Babble + Yak

Yak:Emma January dragged, February passed in a blink of an eye and here we are nearly at the end of March and I feel the (self imposed) pressure! Already I have applied for shows, been rejected and accepted, went out of my comfort zone and applied for Elmer's Great North parade (waiting on that...) booked in and done the prep for a workshop (30th March) finished a commission, got another one, attended two business meetings, worked through a couple of chapters of my business planner, sold a few prints, applied for a couple of jobs (rejected) read a finance book on being an artist and made so many lists I am running out of post-its! And that is all before life admin of doing a full time job, fitting in medical appointments, dealing with outcomes of appointments, meeting up with friends and family, going to Pilates and HIIT classes, paying bills and budgeting for hen-do's, holidays and weddings! Commissioned piece-February 2019 (C) E Pinnock Cornwall. Where does our time...

Perhaps I should start off this blog post with a quote that Emma used last month: "Half in agony, half in hope".   February can be a tough month for self employed artists and makers;  Emma talked about January feeling like a bit of slog in last month's post and often February feels much the same, particularly in terms of sales.  However, the promise of Spring is here, the days are getting lighter, and with the change of seasons come the months where we can see our plans being put into action.  February is a great time of year to wrap up warm and get out for winter walks.  This is one of my most favourite places to go-Sycamore Gap on Hadrian's Wall It may come as no surprise to those of you who know me, that this month's blog post is late, (eye roll) but perhaps that is for good reason.  As we mentioned in last months post, you have to look after your number one employee when you're self employed, which is...yourself!  So I...

Yak-Emma I cant quite believe that we are here already...It doesn't feel like that long ago I was in my work room, swearing (standard) at the heat and how quickly my printing ink was drying! Now I resemble Joey in Friends, you know the one where he wears all of Chandlers clothes at the same time? yeah that!  Also its just dark! it's so so dark! Dark when we get up, dark when we get home, always in the dark! After the hectic run up to Christmas, everything just suddenly stops and then bang you're in January and unless you're blind, living under a rock or totally into the self love moment (I applaud those who are) you cant miss all the New Year slogans and social media barrage of New Year, New You (I am eye rolling as I write that-sorry D) but I do see January as a reflective time and a time that gives you bit of breathing space to plan and build on what you have learnt from the previous year, in both your business and personal life. With that in mind I wanted to ta...

Lets talk Christmas shopping :)  There are those of us who have everything organised, bought, wrapped and under the tree in March (it seems) and those who (like us) have lots of good intentions...yet have no actual presents yet.  Too late for bespoke?  Not quite!  Here are a few of our favourite makers that we'd like to recommend! Yak-Emma Christmas is always a hectic time for me, I work up until the 20/21st normally and then think...oh yeah presents?! I’m lucky in that my work takes me to selling events where I can meet makers, handle items and appreciate the whole story to a shop. We have put together a little guide of shops we’re following and have pieces on our wish list.  There might be something here that fills that place of a last minute gift for your parents, a friend or your gran. I don’t buy independently for everyone, but buying one or two pieces really helps people make a living out of something they love, while also giving the gift of so...

Hi and welcome to Babble+Yak, also known as Jess and Emma.  We could not think of a better way to start the blog than an introduction to who we are and what we do.  Fortunate for us then, that this week over on Instagram #Meetthemaker is starting!  Joanne Hawker , the brains behind the Meet the Maker campaign, challenges makers to post daily photographs from a list of prompts.  The aim being to bring a little insight to creative business's, the people behind them, their ideas and the processes that go into making the products they make and sell.  Opening up to a whole new audience. You can get a sneak peak at our responses below, following us on Instagram:  Emma , at Studio Pinnock and Jess at Jessica Kinnersley Textiles to find out more! Follow the blog directly and stay up to date on our posts by following Babble and Yak on Instagram.  Next month we will be sharing our favourite small indie businesses and designer-makers, perfect...