- 6 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Our country is full of incredible makers
00:03dreaming of turning their talent into money-making careers.
00:07It would mean everything to be able to do this full-time.
00:10So, with a team of fantastic professional mentors...
00:14I know your talent, and I know what you're capable of doing.
00:16I run a one-of-a-kind boot camp, showing them how to do just that.
00:21Perfect.
00:21My proudest moment, I'll go share that.
00:23Yes.
00:24Now I'm on my way to catch up with those who have made their dreams come true.
00:28Hello.
00:29There he is.
00:29Hello, mate.
00:30I'll be hearing about their amazing achievements.
00:33I've been able to put down a deposit on a house.
00:35This is my full-time job.
00:37And finding out how much money they're making.
00:40A little bit under £40,000.
00:42Around £50,000.
00:43£50,000?
00:44Yeah.
00:44So, join me and meet the fabulous makers
00:47who have transformed their lives and made it at market.
00:50You can kindly say I am living the dream.
00:53I think it's fair to say.
00:54That's fair to say.
01:02For a lot of makers who come to my boot camp,
01:05their dream is to earn enough money from their talents
01:08to make a living doing the thing they love.
01:11Today, we'll be catching up with two whose incredible skills have transformed their lives.
01:18Later, mentor Sharon will be hearing all about teacher and fluid artist Gemma's success in Essex.
01:24Over about an 18-month period, I had over 200 commissions.
01:28Wow, that's fantastic.
01:30Before that, I'll be checking in with Potter Izzy in south-west London.
01:37I first met her in the spring of 2022,
01:40when she came to my business boot camp looking for help to turn her pottery into a paying profession
01:45after giving up her job at an advertising agency.
01:49It would mean everything to be able to do this full-time.
01:52I mean, it's totally my passion.
01:55It's something that I love to do.
01:57And to be able to spend all of my time making beautiful pottery pieces
02:01for people to have in their homes would be a total dream come true.
02:07Izzy, to give up a well-paid commercial job, what happened?
02:10That must have been quite a scary time.
02:12It was something that I thought about for a while.
02:14I was in the studio, when I say studio, I mean the garden shed in my parents' house.
02:20Oh, brilliant.
02:21Making pots on a wheel.
02:22But I was loving it and I just thought,
02:25if I can't give up now and try to make the dream happen, then when can I do it?
02:30To find out if Izzy had what it took to become a successful full-time potter,
02:35I gave her three challenges.
02:38First was making a volume piece,
02:40something she could produce quickly and sell for an affordable price.
02:44Izzy chose to create a set of candlesticks priced at £28 each.
02:49Standing 10 centimetres high,
02:51they were decorated with different coloured glazes.
02:56First of all, I'm going to make the base of it
02:59and then I'm going to very loosely build up the form
03:03with the two different tiers,
03:06the disc tiers that are around the form,
03:08and then I will create the opening that the candlestick will sit in.
03:14I press my fingers into the clay to create the shape.
03:34It's a little bit wobbly.
03:35It's just come off centre slightly,
03:38so I'm just taking a little bit of the moisture away from the clay.
03:43To help Izzy become a full-time potter,
03:46I teamed her up with Florian Gadsby.
03:48Hi.
03:49Hi.
03:50How's it going?
03:51One of the country's top ceramicists,
03:54Florian has millions of followers on social media,
03:57ensuring any new work he releases sells out in minutes.
04:01Izzy's chosen a candlestick.
04:03They're very good objects to make quickly
04:05because they require very minimal finishing.
04:07You know, as long as she throws the opening accurately,
04:09then they should be fine.
04:11So I think it's quite an intelligent choice.
04:12It's different,
04:13and I think they're an object
04:14that I imagine people would buy multiples of.
04:18While Izzy was fully focused on her volume item,
04:21I grabbed Florian to chat through her second challenge.
04:25Before she arrived at my boot camp,
04:27I asked her to bring along a high-end, pricier piece.
04:31She chose to showcase a 10-piece serving set
04:34with an asking price of £320.
04:39I think it's really interesting,
04:40you know, the idea of having all these pots
04:42that you can lay out yourself and fill with food,
04:43and then, you know, you'll have a nice meal around.
04:46At the moment, they're all kind of one beige colour,
04:48and I think if she was moving forward
04:50into making it, you know, a more sustainable business model,
04:52I think it could be something that's quite fun
04:54if people are able to choose, you know,
04:56have a few of a different colour,
04:57or they can even customise entire sets.
04:59Izzy was hoping to get £320 for the whole set.
05:02How many pieces is it? Ten pieces?
05:04Yeah, a lot for the money.
05:05It's, I think, a bargain,
05:06and, you know, she's thinking about how they interlock,
05:09how she can combine them and make different combinations,
05:10so she's putting quite a lot of thought into it.
05:15Back in the pottery studio,
05:17Izzy had moved on to making the second
05:19of her collection of candlesticks.
05:22Making the body was a quick process,
05:25but making the space that would hold the candle
05:27was a precise job.
05:29I've done a lot of testing to now,
05:32I know exactly the millimetre that it needs to be measured
05:36across the diameter of the opening,
05:38so that then accounting for shrinkage in the firing,
05:42and when there's a glaze on there,
05:43it will snugly fit a candlestick,
05:46a standard candlestick in there.
05:47I know that I want it to be about 2.7,
05:52which, luckily, it actually is.
05:55I don't know why I...
05:56That actually has never happened to me before.
05:58Lots of practice, I see.
06:01Izzy repeated the process
06:02for the third and final candlestick of her collection.
06:06The next bit of the process
06:08is for them to dry out very slowly over a couple of weeks.
06:11Once they've dried out,
06:13I might give them a once-over with a sponge
06:15or a sanding pad
06:16just to make sure that there are no rough edges,
06:18and then I put my maker's mark stamp in on the bottom,
06:22and then they are ready to be fired.
06:27Excluding drying, firing and glazing time,
06:31Izzy's candlesticks took around 15 minutes per piece to produce.
06:35With material costs of £18 for the free,
06:38she priced them at £28 each.
06:41I feel like you make these really quickly.
06:43Yeah, I mean, how long does it take you at the moment?
06:46Between 10 to 12, 15 minutes or so.
06:49OK, so, I mean, the only thing I might say is
06:52if you were to push this
06:53and really try and make them as more of a volume piece,
06:56you could try and get that to five minutes or less,
06:58three minutes per piece.
06:59Yeah.
07:00Three minutes?
07:00Well, you know, there are things you can do
07:03to help speed up the process quite dramatically.
07:05Yeah.
07:05Maybe making a jig that you can insert into the soft clay
07:08to make the well faster.
07:10How about the price?
07:11They're quite a bespoke object.
07:13You know, they're table centrepieces,
07:14so I think people are probably going to buy a couple.
07:18So, yeah, I think it's fair.
07:20Both of Izzy's first two challenges
07:22got her a thumbs-up from Florian and I,
07:25and for her final task,
07:26I asked her to make her favourite piece
07:28to see if the product she relished making the most
07:31could also make her big money.
07:35Izzy chose to make a plimp,
07:37a large bowl on a pedestal foot.
07:39It was something that could be used
07:41as a centrepiece for a dinner party
07:43or a large fruit bowl
07:44and was priced at £180.
07:47First of all, I just have to check
07:49that this large patty of clay I've got
07:52is the right size.
07:54So I've made these before
07:55and I know what it should be.
07:57So we need 28 centimetres,
07:59which is about right.
08:00And now I'm going to open up the middle.
08:07After opening up the centre of the clay,
08:10Izzy's next job was to raise the walls
08:12to create the bowl.
08:18This is where I use the mirror
08:20to really check the form
08:22and the shape of the bowl
08:23as I'm pulling it out.
08:26Now I need to measure the width of the bowl
08:29now that I've shaped it out a little bit,
08:31which is pretty bang on.
08:35I want to make sure
08:36that they're all the same size across
08:39because then if I'm making a batch of them
08:40and selling them,
08:41then all the customers will be getting the same.
08:45Izzy was making good progress
08:46on her final piece,
08:48but she was keen to talk to Florian
08:49about marketing her work.
08:52Something that I know I need to develop
08:54is finding an audience for my work.
08:57And I know social media can be brilliant with that,
09:00but is there any...
09:02Other ways.
09:03Other ways,
09:04or would you say social media
09:06is the best way to do it,
09:07or do you go through stockists?
09:08I think stockists can be really, really good.
09:11You just need to find some that you really love
09:14and you think your work
09:15would sit into their range of products.
09:17You want them to be relatable to you
09:19and you want to actually really like the person.
09:21If you don't get on well
09:22with the person you're selling with,
09:24it's not really going to work.
09:26After chatting to Florian,
09:28Izzy headed straight back to her potter's wheel
09:30to work on the base
09:31of the bowl section of her plimp.
09:34I'm going to trim off
09:35all of this excess clay here
09:37and shape into a nice rounded bowl.
09:40I really love this bit.
09:42It's very soothing
09:43and I love seeing these ribbons of clay
09:46come out of the turning tool.
09:50Having trimmed off the excess clay,
09:53Izzy scored the bowl
09:54in preparation for joining it to the pedestal.
09:58That works well, I think.
10:00Now I've got this lovely concoction of slip,
10:04which is watering clay,
10:06but I've added in a little bit of vinegar as well,
10:08which hopefully will make the two pieces
10:11stick together a little bit more.
10:13And now I'm going to lightly place it on
10:17because I want to just make sure that it's centered.
10:20That looks good.
10:21The last final little small step
10:23is just to use the vinegar and the slip
10:27just to go around the edge
10:28to make sure that all of these little small gaps
10:31are filled in.
10:32After that, dry it really slowly
10:34for maybe two weeks or so
10:36because I want it to dry nice and slowly,
10:38prevent any cracks.
10:39And then it will go in the kiln for a bisque firing
10:42and after that I would glaze it
10:44and it would go in the kiln for a second firing
10:46and then it would be finished.
10:49Izzy's plimp finished with a tasteful green glaze
10:52was a real statement piece.
10:55It had a make time of two and a half hours
10:58and an asking price of £180.
11:02They're a nice statement piece.
11:04You know, they sit on the table,
11:05they're the center of attention,
11:06but I think there are a few things
11:08that I think we could improve on.
11:10I think glazing on the bottom near the foot,
11:12the ring, it's not quite to the bottom,
11:15you know, a little bit up
11:16and I think there could be maybe a motif
11:17or a finish you could add
11:19to make it finish around the bottom
11:21a bit more comfortably.
11:23Yeah.
11:23And then just things like the underside,
11:25I know you said it took you two weeks to dry them,
11:27so we could talk about ways of artificially,
11:29you know, drying the underside
11:31at the same time as the rest of the pot
11:32just to speed things up.
11:34What about the price?
11:35It's quite a sculptural piece,
11:36it's a centerpiece, I think it's fair.
11:39To help Izzy make it as a full-time potter,
11:42we gave her an action plan to take back to London.
11:45First, she needed to promote herself on social media
11:48to boost her profile and draw in potential buyers.
11:52Next, she needed to work at producing her pieces quicker.
11:56And finally, if she was going to collaborate with a stockist,
11:59she needed to find one she liked and could work with.
12:05For the next two months,
12:06Izzy had Florian's continued support
12:09as she worked to get her business off the ground.
12:12And she started by visiting his studio
12:14to get his top tips on promoting herself on social media.
12:18Welcome to the studio.
12:20Oh, wow.
12:21This is it.
12:22This is it.
12:24Florian talked me through
12:25how he captures his footage in the studio.
12:27So he showed me the equipment that he uses,
12:31the software he uses when he's editing his footage,
12:34and also gave me an insight into
12:36how much he posts on social media
12:38and how he writes the captions of his posts as well
12:41to really keep his audience engaged.
12:44So that was all really useful.
12:46Izzy also worked on developing her collection
12:48to include different colours.
12:50I've been thinking a lot about glazing
12:52and developing a range of glazes.
12:55So my next port of call will be doing a batch of glaze testing
12:59to see what I like
13:01and see what works well with different clay bodies.
13:04Up until now,
13:04I've just used the same old white stoneware,
13:07which has served me really well.
13:09But actually,
13:09I think it's time to see what else is out there
13:12and do some testing for clays as well.
13:16Izzy threw herself into acting on every suggestion we gave her.
13:20And two months later,
13:21she came back to see us with impressive news.
13:24I made £5,200 in total.
13:28No way.
13:29Wow.
13:29Stop.
13:31Yeah.
13:31It's amazing from this point in your career.
13:34That's an awful lot of money.
13:36I can't quite believe it.
13:38Even after taking off her costs,
13:41Izzy was well on her way
13:42to having a fully-fledged pottery business.
13:46Just over three and a half years later,
13:48I've come to her studio in south-west London
13:50to see how she's built exactly that
13:53and how much money she's making now.
13:56Izzy, hello.
13:58You OK?
13:58Good, thanks.
13:59Welcome.
13:59Come in.
14:00It's good to see you.
14:02Izzy's set-up has moved on a lot
14:04since I last saw her.
14:05This place is absolutely beautiful.
14:08How has it come about?
14:09You started in your parents' shed, didn't you?
14:11I did.
14:12Yeah.
14:13So that was my first studio
14:14and then I moved on to a slightly bigger space
14:17but I outgrew that actually quite quickly.
14:20I'd also decided I wanted to start a teaching business as well.
14:24OK.
14:25I wanted some space to have more pottery wheels
14:27and perhaps some more kilns
14:29and just, like, grow in that way.
14:30That's quite different to making, though,
14:32to go into teaching.
14:33What brought that on?
14:34I had kind of got to where I had always hoped I would be,
14:37which is being in a lovely studio, making pots.
14:41I had orders from stockists
14:43and I was selling on my website a lot.
14:44That's the dream, isn't it?
14:45It was the dream
14:47and that is what I'd been aiming for
14:49but actually I was a little surprised
14:51that I started to feel a little bit lonely, actually,
14:54and knew that I needed to make some kind of change
14:57to bring in some more social aspect into my life.
15:02Yeah.
15:03Good on you for actually shifting things around.
15:05Moving into this larger space
15:07shows just how much progress Izzy's made,
15:10but it's great to see she's still making the candlesticks,
15:13which were her volume piece at the boot camp.
15:15They are my bestseller now.
15:18They're what I make the most of,
15:19they're what I sell the most of,
15:21both into shops but also on my website.
15:24The biggest retailer that I was really excited to work with
15:27was Fortnum & Mason.
15:28Oh, wow.
15:29Who, I know, I was...
15:30That's huge.
15:31It was a bit of a dream come true, really.
15:33It was what I had always dreamt might happen
15:36but thought it would be much later down the line in my career.
15:40So when that call came in,
15:42I was just, yeah, really over the moon.
15:44Couldn't really believe it.
15:45Having her candlesticks stocked by such a well-known high-end shop
15:49is a massive achievement for Izzy.
15:52At the boot camp, they sold for £28,
15:56but her more polished versions now sell for £34 for the small ones
16:00and £40 for the larger ones.
16:03And they're not the only thing driving her business forwards.
16:06Tell me about the courses.
16:08Which courses do you run?
16:09We do a beginner course,
16:11which is one session each week for five weeks,
16:14and that takes you through the full process of making pots.
16:18And then after that, we've got a developer course,
16:21which is like an intermediate course,
16:22so that's ten weeks.
16:24And then we have a few other kind of sessions like taster classes
16:27and we have full-day courses as well.
16:29It must be a lot for you to do.
16:31It is a lot, but it's not just me anymore
16:33because I've got a couple of teachers
16:36and actually hiring a couple more at the moment,
16:39and also I've got some studio assistants
16:41who help me keep everything running,
16:43so it's not only me.
16:45Wow. Things have grown so much.
16:47You've now got people helping.
16:48Yeah, it's escalated for sure.
16:51A growing staff, high-end stockists and courses,
16:55things really are going well for Izzy.
16:58Her five-week beginner courses are priced at £270
17:01and she charges £450 per person
17:05for the ten-week developer course.
17:07It's great to see her diversifying her business
17:10and she's set up a mug workshop
17:12so that I can try out one of her courses.
17:15I'm ready. I'm ready.
17:17Apron's on. Let's do it.
17:20We start by throwing our clay onto the wheel.
17:24Controlled by a foot pedal and with wet hands,
17:26press the clay down
17:27before we start to form an upside-down cone shape.
17:31You want the top of this to be slightly domed.
17:34Or up.
17:34So if you can squeeze the clay
17:36and just try and bring a bit of a curve shape on the top
17:40because then we're set up to go into our cone.
17:42Yeah, very nice.
17:44Yes. Yeah, lovely.
17:45Lovely.
17:46And you're going to start pushing through the middle of the clay there,
17:49leaning into the side
17:50and you're squeezing the clay between those two hands
17:54and rising them up.
17:56And maybe let's get a little bit more water on your clay,
17:59but looking really nice.
18:01Good.
18:01To remove any air bubbles trapped in the clay,
18:04we push it back down and repeat the process
18:06before creating a donut shape.
18:09This is looking great.
18:11OK.
18:11You've jumped two steps.
18:13I love it.
18:13Have I?
18:14You have.
18:15This is the advanced class.
18:16No, no, no.
18:20Now we're going to compress the base.
18:22So this is the bit that's smoothing out the floor up and down
18:28until you're happy that the floor is nice and smooth.
18:31To pull up the walls,
18:33your middle finger is doing most of the heavy lifting.
18:35Just gently squeezing
18:36and keep on going all the way up to the top.
18:39In one.
18:39Don't stop.
18:40Once you start.
18:40Yeah.
18:41And when you get to the top,
18:42you're just gently going to release the clay from your hands,
18:46gently come away and breathe.
18:49How did you know?
18:52It's a bit of a nerve-wracking moment,
18:54that first pull-up thinking, oh, my goodness.
18:56Damn me.
18:58OK.
18:59OK.
18:59This is good.
19:00This is good.
19:01Really good.
19:01Once I've pulled it into something
19:03that almost looks like the shape and size of a mug,
19:06Izzy's got a trick to help me tidy up the sides.
19:09We can use one of these kidneys
19:11to kind of create a nice straight edge.
19:13Oh, nice.
19:14You're going to have your hand in there in the middle.
19:16Yeah.
19:17And you're really gently pushing the clay.
19:20So get a...
19:22Tilt the tool a little bit in, yeah.
19:24And then you can push out at the base, really.
19:27Yeah.
19:27I think we leave it there.
19:28Perfect.
19:29I'm happy with that.
19:29Beautiful.
19:30I'm more than happy with that.
19:31OK.
19:31You should be.
19:33Normally, our mugs would be allowed to dry for a few days.
19:36But Izzy has helped mine by drying it with a heat gun,
19:39so we can move on to making the handle.
19:42Put this hand just behind here
19:44and you're going to push it on
19:45and give it a bit of a, like, wiggle almost,
19:47pressing with your thumb
19:49just to splend those pieces in.
19:53Now you're going to wet your hand
19:55and this very gently,
19:56just kind of gently pull down.
20:00After attaching the handle,
20:02my mug actually looks like a mug.
20:04I love it.
20:05So do I.
20:07I will treasure that.
20:08I really will.
20:08I'll keep that for a long time.
20:10Good.
20:11Izzy's going to get my mug fired and glazed
20:14so I can enjoy a cuppa from it soon.
20:16Aside from collaborating with stockists,
20:19which she's been hugely successful with,
20:21I'm keen to find out
20:22how much the rest of the advice we gave her at the boot camp
20:25has helped her to build her business.
20:29Izzy, when you came to the boot camp,
20:31Florian and I gave you an action plan
20:32with some key pointers
20:33to try and help you build this business.
20:35One of the pointers we wanted you to work on
20:37was your social media
20:38to gain a following
20:39and hopefully gain customers.
20:40This was something that Florian
20:42really helped me a lot with, actually,
20:44and he gave me a few really good tips
20:46around posting more regularly,
20:48the kind of content I was posting,
20:50telling a bit of a story
20:51behind the making process,
20:52and I did see a big increase in my followers.
20:56Did you?
20:57I did.
20:57I'm now on around 44,000.
21:0044,000?
21:01And where were you before?
21:03One or 2,000, maybe?
21:04So you've gained over 40,000 followers.
21:07Yes.
21:09That's impressive.
21:10Thank you so much.
21:12Florian was very keen
21:13for you to increase your efficiency
21:15and the speed you can make things.
21:17I was making the candlestick holders
21:19in about 15 minutes, I think.
21:21And he wanted under five.
21:23And he wanted under five,
21:24which, honestly, at the time,
21:26I kind of didn't know
21:27if that could even be done.
21:30Are we under the five minutes, though?
21:31I think four or five minutes
21:33is kind of how quickly
21:35I'd throw a candlestick holder now.
21:36I'm blown away by that.
21:37Four minutes.
21:38Just from having thrown so many.
21:41Izzy's nailed every part
21:42of her action plan.
21:44By establishing a successful
21:45teaching business as well,
21:47she's gone even further.
21:48And I'm excited to find out
21:50how much money she's now making.
21:52Do you mind if we talk figures?
21:54How much is this all
21:55earning you at the moment?
21:56Based on both the teaching
21:58I've been doing
21:59and running the business
22:00and then also my own making,
22:03I've made around 50 grand
22:05is my earnings.
22:08Around that.
22:09That's a lot of money.
22:10Yeah.
22:10Well done.
22:11Do you know what?
22:12You deserve every penny of it.
22:13You're making it work.
22:15Yeah, I can't quite believe it
22:16because I'm now in a position
22:17where I'm earning more
22:19than I did in my corporate job before.
22:21But I love what I do.
22:23So I'm, you know,
22:24I'm just, I'm over the moon.
22:25That was the dream.
22:27Yeah.
22:27Three and a half years ago,
22:29Izzy's decision to leave
22:30a well-paid advertising job
22:31to pursue a career in pottery
22:33felt like a big leap.
22:35Now, with an income
22:36of £50,000 a year
22:37from making and teaching
22:39after taking off her costs,
22:41it's a leap that's paid off magnificently.
22:44The last three years
22:45has been amazing.
22:47It's definitely been
22:48a lot of hard work,
22:49but I love that I get to work
22:51with clay every day
22:52and it's something
22:54that I'm really passionate about
22:55and I'm able to share that
22:56with other people
22:57and so overall,
22:59it's been really amazing.
23:05The next maker whose progress
23:07we're going to be checking up on
23:08is teacher and fluid artist
23:10Gemma from Essex.
23:12She also came to my boot camp
23:13just over three and a half years ago
23:15and like Izzy was hoping
23:17we could help her
23:18with a career change.
23:20I'm a teacher
23:20and I've been a teacher
23:21for 13 years
23:22and I love it,
23:23but it happened a bit by accident.
23:25I would have really loved
23:26to have had a career in art,
23:27but when I was applying
23:29to university,
23:29I was given some advice
23:30from a career advisor
23:32who said that there was
23:33no chance of making a career in art,
23:35so why bother doing it at university?
23:37So that really set a course
23:38for where I am now.
23:40Gemma's work was a wonderful mix
23:42of chemistry and creativity.
23:44Using different oils,
23:46paints and water,
23:47she created flowing,
23:48multi-layered abstract pieces
23:50and had dreams of it helping her
23:52to live a more creative life.
23:54I'm looking to completely change my life.
23:56I'm looking to start again
23:58and create a business
23:59that will carve out a future
24:01for me in art.
24:04To help Gemma make the new start
24:06she was hoping for,
24:07she was mentored by professional artist
24:10Sharon Walters.
24:12Sharon has collaborated
24:13with the Tate
24:14and the National Portrait Gallery
24:16and was keen to help Gemma
24:18turn her talent
24:18into a successful business.
24:21You can see with Gemma
24:23she's actually passionate
24:23about what she does.
24:25Her work is so beautiful.
24:27It incorporates nature
24:28and I think she has a great approach
24:31to creating unique work
24:33in an abstract way.
24:35For her volume piece,
24:36Gemma made three sets
24:38of Fluid Art coasters
24:39on slate, porcelain and wood
24:41priced at £18 each.
24:44I love the uniqueness of this work.
24:46Can you talk me through the process?
24:48Yeah, so this is a base
24:51of just a pouring medium
24:53which will dry clear.
24:55Yeah.
24:55So think like PVA glue.
24:56That sort of...
24:58And when this dries clear
24:59you'll be able to see
25:00the wood underneath.
25:01So now I'm building up
25:02the different layers.
25:03This paint,
25:04I've mixed it already
25:05so it's got paint conditioner in
25:07which creates
25:08the fluid movements
25:09and also means
25:10that they don't
25:11cross over and blend
25:12unless I make them blend
25:14which keeps the distinction.
25:16How are you getting
25:16on business lives?
25:17At the moment
25:18I think I've got
25:19a hobby which pays
25:21for itself
25:21and gives me
25:22a bit of extra pocket money.
25:23I don't think I've got
25:25the makings of a new life yet
25:26or a career.
25:29Whilst Gemma pushed on
25:30with her volume piece
25:31Sharon and I sat down
25:33to talk about
25:33her high-end item.
25:35She'd upcycled
25:36a small chest of drawers
25:38she'd bought for £20.
25:40Decorated with
25:41a fluid art design
25:42it had a price tag
25:43of £200.
25:46I love the idea
25:47of using
25:47her paint work
25:49on a piece of furniture
25:50but I'm not sure
25:51that's the right
25:52piece of furniture.
25:53You know what,
25:53I completely agree with you.
25:54When I saw the canvases
25:55I just thought
25:56that would be brilliant
25:57on some furniture
25:58just not that bit of furniture.
26:00No, not that bit of furniture.
26:00Mid-century
26:01cleaner design, slicker
26:02could just be
26:03on a piece of plywood
26:03set in to a panel
26:05or something like that.
26:06There's a lot more
26:07to think about
26:07I think around
26:08the furniture side of things.
26:12Back in the artist
26:13corner
26:13Gemma had reached
26:15a delicate stage
26:16in producing
26:16one of her coasters.
26:19The pipette
26:20is going to create
26:20a slightly different effect
26:23particularly because
26:24this is thinner.
26:25This looks like
26:25such a therapeutic process.
26:28It's incredibly therapeutic.
26:30I'm going to manipulate it
26:31and move it around
26:32in this case
26:33just using a toothpick
26:34but you can do it
26:35with lots and lots
26:35of different things.
26:37Allow a certain
26:38amount of blending
26:39so you get this
26:40kind of marbled effect.
26:43Once Gemma
26:44was happy
26:44with the design
26:45she gave it
26:46a helping hand
26:47to set.
26:52The blowtorching
26:53is going to just
26:55help it to set
26:56and also start
26:57activating
26:57in the looser
26:59paint colours
26:59some of the cells.
27:01So you can see
27:02that one's already
27:03splitting
27:04and that one
27:05and that will continue
27:06over the next
27:07hour or so.
27:08So how long
27:08do they take to set?
27:10To get completely dry
27:11before I can put
27:11a second layer on
27:13which will be resin
27:14somewhere about
27:15two days.
27:16Plain resin
27:17which will protect
27:18the coaster
27:18but also make it
27:19really glossy
27:20and really shiny.
27:24Excluding drying time
27:25Gemma's coaster sets
27:27had a make time
27:27of three and a half
27:28hours,
27:29material costs
27:30of £6.50
27:31and a price tag
27:32of £18 per set.
27:35I actually love
27:36coasters.
27:37I can't believe
27:37I'm admitting this
27:38but I really
27:38really love coasters
27:39and I think these
27:41feel like more
27:42of a luxury item
27:43but I would suggest
27:45possibly having
27:46a different kind
27:46of storage for these
27:47in terms of your packaging
27:49if you had
27:50maybe a wooden
27:51type storage
27:52where these
27:54could actually sit
27:55and be stored
27:55in a really good way
27:56I think that would
27:57work really well
27:58and you could charge
27:58slightly more for them
27:59that way.
28:00That's a brilliant idea.
28:02I definitely feel
28:03that I can learn
28:04a lot from some
28:05of the feedback
28:06that I got
28:07especially from Sharon
28:08but it was lovely
28:09to hear that they
28:09liked them
28:10because when your
28:10heart and soul
28:11has gone into
28:11something
28:12it's good to know
28:13that that's being
28:13reflected and shown
28:14to other people.
28:16Sharon believed
28:17that with some tweaks
28:18Gemma's first two
28:19items had the potential
28:21to be popular
28:21and profitable products.
28:23For her third
28:24challenge
28:25we asked her
28:26to produce
28:26her favourite piece
28:27to discover
28:28if what she loved
28:29creating most
28:30could win over
28:31customers too.
28:33She chose to make
28:34a seaside triptych
28:36a painting
28:37made up of
28:37three separate
28:38and in this case
28:39identically sized
28:40canvases
28:42showcasing a seascape
28:43priced at £130.
28:46This is base coat.
28:48This has to be
28:48more fluid
28:49than the rest
28:49of the paint
28:50that I'm going
28:50to put on
28:51because this is
28:51going to be
28:52the medium
28:52through which
28:52everything else
28:53happens.
28:54So if this bit
28:55isn't the right
28:57chemical make-up
28:58and isn't the right
28:59viscosity
28:59the rest
29:00will not
29:01behave the way
29:02I want it to.
29:03With her base
29:04layer complete
29:05Gemma started
29:06to add extra
29:07layers of paint.
29:08This is called
29:09a Dutch pour
29:10so we're going
29:11to essentially
29:12cover up the paint
29:13and then use
29:15the hairdryer
29:16to reveal the paint
29:17which has this
29:18poetry with
29:19the actual ocean
29:20and the sand
29:21because the wind
29:23would blow
29:24the ocean
29:25and the sea spray.
29:28As Gemma's
29:29process was so
29:30unique
29:30Sharon was keen
29:31to take a look.
29:32Hi Gemma.
29:33Hi.
29:34How's it going?
29:35Really well.
29:37Just creating
29:38this sea effect
29:39but it needs a bit
29:40of manipulation
29:41and playing with
29:42now so I'm going
29:43to use my mouth
29:43and the straw
29:44to kind of move
29:45that around
29:45and then to move
29:46these around as well.
29:47You can feel
29:48the movement
29:48in the piece
29:49and I love
29:49the use of colours
29:50in this work.
29:52I really love
29:52the use of colours.
30:00I think she's
30:01kind of holding
30:02on to it like
30:02oh it's a bit
30:03experimental
30:03and it's
30:04but experiments
30:05can be art.
30:08She needs to
30:09place some value
30:09on what she's
30:10actually doing
30:10and believe
30:12in herself more.
30:14Gemma's
30:15seaside triptych
30:16was a beautiful
30:16piece of abstract art
30:18and she gave it
30:18an asking price
30:19of £130.
30:21I think it's
30:22a brilliant
30:22piece of work
30:23and really
30:23exemplifies the work
30:24that you've been
30:25doing.
30:25Just wonderful.
30:26Really well done.
30:28How about the price?
30:29I think that's
30:29a really reasonable
30:30price for an
30:32original piece
30:32of artwork.
30:33In terms of
30:34where you would
30:34sell it I really
30:35think that it
30:36would do really
30:36well in a gallery.
30:38So maybe a
30:38smaller gallery type
30:39space.
30:40By the sea?
30:41Yeah by the sea.
30:42Yeah.
30:42You'd get a really
30:43good market there.
30:44So useful and
30:45just ready and
30:46raring to go.
30:48As she headed
30:49home to Essex
30:50we gave Gemma
30:51an action plan
30:51to help make
30:52her dream of
30:53becoming a full-time
30:54artist come true.
30:57First she needed
30:58to work on more
30:59luxurious packaging
31:00for her wooden
31:00coasters to help
31:02boost their prices
31:03and profits.
31:04Next we wanted her
31:05to contact seaside
31:07galleries to sell
31:07her seascapes.
31:09Finally she needed
31:11to believe in
31:11herself and put her
31:13art out there
31:13to sell.
31:18For the next two
31:19months Sharon
31:20supported Gemma
31:21as she worked
31:22around the clock
31:23to get her
31:23business off the
31:24ground.
31:25Starting with
31:26contacting galleries.
31:27I've been really
31:28inspired by the
31:29advice about creating
31:30more seascape work
31:31and targeting
31:33galleries along the
31:35sea fronts for
31:36those.
31:37So I've been working
31:37on a few new
31:38techniques.
31:39For example
31:39using resin split
31:41with silicone oil
31:42to create some
31:43really exciting
31:44bubble effects in
31:46artworks.
31:47I also have been
31:48thinking about how
31:48I can make my
31:49coaster range more
31:50upmarket for shops.
31:52So this is quite
31:53difficult because I've
31:54been working on a
31:55few different styles
31:55of boxes but they
31:56do come out quite
31:57expensive.
31:59To try and sell
32:00her work Gemma
32:01travelled to an
32:02upmarket makers
32:03festival in
32:04Oxfordshire.
32:05It was a real
32:06test of the self
32:07confidence she needed
32:08to develop to build
32:09her business.
32:10And after the
32:11first day she had
32:12good news.
32:14Sold my big
32:16triptych which is
32:17great.
32:18Really excited about
32:19that one.
32:20Also lots of
32:20coasters sold.
32:22Over the next
32:23three days the good
32:24news kept on
32:25coming.
32:26The coasters have
32:27been selling really
32:28well and a few
32:28smaller pieces of
32:29art.
32:29It's been quite a
32:30good art day today.
32:31It's sold lots of
32:32art.
32:33It's sold out of
32:33trays, sold out of
32:34small pots so it's
32:36been really good.
32:39In the eight
32:40weeks after my
32:40boot camp Gemma
32:42tackled her action
32:42plan with real
32:44drive and
32:44determination and
32:46when she reported
32:46back she blew us
32:48away with her
32:49progress.
32:50How much have you
32:50made?
32:51I've taken £4,300
32:53which is incredible.
32:55No.
32:55So good.
32:56Well done.
33:00Gemma had to
33:01deduct her costs
33:02from her brilliant
33:03sales figure but
33:04she'd put herself on
33:05track to having real
33:07success.
33:08Three and a half
33:09years later lots has
33:10changed in Gemma's
33:11life.
33:12Almost two years ago
33:14she gave birth to
33:15daughter Wren and
33:16she's very recently
33:17moved house.
33:18She's also been
33:19working hard on her
33:20business and I've
33:21asked Sharon to pop
33:22along to find out
33:23what she's achieved
33:24and how much cash
33:25she's bringing in
33:26now.
33:27Hi.
33:28How are you?
33:30Good to see you.
33:32Come in.
33:33I can't wait to
33:33see.
33:35Up until a few
33:36days ago Gemma was
33:37working from her
33:38dining room table
33:39but after moving
33:40house she now has
33:42her own studio and
33:43it's already looking
33:44fabulous.
33:46This is beautiful.
33:47Thank you very much.
33:48You must be so
33:49happy here.
33:49I love the space.
33:51How has this
33:52changed your
33:53practice?
33:53Having lots more
33:54space to be able to
33:55work on multiple
33:56things at once is
33:57going to be a game
33:58changer.
33:58I can do big pieces
33:59leave them and then
34:00work on other things
34:01and then hopefully
34:02once I'm embedded
34:03have more workshops.
34:05I've done one but in
34:07a hired village hall
34:09space which is great
34:11but the problem is the
34:13artwork has to dry for
34:15quite a few days
34:16laying completely still
34:17so you're having to
34:18hire a space for a much
34:19longer period afterwards
34:20while everyone's work
34:21is drying.
34:22Here I'm going to be
34:23able to have 10, 12
34:25people in, leave the
34:26works dry, post it to
34:27them afterwards.
34:28Those things are
34:29going to mean that I
34:30can step back a little
34:31bit from the school
34:32side.
34:33That's the long term
34:34goal.
34:34After you left
34:35boot camp how did
34:36you manage to grow
34:37the business?
34:38It was a really
34:40steep learning curve.
34:42I had so many
34:43commissions.
34:45Over about an
34:4618 month period
34:47over 200 commissions.
34:48Wow that's
34:49fantastic.
34:50Yeah.
34:50I've been selling
34:52everything ranging
34:52from kind of 50 or
34:5460 pounds the
34:54cheapest pieces right
34:56the way up to over
34:56a thousand pounds some
34:57of my commissions.
34:59Both Dom your
35:00advice, the kickstart
35:02that it gave me made
35:03such a difference.
35:04So what pieces are
35:05selling the best for
35:06you?
35:07Art wise the smaller
35:08pieces the 30
35:09centimetre 20 centimetre
35:11panels they're kind of
35:1250, 60 pounds and
35:14coasters I was selling
35:15them in fours but I've
35:17moved to twos of those
35:18and I sell them for
35:19about 18 pounds for a
35:20pair.
35:21It's great to hear that
35:23the coasters Gemma made
35:24for her volume piece are
35:25proving popular along with
35:28her commissioned work like
35:29this triptych which has
35:30recently sold for 385
35:32pounds and the big blue
35:34wave canvas for 442.
35:37She's also been busy
35:39developing new pieces and
35:41now makes 3D art priced
35:42between 80 to 800 pounds
35:44depending on size.
35:46Gemma's going to show
35:47Sharon how she makes one
35:49called droplets on petals.
35:51She starts by rolling out
35:53air drying clay, wets the
35:55board which forms her
35:56canvas with water and
35:58begins to create the
35:59petals.
35:59The idea is that you
36:02essentially see what
36:03happens organically with the
36:05clay.
36:05You're kind of going to have
36:07a bit of a play.
36:08Play with the clay.
36:09Yeah.
36:10I'm seeing kind of how
36:12things feel as I'm moving
36:13it around and because I'm
36:15going for petals with water
36:18that's going to sit in them.
36:20I want it to take this kind
36:22of organic shape.
36:23I'm going to take some
36:24parts out and then this is
36:26me moulding it then to the
36:28board.
36:29I have to make these little
36:30grooves which I'll sand
36:31down because otherwise the
36:32resin and the paint will just
36:33all pour off.
36:34If I want this area to pull
36:36paint and resin then this
36:38needs to be lower.
36:39What have been your biggest
36:40successes since boot camp do
36:41you think?
36:42I've had successes with
36:44major commissions, selling
36:47things that are four figures,
36:49having people come back,
36:50purchase again and again.
36:52Success is like being able
36:54to move into the studio.
36:55This is a pretty massive
36:56success because being able
36:57to run workshops for larger
36:59groups of people.
37:00I've got 20, 28 people at
37:01the moment on a waiting list.
37:02That's fantastic.
37:03So good.
37:04But obviously like the
37:06biggest success that's
37:07happened since I saw you
37:07last was I had my daughter.
37:09It wasn't even an art thing.
37:12As the clay needs around a
37:14week to dry, Gemma's prepped
37:15one that's already dried,
37:17sanded and primed with a
37:18water repellent layer, ready
37:20for painting.
37:21The next stage is to paint
37:24the background, which is
37:26this nice kind of neutral
37:28colour.
37:29The paint has to be mixed
37:31with various different
37:31paint conditioners if you
37:33want to create different
37:34effects.
37:35So imagine you wanted a blue
37:37paint to sit slightly on top
37:38of a white paint.
37:39It would need to be a
37:39different thickness.
37:41So I think I'm pretty much
37:43there with the background.
37:43So I'm going to add the
37:45colour now.
37:46Do you feel excited with
37:47this bit?
37:48I do feel excited, but it's
37:50the scary bit.
37:51You can't do this bit
37:52again if it goes wrong.
37:53You can lift the clay back
37:54up.
37:55You can, you know, clean
37:56resin off.
37:56But this is a do or die
37:59moment, really.
38:00And here I am, peering over
38:02your shoulder.
38:03No pressure, Gemma.
38:04I just do it really well.
38:05Yeah, I just don't mess
38:06up.
38:07Gemma, I'm wishing you
38:09well.
38:09A combination of pre-mixed
38:11coloured paints are poured
38:13into a mini tray and then
38:14applied to the clay shapes.
38:18She then uses a hairdryer,
38:24straw and palette knife to
38:26move the colours across the
38:28canvas to look like petals.
38:30Interesting seeing this
38:32process.
38:34Finally, a blowtorch helps
38:36pop any air bubbles that
38:37have formed in the paint.
38:39This will have to stay
38:41completely still for a week
38:43until it dries.
38:45I've had artworks that I've
38:47laid down to dry, gone to bed,
38:48go up in the morning and
38:49they weren't completely flat
38:50and all the paint's just
38:51slid off, destroying it.
38:53And all that work's gone.
38:54Yeah, exactly.
38:56To show Sharon the finishing
38:57touches, Gemma's prepared
38:59another piece that's already
39:00dried and adds silicone oil
39:03and resin to create the
39:04effect of water droplets.
39:06What the silicone oil does
39:08is repels the resin, like
39:11water and oil, basically.
39:12Yeah.
39:13So that it creates this
39:14bubble effect.
39:18After all of the tiny
39:20droplets have been placed,
39:21meticulously, it's going to
39:23take a few days for the
39:25resin to cure.
39:25And after that, you have a
39:29finished piece.
39:30Gemma's droplets on petals
39:323D canvas has material costs
39:35of £42, a make time of around
39:37three weeks and is priced at
39:39£340.
39:41It's great to see her having the
39:43confidence to produce new work
39:45as well as hearing about all
39:47her success.
39:48And I'm keen to find out how the
39:50action plan we gave her at the
39:51bootcamp three and a half years
39:53ago has helped to build her
39:55business and improve her bank
39:56balance.
39:57One of the things we asked you
39:59to do was to maybe upscale your
40:02packaging for your coasters.
40:04Have you stuck to that?
40:05What I ended up doing was upscaling
40:07for different environments.
40:09So I package them in different
40:10ways depending on where they're
40:12going to.
40:13But the actual full-blown boxes
40:15worked out quite expensive.
40:17So I moved away from that
40:19eventually.
40:20But yeah, I've still taken that
40:21message on board and created
40:23different packaging overall.
40:24Another thing that I mentioned
40:26to you was that it was really
40:27important that you started to
40:28believe in yourself more and to
40:30really put your art out there.
40:32It looks as though you've done
40:33that.
40:33Having worked with lots of people
40:35for commissions now, I have
40:36confidence in that process in
40:38getting positive feedback from
40:39people.
40:40That's really supported that
40:41confidence.
40:42I think when you try something
40:43new, it knocks you down a
40:45peg, you have to rebuild the
40:46confidence again.
40:47So ebbs and flows with that.
40:50Of course.
40:50I do think even if you don't
40:53realise it, you are far more
40:54confident than you were.
40:56So it's great to see.
40:57Really good to see.
41:00I agree with Sharon.
41:03Gemma's built her confidence and
41:04a business with old favourites,
41:06new pieces and workshops.
41:08I can't wait to find out what it
41:11all means for her finances.
41:12When you were at bootcamp, one of
41:14the main things you wanted to do
41:15was to make money.
41:17How have you gotten on with that?
41:18Obviously, I had my first year
41:20after bootcamp, then I had my
41:21daughter.
41:22So I've really only returned this
41:24year back to full pelt, next phase
41:26of the business.
41:28And I'm on track this year after
41:30cost to pay myself about £35,000.
41:34That's fantastic.
41:35How do you feel?
41:36I feel delighted.
41:37I was really nervous post-maternity
41:39because it went so well before.
41:41I was like, you know, the belief
41:45thing, you think, am I the same?
41:47Are people going to buy back into
41:49me?
41:49And so after maternity leave, having
41:51things pick back up incredibly,
41:54it's felt really exciting, but it's
41:57validating that the art has worth.
41:59It has worth for me and it also has
42:02worth to other people.
42:04Earning £35,000 a year after costs
42:07so soon after returning to work
42:09following the birth of her daughter
42:11is a phenomenal achievement for
42:13Gemma.
42:14She currently still works three days
42:16a week as a teacher, but is on
42:18course to fulfilling her dream of
42:20becoming a full-time artist.
42:23The last three and a half years have
42:25been a bit of a rollercoaster.
42:27Post bootcamp, I had the most amazing
42:30pick up in business and it was such a
42:33steep learning curve.
42:35Since having my baby, I've had to start
42:37all over again.
42:38And coming to where I am now, starting
42:40this next phase is just, it's up from
42:43here.
42:44That's how it feels.
42:46Building a creative business takes
42:48more than just talent.
42:49You need resilience and ability to
42:52think on your feet and a real focus on
42:54exactly what you want your business to
42:56be.
42:57Over the past three and a half years,
42:59Gemma and Izzy have proved that they've
43:01got all of these things in spades.
43:03And I've absolutely no doubt they'll both
43:06go on to even bigger and better things.
43:10Want some help building a business that
43:12lasts?
43:13Visit the Open University's interactive
43:15guide for practical help to sustain and
43:18grow your business.
43:19Scan the QR code on screen or visit
43:22connect.open.ac.uk
43:25forward slash
43:27I made it at market.
Comments