to and was there any advice?

Jess/Babble

• developing skills and experience through teaching
• The work I was doing during my time freelancing was machine work, I did more trend led work.
• The last 2 years I have picked up what is my own work-hand embroidery, doing smaller pieces inspired by found objects and photographs.  It’s a slower process but much more fulfilling. 
• I think my style is still evolving, but I think if you just work, just keep making, your style comes. 

Second part of the question

• if you are getting frustrated about not creating the art that you want to, and I think the really difficult thing when you’re starting a piece of work is not to start it at the end.  Start the work and let it go where it wants to go.  

Belsay: In the Realm of the Wild-man

• We have so much visual inspiration at our fingertips -You need to put that to one side and explore the work for the sake of exploring.
• your mind will work against you, but you have to just try, it’s that thing of not putting yourself and the work under pressure.

 Emma/Yak

• I was always told that you should never write ‘my style is’ you’re not going to have a style until you’re 60 and have been practising for 40 years-its ever evolving.
• I find it difficult to say what my style is.
• It goes back to the work; you’re making the work because you’re making the work
• I was listening to the great woman artists podcast recently and they were saying that a trait all these great women, was they made the work they wanted to do when they wanted to do it. 
• I don’t hold too much weight in my style, but I know you’ve said it and other people have said it, that whatever the outcome print or drawing there’s something intrinsic in it that says it’s my work. 
• Art evolves it changes.  I did a print last week that I thought I had reached a final point with, but I’ve gone back to it, changed it and I think stepped it up a mark. 

                        Hand painted Grey St lampshade                              New lino cut 'fragments' 

Second part of the question

• If you put yourself and your work under pressure then it won’t turn out like you want it to
• Start something new, just draw something you enjoy-building, flowers whatever 
• Don’t think about making something to sell (it is hard) but if you’re not happy with the work you’re making, stop making it. 

Q3- How did you take the first steps into selling your work? The person who asked this question had a body of work waiting to be mounted/framed and didn't know where to start.

Jess/Babble

• One of the fist things I did was to get my work online, first Etsy and then Folksy (back when it was in Beta mode!).  Having an online presence got me noticed and led to working with Quarto publishing for a few years.  
• Getting started is the hardest part, but if you make a start you can refine as you go along.  None of us get it right first time.
• I got in to a couple of shops through in-person selling events.  There's no substitute for standing next to your work and meeting your audience (It's also the best way to figure out who your audience are)
• It's getting the balance between taking the plunge and figuring out whether somewhere is the right place for your work
• Framing can be a personal choice.  I like to see the raw edges of a piece so often use lead effect glass frames or sew the work onto neutral mount board.
• I also try to work with standard frame sizes so customers have easier framing options.
• It's trial and error; do small test runs to see how your work is received without a big initial financial outlay

                                                                 Sycamore gap

Emma/Yak

• I started by taking the plunge at Edinburgh West end Art fair for 9 days I visited the year before with my brother Steve.  I did some research but with hindsight would have approached it differently-I learnt a lot in those 9 days (I have since been back to this show and others in Edinburgh)
• Try to visit shows if you can, prior to booking.  A little research goes a long way. Think about: Footfall, would your work fit, is there an entry fee for visitors?
• Consider: Stall fee, transport, parking, accommodation, food allowance. It can quickly mount up-and you need to make that back.
• As for framing; it can be costly to post (Royal mail doesn't insure glass-but buyers can be willing to pay) and framing can be a very personal choice so I dont do it regularly. 
• Don't let the fact that a piece is unframed hold you back from just getting started. As you get to know your audience you can make further decisions about framing, for example offering it as an optional extra.

Johns Garden Gold-Frame for show and collected by customer

Q4-How do you balance working on your craft while still appealing to your customer in the business sense and do the two ever conflict?

Jess/Babble

• Try to find a balance between the work you know will sell and the work that you love making; the stuff that really feeds your soul (However, as a side note, I think that the work you love to make is often your best because that passion really comes through in the piece itself)
• Consider the retail calendar...make the most of the quite periods (post Christmas and summer) to explore and develop new ideas.
• Don't be afraid to leave some things awhile and push on with what you really want to do.  I am moving away from my machine embroidery work and doing a lot more hand stitched pieces.
• If you're finding a balance difficult to achieve, try allotting some time each week to just draw, play, or try something new with no "product" or particular outcome in mind
• Weekly planning can be helpful if you work well with a list! (just don't make it too long or it will seem unachievable)

                          Elephant machine stitched card                         hand embroidered piece

Emma/Yak

• I started out with a local prints which I still have a real love, its popular and served me well.  However, over time I have started to develop and share my drawing work.  I have a real passion for drawing but didn't initially think it would get such a good response from my customers.
• Its OK to leave work and move forward with something else, or start something new.  Either the work will come back and drop in when it is meant to, or you will decide nah it time to get rid of that. 
• I am currently painting more and working on more abstract pieces.

Emma's Sketchbook page-observational drawing

Q5-how do you stay motivated to craft in these strange times? 

Emma/Yak

• Try to maintain a routine - separate work time from free time-something this lock-down has actually allowed me to do is work a 10-6 day rather than come in and then start working at 6.  Its given me time to breathe and think. 
• Allow yourself to rest when you need to.  I also take a daily walk and do Pilates a couple of times a week.  
• Although there was a point a while a go now where we thought we might lift the lock-down early and I panicked that I hadn't done enough work......
• I have read more which is a real treat, it really lets me switch off.  I have learnt that when I am not reading I am struggling.  Jess read the twilight series, I did wonder why we are friends at this point. 

 

                       Drawing of Kynance Cove Cornwall                           New lino print Abundance 

Jess/Babble 

• I ran a month of sketchbook prompts on Instagram which provided routine/motivation when I felt like I had none during April (I didn't sew at all that month)
• Chunking tasks right down into really small achievable jobs worked too
• And lower your expectations a little! These are unprecedented times and it's okay if your motivation ups and leaves for a bit. 
• Read the twilight series (hahahaha)

Remember; you don't have to come out of lock-down with a bunch of new skills and a whole new body of work!  Everyone will deal with this time differently and it's important to really go at your own pace.

We hope you've found this a helpful read and would love to hear your experiences of staying creative in lock-down whether it be baking, sewing, making, teaching? whatever you have done to get you through it all. 

take care, and stay safe, Babble and Yak x