Little over six years ago I embarked on a start of an interesting journey; designing and making embroidered wares to sale. It happened slightly on a bit of a whim and also a pray that it could work and I am pleased to say it did. It was never expected to be an overnight success but slowly over the years I've moulded it to what it is today.
But I am ready for the next chapter, and sometimes you have to end your association with something in order to look at things with a clear perspective and in my case, the focus needed to actually push the business onto the next level.
Yesterday, I undertook that first step towards it. I am being mentored by a very good friend of mine, and very successful self-employed business owner, in order to do the same but in my field. My friend, whilst she is only now starting to shout about it is at the top of her game, one of only twenty at her level in the UK and to break that down even further one of only four in the South of England, she offers advanced clinical massage (you can view her blog here - http://cornerstonetherapies.blogspot.co.uk/). I am going to plug her because frankly she has been the biggest support, aside from my family and her mum, in my creative endeavours, and to boot she is a great inspiration. I'll forever be thankful for the chance meeting in a previous life (working in retail). In fact when I think about it, she was there at the start, even if she wasn't aware of it.
So over the coming years, she is going guide, and no doubt prod me, along my path towards being self-employed, well actually my goal is to be 50:50 and I think for me personally its not only achievable but for me its ideal and its flexible. Nothing is ever clear and least of all when you look to the future, you have to expect a fork in the road or the odd fallen treet.
The first step was to identify everything I do, connections, relationships the type of business it is and where I want to go. This is but a precis of what I, along with her and her husband talked about yesterday afternoon. I have always undervalued what it is I do, the things I have done to get it to the stage it is at the moment and well it was an eye opener. Its not going to be easy and its going require a lot of thinking, leg work and more but at the end of the day I want this to happen, and to use that well turned phase; no pain, no gain!
I have to identify things I have to do or want to achieve in the next six months, most of that will need my brain in gear, but there are some things I can do now, and they are:
- Rebrand - company name, logo design, website etc.
- Removing old stock
So I am pleased to announce, that over the course of the coming months I will be saying goodbye to LAMdesigns and saying hello to Mason Bee. You might wonder why I am choosing to change my shop name etc. Well, LAMdesigns served me well, but it was such a spare of the moment decision to use it and frankly not original, I used my initials and stuck designs on the end. I've never really being a 100% happy with it and I am ready for a change. And as I said earlier I need a new focus, and holding onto the past which was a hobby its time to let go. This is why I am giving away some of my older stock to friends and family (I can hear some happy cheers for that), I have no reason to hold onto it, I made it, it didn't sell so its time to also let go of the things I no longer make (jewellery, bags..)
The changes will be slowly happening, I am going to ease myself and everyone who follows me into this. No sudden alteration overnight. Too much to do for that to happen. So please bare with me, and I hope you enjoy the new path as much as me.
Laura x
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Monday, May 07, 2012
New Products and Stuff
There are times when I have to admit the title of my blog posts are bloody stupid, or plain boring. I never know whether to be witty, or just state the obvious. I suppose with today's I am being a little flippant. Stuff covers everything and well I suppose today is a day about stuff. Anyway, aside from that little quandary I've been tinkering away with the new mini line for my shop and well that's about it if I have to be honest. Well aside from stuff.
Taking my images I got them turned into tiny little pocket mirrors and they arrived during the week. I could easily sell as is, but well that's not very me, where is the touch of the handmade where is well me in it. So I've been making tiny little pouches to go with them. The main bit of its done, I am now sewing them up into recognisable shapes and attaching press fasteners, the latter aspect is going to get old fast and has already been relegated to a job I can do on the train. Probably until I lose the first press stud in transit then it will probably be an at home only job. These are just little ways of being able to take home some of my pieces which generally speaking aren't very portable, namely the clocks. In time there will be further designs made, and some perhaps even specifically for the mirrors, but for the moment in time I had three designs printed:
In person, if I do say so myself they are very cute, especially with the pouches. It will be a bit of a random affair as to which pouch goes with what mirror but that suits my style fine. And each fabric is essentially left overs from previous projects. Nothing, especially not fabric, goes to waste. Part from scrappy bit of thread, knotted threads drive me potty, and life is too short to try and untangle them.
Each mirror is £5.50 each, and as I said comes with a handmade little pouch, might also notice I've had some new labels made up, partly because well it was time for a change and well they look so much nicer than the old lot.
So onto the stuff, I am musing on new pattern ideas, more intriquete ones to sell, time I also got the next free pattern example stitched up. And more interesting to you lot is that I will be doing a bit of a competition with the first pattern. This weeks Want it Wednesday will be temporarily replaced with 'You Will Want this Wednesday'. So keep eyes peeled for that folks! All I will say if you've downloaded the little planet pattern then you'll want to come back.
Anyway, time to get back to stitching pouches, drawing, and listening to TED Talks.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Want it Wednesday - Stop Collaborate and Listen...
No not going to burst out into song, though I bet you start humming. Anyway, this week post is dedicated to collaborations between artists/craftspersons. Reason for this, goes without saying really, is down to my own recent collaboration with Heidi Burton, which resulted in five rather beautiful clocks that I am so proud about that I was fit to burst yesterday listing them. I hope you have seen them but to remind you, just head over to my etsy store to have a look at them in more detail:
And this weeks selection:
See you at the weekend
x
p.s. have you tried my lovely free pattern yet? If you have I would love to see it, I may very well surprise someone with a little something. Just simply post a picture in the Flickr Group, and become a crafty fellow
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