Babble + Yak

Hello!  I n 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...

Yak:Emma First things first...Happy Birthday to the Babble and Yak Blog! well perhaps not quite to the day, but the month of November is where we started it.  I cant believe how quickly the time goes.  With that in mind, we all know whats coming....Christmas!  Christmas is for me, and probably a lot of you, a very special time of year.  I go home home and so do all of my brothers, I see friends and family and catch up on sleep! One part that I really enjoy (except for, for my dad) is buying gifts for people.  I try and keep a list throughout the year of places I have seen things that I think people would like, comments that friends and family have mentioned in passing or just general points I have noticed that could help come December.   I attend a number of shows throughout the year which helps find a number of new makers and new potential gifts (sometimes though these turn out to be gifts for me! I love a mug...more of that later)  B...

Yak:Emma I think that its fairly safe to say that most makers (including crafters and artists-I am just using the one word for convenience) have a peak selling time, and that for most makers, their peak time is the run up to Christmas.  I applied for my Edinburgh Christmas show in May, my November show shortly afterwards.  Me and Jess have been talking, thinking, and planning Christmas really, since the summer.   For the best part of last week I have been home home.  I walked by the sea, always a head clearer, worked on some new screen prints and if I am honest watched a few (too many according to my Dad and Jess) Christmas films.  Now I am not talking your 'classic' Christmas films like Elf, the Grinch or a Wonderful life but Christmas at Pemberley Manor, A Very Country Christmas and my most recent watch; Switched at Christmas.  You may laugh, roll your eyes or judge, or think what has this got to do with being a maker but bear with me I ...

Yak: I am writing this post, sitting in the sun, in John's garden (possibly my favourite print) after a walk on the coast with not a care in the world.....well, I say not a care but that's a bit of a fib.  As a over-thinker I always have something brewing, and at the moment its Christmas.  Yes Christmas.  I think any creative has a peak selling time of year and mine is definitely the Christmas period, from October onward.  John's Garden Lino print (c) E Pinnock  Shows have already been applied for, accepted on and payments paid, what I have to do now is think of where will my work be at that time.  What new or existing products I will have, how will they suit the shows I am taking part in, is there little one off pieces I'd like to do, what can I do to prepare? Will my to do list ever be finished? (answer:no, it gets longer and multiplies) You may have read in earlier posts how this year was supposed to be about balance, part of hav...