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Nancy Nicholson || Creative Mentality || Working Alone
A conversation about the importance, the joys and the perils of working alone. We continue our series on creativity, entrepreneurship and mental health. Creativity and entrepreneurship are adventures, magnificent ones which bring people alive, show them what they are capable off and offer a real thrill and sense of purpose and fulfilment. But there are also real challenges, bumps in the road and tough times. One of these is working alone. Some months ago when I asked about the challenges you experienced in the life of a creative entrepreneur, loneliness was a common answer. Whether you truly do work alone in your studio or are the leader of a team of whatever size, the topic came up again and again.This episide is a conversation with a wordsmith I hugely admire. Nancy Nicholson is a weaver and textile artist. She is a designer and maker of rugs, wall hangings and textiles. She would, I think, have had a great deal to discuss with Jim Ede of Kettle’s Yard. Forms, many circular, a palate informed by sheep’s fleeces and the natural world. A confidence of style. A belief in quiet beauty. She offers collections and works on bespoke commissions. She has collaborated with the likes of Christopher Farr and always offers up something unexpected. Nancy is that rare thing. She is unhurried. She seems to have found immunity from the rush and addiction to ‘the next thing’, from the need for speed. She reads and reads and reads and thinks and thinks and thinks. I imagine her be the sort of person who reads poems and reads them more than once. This is not to suggest inaction. Nancy produces beautiful work that finds itself in the most magical of spaces. She personifies the idea of being considered. Perhaps this is the loom itself. Perhaps it is her character. Perhaps both. But in all of it she is a celebration of the importance of working alone and embracing the independence of creative work. Not for all days, for all seasons but it is certainly valuable and part of the joy of deep work and creative breakthrough. But also it can tip from alone to lonely. And Nancy and I will explore that too.Nancy Nicholson: www.nancynicholsonstudios.com
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1:17:38
Cath Kidston MBE || Longevity
A conversation with Cath Kidston MBE about her new brand, C. Atherley, and the longevity of her creative and commercial success. Most, many or all of us will have interacted with Cath Kidston's products, story and style at some point. It is certainly a story of creativity, of joy, of home, of both a fresh approach and a sense of nostalgia; it is a jewel in the crown of British design. It’s one that expands across the decades, across the globe, across changing styles and trends, across different ways of building brands and doing business. Today we are in the presence of hard won wisdom and someone who has sustained her creativity, and commercial success, for the long term. This is a story that we can all learn a very great deal from.We are very lucky today to be able to ask Cath that uplifting relationship between creativity and longevity. We will explore the igniting and nurturing creativity, the delight of shop keeping, new ideas and good ideas, taking the long view, risk and growth, her latest enterprise of magical British bodycare brand C.Atherley and what the future holds.So, welcome to Up With The Lark and Cath Kidston MBE. I’d suggest paper and pencil for this one, there are some insights worthy of scribbling down on their way. C.Atherley: www..c-atherley.comUp With The Lark: www.upwiththelark.com
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57:09
Studio Faeger || Creative Mentality || Creative Identity
A conversation with Victoria Barker, founder of Studio Faeger, on finding and nurturing your creative identity. The internal life of creative entrepreneurs fascinates me and it is my view that the mental health of this extra ordinary group of people warrants greater discussion. What makes a person create? What makes them keep creating? What part do persistence, patience and pauses play? How do you experience the ‘aloneness’ of it? How do you handle failure and disappointment? What impact does leading a team have? And what part does neurodiversity play? What is burnout and how can it be avoided? How can we keep creative and commercial momentum in the midst of grief, fertility challenges or economic uncertainty? And, as ever, my north star in it all – how can we make the creative commercial and the commercial creative whilst maintaining good mental health?In this episode I am delighted to say that we are tackling one of my favourite topics – creative identity – with one of my favourite creatives, Victoria Barker founder of Studio Faeger. Studio Faeger has a tangibility to it so often forgotten in the digital age. Her designs lift the soul, are embracing and have just enough humour and lightness in them that your day is better for it. It is a reminder of what interior design is for – it’s not for static crafted images in magazines or videos on social media. It is about the right table to sit and converse at with your best friend, a kitchen that nourishes you, a sofa to sink into with your toddler or your teen, it’s the beauty of living life well. Victoria has swiftly cemented her look and feel alongside what it is to work with her. Both are magical.We are very lucky to have the chance to explore how you discover, nurture and develop your creative identity. We will consider what actions, people and places augment and affirm that identity. And we will debate how to tackle the challenges, dilutions and distractions that come your way. Victoria has carved out a career, a portfolio of work, a swathe of delighted clients by ever so gently, with ever so much determination focus and grit, expressed her own creative identity. She seems to be able to avoid those pitfalls of comparison, distraction and doubt. Those who have this gift are flames to the rest of us moths and so I very much hope that you will enjoy Up With The Lark and Studio Feager on Creative Identity.
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58:13
Soho Bespoke|| Form Function Fashion
A discussion with eyewear designer and founder of Soho Bespoke, on the relationship of form and function. A few weeks ago, I stood in a spectacles shop trying on new frames. I found myself selecting a simple gold-rimmed wire pair. And in the mirror, I was reminded—which, I'll admit, took me by surprise—of four-year-old Calandre wearing something very similar, thanks to the design decisions of the NHS. And so today's conversation is perfectly timed. It is one about the relationship between form, function, and fashion.Most creative entrepreneurs exist at this intersection most of the time. They are drawing together their creative ideas and ideals, colours, materials, combinations, and methods alongside the practical need for things to 'work'. I am quite sure that this tension creates excellence—and, I am sure, many an existential crisis.We are joined today by Charlie Ingham, founder of Soho Bespoke, an eyewear design consultancy. Charlie designs spectacles for both opticians and fashion brands. She works from concept to sampling and manufacture across the UK, Europe, and Asia. With clients including JW Anderson, Margaret Howell, Cubitts and Nanushka, I can safely say Charlie has just the insight we are looking for on this topic.We are going to explore the eyewear industry and the fine craft of spectacle making. We will consider the importance of function, understanding, and science before looking at the dynamics of look and feel. Finally, we will debate their combination and connection.
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56:42
Niwaki || Japan
A conversation about the influence of Japanese design, business, retail and gardens on Jake Hobson, founder of Niwaki. A few years ago, I had a conversation with Taymoor Atigetchi, founder of Papier, about the impact of his Iranian roots on the way that he does business. That train of thought stayed with me and stayed with me to the point of preoccupation. And so now, here is the second in our series of interviews with entrepreneurs working in and influenced by a variety of countries and cultures.I want to look beyond the accepted cliches to understand and celebrate variety. I want to explore customs, political systems, climate, temperament, geography and expectations. What motivates, delights and disappoints? I hope to celebrate the breadth of style and approach the idiosyncratic, the different.Today we find ourselves far far away, exploring a country as mysterious as it is magnificent – Japan. And to guide us is Jake Hobson, founder of Niwaki. What began as a trip to Japan in the 1990s has become an exquisite jewel of handmade garden tools, workwear and a thoughtful conversation about gardens and enjoying them. Their look is as distinctive as their approach, quiet yet impactful. And we are lucky enough today to be able to discuss Japanese style influences, the Japanese approach to doing business and the impact of Japanese retail on Niwaki.Whilst it is simply impossible to summarise an entire nation in one conversation, I wonder if by wondering through the cherry blossom, we might just learn something afresh about design, about selling and about beauty. And so welcome to Up With The Lark And Niwaki - I do think that you are going to enjoy this one.Niwaki: www.niwaki.com
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