NESTA FiNanCe...YOu WHaT?

The NESTA workshops are still blowing my mind! The last workshop was on the dreaded subject of finance. We got shown slides on finance modelling, direct costs and indirect costs, cash flow and goodness knows what else. However when all this was making me never want to set up a business, I did find this quote from Johanna Basford quite interesting and inspiring.“It’s taken me a while to get over my belief that you have to be on the breadline to be running a successful creative business. Now I realise it is about making money… we sell designs, we make money, then we can be more creative and take on more new projects!" I think most people, myself included, have accepted their fate that as an artist or designer they'll make very little money. Johanna is a big inspiration, having made it as an independent and very successful designer. Her saying that you can do it and make money, gives me hope and a belief that it needn't be a life on the breadline.

Another interesting section of the workshop was on the website Kickstarter http://www.kickstarter.com/
 This is an American website that helps small business and business ventures get funding by getting people to pledge a percentage of the needed money in return for a product or experience. This particular website is only for US residents but its a really good way of raising a little or a lot of funds whilst keeping 100% ownership. We did an exercise that involved creating a mock up of a Kickstarter profile. This really helped me to refine my business idea and come up with a catchy Bio and Mission Statement. Our tutor suggested using creative and quirky language to create a memorable  statement that completely sums up the company. This made me think of the Mary Portas' new brand 'Kinky Knickers'. She has got her branding just right with her vintage pin ups box and cheeky yet quintessentially British slogans. 'Top knickers for the finest of bottoms'. These define the totally UK made product.

This I can just about get my head around. The rest of the financial gargin  is going to take some time, as at the moment its going in one ear and straight out of the other!

PRintIng FRom My BOUdoIR!

As of late its been getting a bit crowded in the print room at Duncan Of Jordanstone, so running behind schedule fro the 'Society of Dyers and Colourists' competition I decided to set up Amy Buchanan print studios. So laughably sandwiched between my wardrobe and window I turned my desk into a make shift print table. Using a window cleaning squeegee as a print squeegee and my shower as a screen washer I got to work and with the radio blasting I was in my element!
Here is a pretty pattern the printing inks made in the bath. Pattern in everything and all that!

A biT OF NesTA

A few weeks ago when NESTA was mentioned I didn't really know what people were talking about! Now I am beginning to understand what they're all about and how they can benefit me. In our current design in the market module, we are working through the NESTA toolkit a creating a hypothetical creative business idea. Eventually we will write a business plan for our idea, culminating all of our new found business knowledge. In the first few sessions already we have thought of an idea, written a mission statement, done work sheets on our values to help us define our goals, thought about our branding, what our business will enhance and replace and imagined our future and fake evidence. 

Initially when thinking and talking about 'what we wanted to be when we grow up', I found it a bit daunting and didn't want to commit. When asked what I wanted to do, I replied 'get a job doing something textile related' but I think I was missing the point. For this project we have to think BIG, imaging an ideal scenario and  then work on how to get there. I decided in an ideal world I would like to have a textile range that spanned fashion and interiors, perhaps have several shops or concessions and make myself a brand. My big inspiration is Cath Kidston, she has done exactly this and become extremely successful in the process. 

Working through the NESTA books has given me some food for thought about setting up a business or even creating a product. A couple of points that i found interesting are

• You're not the centre of your idea, your customers are.
• You don't need to do everything yourself. Build partnerships and alliances.
• Customers have to want what your offering
• You have to continuously innovate to compete and survive.

At the moment I still feel a little overwhelmed by the prospect of setting up my own business. The worksheets, although informative and thought provoking are still  quite confusing and I am realising the amount of work and planning involved. I believe strongly that after a few more work sheets it'll just click and I'll be well on my way.

Watch this space for more NESTA updates!

PreSENTINg OUr PrEsEntatION

So we got our presentation grades back and to our surprise our visuals for Judy R Clark earned us a very exciting A1. We decided to play to our strengths and instead of making a fancy power point we created an almost pin board style piece on a big wall in our studio. We then took  photos of the different sections to correspond with our speech. Comments we received were that it was 'very textiley', that there was loads to look at and it was visually impressive on the big screen. I think creating the presentation was my favourite part of the project as I've always loved scrap booking and this was like a giant scrap book. I think our approach totally complimented Judy's eclectic and fun design style!

JudY R CLarK SayS BELIEVE!

Over the past 3 weeks I feel as though I have become to know designer Judy R Clark better than she knows herself. We have researched, interviewed, created, practised and performed, all in aid of sharing and learning from the successes of her career so far.
Since graduating from Herriot-Watt University Judy has a busy few years. In the interview she told us all about the trials and tribulations of waiting for that big break and about making it happen for yourself. Judy was lucky enough to take part in a few internships to gain the much needed experience to go it alone and this was good to find out about at this stage as we are expected to be constantly gaining experience. She got her 1st internship through a chance meeting with Sandra Murray and from this she went on to be accepted to a placement with Alexander McQueen, after her idea to illustrate the bottom of her CV got her noticed.
The things that I found most interesting from the information Judy gave us were her inspirations, work ethic and her self belief. I always find it interesting to find out what an artist or designers inspiration has been for a particular piece and especially if all their work is derived from the same source. Judy's Influences are quite varied, from historical costume and exotic places, to her families heritage. Its the combination of these elements that make her work so eclectic. Like Judy I love historical costume, in fact I love history full stop and historical textiles is something I would really love to find out more about. She researches dress styles and tailoring and is true to this without being old fashioned. Her work is far from it and was lapped up by fashionistas in New York when she exhibited in fashion event 'Dressed To Kilt'. Her classic yet contemporary Harris Tweed creations were truly embraced and she nearly sold out her entire collection within the first few days. This charity fashion event's subtitle is 'Mad for Scotland' and seems to represent everything Judy stands for. She first began working with Harris Tweed when she received a batch from her uncle who has a loom and weaves from his home on the Isle of Lewis. Since then her use of this world famous fabric has cemented her unique style. She commented,  “I have been working with tweed for a number of years now and my love for the fabric just keeps on growing. The luxurious feel, the durability and its flexibility makes it a joy to work with. My tweed creations mix this beautiful historic fabric with contemporary design to produce couture garments. And it can all be done here in Scotland. With this exhibition I hope to bring some of the Harris Tweed history to people as well as surprising them as to just how fashionable tweed is right now.”
When talking about her work ethic Judy's message is clear, believe in yourself and your business. If I had a penny for every time she said beieve then i'd be rich, but its obvious that this piece of advice is what has propelled her success. So much so that when asked who’ll wear it she said assertively, “well I’ll wear it!” This shows her complete confidence in her work and her unwillingness to change her ethos for anyone, she has a passion for what she does and she does it the way she wants! Its this determined attitude and her down to earth and hard working approach that I really admire her for. I wouldn't say im a lazy person, but the drive that Judy has displayed is extraordinary and it hasn't been in vain. She admits that this success has gone hand in hand with sacrifices in her social life, often having to decline invites to get work done. Judy simply thinks to herself, "they're only drinking wine". This is such a good piece of advice and one of the main things I think i'll take away from this project especially with fourth year looming. I'll keep telling myself just to remember that im probably not missing out on that much and there will be plenty more opportunities and if you love what you do, as Judy obviously does, then it won't be that bad anyway!

Judy's advice - Work extremely hard, push push push, love what you do, believe in yourself and your business, don't get too excited by your first pay packet and blow the lot, don't compromise, be a sponge and be inspired by everything, its all about the networking and push yourself to go to everything, don't be apoligetic, each achievment must be followed by another and remember they're only drinking wine.

I FEEl a trEnD cOmInG ON!

Until recently I had never thought about how designers know forthcoming colours and looks or where trends come from. After attending Premier Vision in Paris last year my eyes were well and truly opened to the world of trend forecasting and last week I was lucky enough to get to attend a textiles trends presentation at 'The Lighthouse', the center for architecture and design, in Glasgow. We had a presentation from Anne Ritchie who specialises in trend forecasting, about the Spring/Summer 2013 interior and fashion trends.
The main trend that stood out for me and seems to run through everything at the moment is a celebration of craftsmanship! People want something more unique and personal for there money. From food to interiors, the home grown, handmade and everything artisan is creeping into Vogue. Traditional techniques such quilt making and embroidery are appearing being used in innovative ways and as we have seen over the last few years, vintage and haberdashery detailing are still big. This really appeals to me as I love going wild with embellishment, recycling old buttons and beads and I love mixing and matching. The trend that encapsulates this, bringing elements of old and new together is 'Eccentric Boutique'. Poisonous greens, dusty plums, ocher, clashing prints of pattern and stripes, all full of embellishment give this trend a jumbled, electric feel. Again this is a look I really warm too, I think its because I've grown up surrounded by this eclectic trend. My mum has always liked creating her own interior looks with antique and vintage finds from over the years, mixed with bright prints and key modern pieces. It just shows that this look is really easy to create by just keeping your eyes open for classic and quirky bits and bobs. I am constantly on the look out for the next unusual piece.

In complete contrast to this is the trend 'Northern Lights'. It continues to showcase the idea of vintage and eclectic but in a more natural way, with a cooler, weather worn yet nostalgic feel. Meadow grass greens, pinks and stone greys all add to this serine trend. I think this is the perfect look for summer, bringing the texture of the outdoors in and again creating an organic feel. Its all about distressing, untreated wood, matt finishes and again hand made. Quilts and baskets just a few examples of the craft elements essential to this look. Its really interesting how trends change with the economy and general feel within the country. Like the recession in the 80s, the recent recession has seen fashion hark back to the past. Everyone is loving the nostalgic look with companies like Cath Kidston, who's whole ethos is about recreating retro prints flourishing. Both the trends I've highlighted have a relaxed, vintage and mix matched feel looking to the past for inspiration. You don't have to have a lot of money to achieve these homely, stylish looks and that's why I think everyone will be so attracted to them.

LeTS StarT WITh WHY!

In a recent lecture Mike Press mentioned the theory by Simon Sinek, the 'WHY' discovery! Normally people start with WHAT there going to do, then think HOW there going to do it and finally, WHY there doing it in the first place. Sinek encourages us to ask ourselves WHY first of all. You can discover why by thinking about the times you felt things were totally right and why this was. If things aren't going well then we need to understand WHY? Steve jobs said just before he died, "your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life". This statement really struck a chord with me. It reminds us that we only live once and not to spend it doing something we hate! I'm also quite a home bird and a cautious person and I think I often need reminded to seize the day and take risks in life. He also said, "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." This is all related to the previous lecture and ties in well with 'Make a job, don't take a job'.I really believe that doing something your passionate about is the way to be content and happy. Like Steve Jobs said, there is no point in carrying on with a situation your unhappy with. Ultimately only you can change your life. I know too many people who have not done things or carried on trudging along for the sake of what others will think of them and probably a fear of starting again! I think I have the potential to be this kind of person and I have to keep reminding myself "To change one's life:  Start immediately.  Do it flamboyantly.  No exceptions."  ~William James.