- 6 hours ago
I Made It at Market S01E08 Ceramic Sculpture and Glassblowing
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 just show 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.
00:31I'll be hearing about their amazing achievements.
00:34I've been able to put down a deposit on a house.
00:36This 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 kind of say I am living the dream.
00:53I think that's fair to say.
01:02Whether they're trying to grow an existing business or turn a part-time passion into a full-time career,
01:08the makers that come to my boot camp all want to make money from their talents.
01:13Today, we'll be catching up with two in their own studios who have done just that.
01:18Later, mentor Alistair will be heading to Devon to check in on glass artist Emi, who's found worldwide success.
01:26I've got a touring gallery that's taken my work internationally.
01:30It's taken my work to Singapore, Texas, New York, where I had a sell-out show.
01:35Before that, I'll be visiting wildlife lover Sarah in Yorkshire.
01:40I first met her at my boot camp in spring 2022,
01:44when she came looking for help to make a career change
01:47just a few months after she'd started working with clay.
01:49When the pandemic hit, I was a professional photographer
01:53and obviously everything just stopped.
01:57Birds were singing and the sun was shining
01:59and I just realised that that was what life was about.
02:01I got my hands on ceramics, some clay.
02:04There's nothing between you and the material
02:06and it just feels so raw and so natural.
02:09It's like you're working with the earth.
02:12To help Sarah make the switch from photography to sculpting,
02:16I teamed her up with Belfast-based ceramicist Derek Wilson.
02:21Sarah is really, really interesting
02:23because within such a short period of time,
02:25her work is already at a certain standard.
02:28And I think already, you know,
02:29you can kind of see the potential in her practice.
02:33To work out how Sarah could best make money from her ceramics,
02:37I set her three challenges.
02:39First up, I wanted to see what she could produce in volume.
02:43And as a nature lover,
02:44she decided to make a collection of small bird sculptures
02:47priced at £20 to £40.
02:50Each one hand-shaped and decorated
02:53with a variety of different coloured glazes.
02:56The first step is to take two bowls of clay
02:58and then what we'll do is create like a little pinch pot.
03:02So you put your thumb in the middle
03:04and then just carefully going round,
03:08create a little bowl.
03:11Then you make two of those
03:12and then create some score lines
03:16on each of them,
03:18like a crosshatch.
03:20And we do this because
03:21it'll help them stick together
03:24so it doesn't come apart.
03:27And then I use a little bit of water
03:29just to wet the edges a little bit
03:32and then carefully pop them together.
03:36Once that's set,
03:37the next step is to shape it into the bird form.
03:41Sarah's birds seemed relatively quick to make,
03:44but Derek wanted to talk to her
03:45about making their production even faster.
03:48What's quite important about these pieces
03:50is that they all are individual,
03:51individual and they all have their own kind of characters.
03:54Definitely, definitely.
03:55When it comes to producing them,
03:57is there easier ways to kind of speed up
03:59the kind of production range?
04:00I did think about throwing them as like little balls,
04:04but by the time I figured out
04:05how to throw them and create spheres
04:08and do it consistently to make them look like spheres,
04:12it's probably just easier and quicker for me
04:14to make them by hand.
04:16They're just nice and easy to form.
04:18It's definitely something to look into.
04:21Whilst Sarah continued making her small birds,
04:24I asked Derek to join me in my marquee
04:26to discuss her second item.
04:29Before she came to my boot camp,
04:31I asked her to make a more expensive high-end piece
04:33and she decided to showcase a sculpture
04:36of a family of hares decorated with a metallic glaze.
04:40As there were multiple pieces
04:42involving a lengthier production time
04:44along with extra material and firing costs,
04:46she priced them at £1,200.
04:50They're really lovely.
04:51They've got a good energy
04:51and they've got a real kind of presence.
04:53You know, she's reflecting this kind of character
04:55of these kind of animals, you know.
04:57It would be quite nice to see Sarah maybe scale up
04:59and to kind of push it
05:00to keep that freedom in her sculpting.
05:02To make a big, massive one.
05:03Yeah, yeah, definitely.
05:04Yeah, I like that.
05:05To kind of challenge herself a little bit.
05:07Sarah's hoping to get £1,200
05:08for the hair with the two babies.
05:10It's probably just a bit expensive
05:12for somebody that's just kind of like
05:13kind of the early stages of their career.
05:16Obviously, she doesn't want to be underselling herself,
05:18but she doesn't want to be overselling her work
05:19at the moment as well.
05:22Down by the Bluebell Woods,
05:23Sarah was working away on her volume piece.
05:26And having finished the wet work
05:28on her collection of small birds,
05:30she brought along some kiln-fired ones
05:32so she could move on to the next step.
05:35He's now ready to underglaze.
05:38Underglazing is designed
05:40so that the colour you paint it on
05:42is more closely
05:44what it's going to turn out like.
05:46And there's other things you can do.
05:47You can combine underglaze
05:49with glaze and overglaze
05:51and lustres
05:53and the world's your oyster, basically,
05:55when it comes to ceramics.
05:57Despite liking the idea of Sarah's birds,
06:00Derek was concerned
06:01that making each one by hand
06:02was too time-consuming
06:04for them to be commercially successful.
06:06But he was a man with a plan.
06:08I just wanted to talk about
06:10some other production methods.
06:12And one idea was to introduce
06:14some press moulds,
06:15some simple press moulds.
06:17So I've brought, actually,
06:18an example here
06:19from a recent project.
06:21So this was actually
06:22just to reproduce a ceramic spoon.
06:25So for yourself,
06:26we would be actually looking
06:26at taking one of your pieces
06:28and making a very simple press mould.
06:31I like handmade
06:31because it's personal.
06:33Would this press moulding technique
06:36do you think it would detract
06:37from it a little bit?
06:37You can still add character
06:39to these pieces.
06:40You know, they're still
06:41one-off pieces.
06:42The smaller pieces,
06:43it would make sense
06:45to have them quite similar.
06:47Yeah.
06:47And then I can spend my time
06:49giving them the character
06:50and the different...
06:51Exactly, exactly.
06:52They're still handmade pieces
06:54and individual pieces
06:55and they still have that,
06:57the kind of qualities
06:57that you're kind of looking for,
06:59which is really, really important.
07:00It is important to me, yeah.
07:02So the moulds,
07:03if I can keep the individuality
07:04of each piece,
07:06then that would make sense to use
07:08because it makes the quality
07:11more consistent
07:13and people will know more
07:15about what they're getting
07:16and, yeah,
07:18I think it's got legs.
07:19I'll look into it.
07:20So much is because
07:21you can get lots of different colour.
07:24It's just getting really creative.
07:28Sarah's joyful ceramic birds
07:29took her about half an hour each
07:31to sculpt and glaze
07:32and she priced them
07:33at £20 to £40.
07:35They look really good, Sarah.
07:37I think they have
07:37a lot of commercial potential.
07:39The one thing
07:39that I would kind of say
07:40is that there's kind of
07:41a lot of variation in them.
07:43You know,
07:43it might be quite nice
07:44to see runs of each one
07:46to kind of like streamline it.
07:48Very simple press moulds.
07:49It will speed up production
07:50and bring some consistency
07:52to your practice as well.
07:53Yeah, to help.
07:54I kind of feel like
07:54some of the larger pieces
07:55you could probably
07:56go up a little bit more.
07:57Fantastic.
07:59She chose to create
08:00a head study
08:01of a long-tailed tit
08:02priced at £600 to £800
08:05which she decorated
08:06with a metallic glaze.
08:09What I'm going to do
08:10is I'm going to build
08:11the layers up
08:12to start the form
08:13of the shape.
08:14So if we've got
08:15a solid foundation
08:17because the clay
08:17is still quite wet
08:19it just makes it easier
08:21when we go higher up
08:22if it's all compressed
08:23and quite compact.
08:24And you just smush
08:26that together
08:26to form a join.
08:30Okay.
08:36Like so.
08:38And then if we
08:39press it down again
08:41just like we did
08:41with the first
08:42to compress the clay
08:43what we need to do
08:44is just remove this gap.
08:47Over the next
08:48two to three hours
08:49Sarah built up
08:50her sculpture
08:51one layer at a time
08:52carefully blending
08:53them together
08:54to avoid trapping
08:55any air in the piece.
08:57When I'm building
08:58the coil
08:59you see the shape
09:00that's the shape
09:01that I follow
09:02so we start off wide
09:03and then we go in
09:04out a little bit
09:05and then in across
09:06the top
09:06and then I can do
09:07things like
09:08create the little beak
09:10and then I attach it
09:11and on it goes
09:12and then
09:14I'll put the eyes
09:15in last
09:15and it just gives it
09:16and it just gives it
09:16that character.
09:20That'll go in there.
09:21I will leave it to dry
09:23for quite a lot longer
09:24then I would apply
09:25a glaze
09:26and then
09:26pop it in the kiln
09:28and fire it
09:29to 1240 degrees
09:30hopefully no disasters
09:32overnight
09:32and the kiln gods
09:34have been kind
09:35and that's the finished piece.
09:39Sarah finished off
09:40her head study
09:41with an eye-catching
09:42metallic glaze
09:43and she gave it
09:44an asking price
09:44of £600 to £800.
09:47What do you think Derek?
09:49What's really interesting
09:50is kind of the concept
09:51and the story
09:52and your kind of
09:52passion about wildlife.
09:54There's huge commercial
09:55kind of viability.
09:56There's also room
09:57for development.
09:58I know that you're
09:59kind of saying
09:59that they're head studies
10:00but I kind of feel like
10:01if they're going into
10:02kind of gallery pieces
10:03for kind of collectors
10:04that you need to think
10:05about the way
10:06that they're presented
10:08so whether that's
10:09kind of like using
10:09a plinth
10:10or something
10:10that kind of lifts them
10:11and there could be
10:12elements where you're
10:13kind of carrying on parts
10:14so you're kind of
10:14leaving something
10:15for the imagination.
10:16I like that.
10:17You can imagine
10:17if it's up a little bit higher
10:18and it kind of
10:19carries on a little bit.
10:20Yeah.
10:21How about the price
10:21set fit?
10:22What do you think?
10:23I feel like starting off
10:24lower, a bit lower
10:25until you see how they sell
10:27and then you can
10:28gradually kind of develop
10:29and kind of work
10:29your price up a little bit.
10:31Brilliant.
10:32Amazing.
10:32Well, well done you.
10:34Lots of work ahead.
10:36To help Sarah
10:37achieve her dream
10:38of becoming
10:38a full-time sculptor
10:39we drew up an action plan
10:41for her to take back
10:42to South Yorkshire.
10:43First, she needed
10:44to use moulds
10:45to speed up
10:46the production
10:46of her small birds.
10:48Next, we wanted her
10:50to scale up
10:50her large pieces
10:51even more.
10:53Finally,
10:53she needed to price
10:54her work to sell.
11:00For the next two months,
11:02Derek continued
11:02to guide Sarah
11:03as she worked
11:04on her action plan.
11:06She began by scaling
11:07up her larger pieces
11:09and was keen to show him
11:10how she'd got on.
11:11I've got a rather large
11:13something to show you.
11:18Oh, oh wow.
11:20My goodness.
11:20So this is hair
11:21part two.
11:23Okay, cool.
11:25And what?
11:25The age looks great.
11:27I've not finished
11:27his head off yet,
11:28but...
11:28Yeah, it's definitely
11:29a nice size.
11:33She also travelled
11:34to Oxfordshire
11:35to try and sell
11:36some of her work
11:37at a high-end
11:38craft festival,
11:39including the
11:40scaled-up hair,
11:41which was priced
11:41at £600.
11:43It's all my big hair.
11:47Goodbye, Luna.
11:48She's off to a new home.
11:50I'm very pleased.
11:51I'm going to be sad
11:52because I'm going to miss it.
11:54But, yeah,
11:55I'm so pleased
11:56that somebody
11:57liked my work
11:58enough to take it home
11:59and I was in shock.
12:01I'll be honest
12:02if you ask.
12:02I don't think
12:03it's still quite
12:04sunk in.
12:07For eight weeks,
12:09Sarah worked hard
12:09to build her business
12:10and when she came
12:12back to the boot camp
12:12to report on her progress,
12:14she had some
12:15exciting news.
12:16I did make
12:18£870,
12:19which I was
12:20thrilled with.
12:22It was just so nice
12:23to be able to sell
12:24my pieces
12:24to people
12:25that wanted
12:27to buy my pieces.
12:28It's just
12:29an incredible feeling.
12:30It's great.
12:31It's all very good
12:32and very positive.
12:33Well done.
12:34To go from being
12:35a novice sculptor
12:36to making
12:37hundreds of pounds
12:38even after deducting
12:39costs in just
12:40a few months
12:41was a brilliant
12:42achievement for Sarah
12:43and a sign
12:44of things to come.
12:48Three and a half
12:49years later,
12:50I've come to an
12:51ever so slightly
12:51damp Yorkshire
12:52to find out
12:53about the success
12:54she's had
12:55since I last
12:55saw her.
12:56Ah!
12:57John, how are you?
12:59Here she is.
12:59How are you doing?
13:00I'm doing well, are you?
13:01I'd love to see you.
13:03Come on in.
13:04The weather
13:05might not be
13:06too inviting
13:06but Sarah's studio
13:08at the end
13:08of her garden
13:09with its views
13:10of open countryside
13:11certainly is.
13:13Can you believe
13:13it's been three
13:14and a half years?
13:15Oh, I can't.
13:16It feels like
13:16it's just gone
13:17in the blink of an eye.
13:18You know what?
13:18I cannot think
13:19of a better place
13:20for somebody
13:21that loves nature
13:22to work.
13:23I mean,
13:23standing here
13:24looking out
13:24at that view,
13:25it must be amazing.
13:27It really is
13:28and all the birds
13:29singing.
13:29Surrounded by nature.
13:30I am,
13:31it's amazing.
13:32Yeah,
13:32I'm in my happy place.
13:34Yeah.
13:34Yeah.
13:35Sarah's studio
13:36is a fabulous place
13:37to work.
13:38It's where she does
13:39her sculpting
13:40but she has
13:40another workshop
13:41in her converted garage
13:43where she does
13:43her glazing
13:44and kiln firing.
13:46This is the place
13:47where I've got
13:47the kilns going.
13:48It's all the big
13:49kilns now.
13:50Yes,
13:50not just a kiln,
13:52kilns.
13:52Things are getting serious.
13:54Things have got
13:54very serious.
13:55This one is huge.
13:56Has that opened up
13:57sort of avenues
13:58for making
13:58bigger sculptures?
13:59Well,
14:00I started making
14:00some bigger sculptures
14:01but I found that
14:02they didn't sell
14:03as well as the little ones
14:05so I've actually
14:07started doing
14:07bigger batches
14:08of the small ones
14:10and filling the kiln
14:11and doing it
14:12that way instead.
14:13That must help costs
14:13because you're able
14:14to get,
14:14each time you're firing
14:15this thing up
14:16you can actually
14:16get more in there.
14:17Well,
14:17it's more environmentally
14:18friendly as well
14:19because I don't really
14:20want to be running
14:21a kiln on half
14:22because I want to make
14:22sure that everything
14:23I do has as little
14:24impact on the environment
14:25as I can.
14:26And having the bigger
14:27kiln and filling it
14:28and making more use
14:28of the space
14:29makes complete sense.
14:31Absolutely.
14:31They're so well
14:32and good making
14:32so many things
14:33but I mean
14:34are they selling?
14:34They are
14:35so I've been
14:36really enjoying myself.
14:37They're going everywhere
14:38up and down the country
14:39they're going to America
14:40and Australia
14:41all over the world.
14:43Yeah,
14:43so international.
14:45To hear that Sarah's
14:46joyful birds are selling
14:47so well.
14:48She's also broadened
14:49out the material
14:50she's working with
14:51and now makes
14:52bronze sculptures as well.
14:54With make times
14:55of several months
14:56including pounds
14:57and they're also
14:58bringing in
14:59international sales.
15:00Where are all
15:00these sales coming from?
15:01I've actually managed to
15:02is firing on all cylinders
15:04and she's going to show me
15:05how she makes
15:06one of the bronze puffins
15:07she sold recently.
15:10Step one is to make
15:11a clay puffin
15:12that will be used
15:13to create a wax model
15:14the piece will be cast from.
15:17We start...
15:19I think it's probably
15:20more like a Cumberland
15:21by the time we're doing
15:22because we're going to
15:22swirl it.
15:23OK, I've got my sausage.
15:24What we want to do
15:25is form a circle
15:28and join the two ends together
15:31and that forms the base.
15:32Two together.
15:33That's the one.
15:35Just like the
15:35bird's head sculpture
15:36Sarah created at the boot camp
15:38we build up the top half
15:40of our puffin
15:40one layer at a time.
15:43I'm getting a hang of this now.
15:45It's stringy sausage.
15:46And when she thinks
15:47the piece is sturdy enough
15:48it's time for me
15:50to get hands on.
15:51If you imagine
15:52the shoulders
15:53of the puffin
15:54are coming in
15:54and then he'll have
15:55a little neck
15:56and then his head.
15:58Oh, oh.
15:59I think I'm a bit
15:59heavy handed for this.
16:02There you go.
16:03What do you reckon?
16:04That looks good to me.
16:05After creating
16:06the basic shape
16:07of the top half
16:08of the puffin
16:09it needs to dry
16:10before we can go any further.
16:12So Sarah's prepared another
16:13along with a bottom half
16:15and feet
16:15that are ready
16:16for us to assemble.
16:18So we're going to crosshatch.
16:21It creates a surface
16:23for them to stick together.
16:25It's like sanding it down
16:26keeping a rough surface
16:27for a key.
16:28Rough surface.
16:28That's it.
16:29Right.
16:31Swap over.
16:31Give it a couple of squirts.
16:34That's it.
16:35And then I'll do
16:35this side as well.
16:39Just going to
16:40put Dom was here
16:42on the inside.
16:43Yep.
16:43There you go.
16:44Love it.
16:45That's it.
16:45So the tail at the back.
16:47There we go.
16:48Hold on to that.
16:49I've got his tail.
16:50Yeah.
16:51You've got his tail.
16:52Squish him together.
16:52To secure the two halves
16:55of the puffin together
16:56we use another clay sausage.
16:58And then...
16:59And then smoosh it.
17:01Another technical term.
17:02Gently, gently.
17:07Yes.
17:08That's it.
17:08Perfect.
17:10Nicely done.
17:12With the body
17:13of the puffin complete
17:14Sarah adds the feet.
17:16It's a good start
17:17to a puffin.
17:18It certainly is.
17:19Definitely puffin shaped
17:20isn't it?
17:20Yeah.
17:21The puffin is sent
17:22to a bronze casting company
17:23in Lancashire.
17:25There, they separate
17:26the wings
17:26which they then
17:28pour wax into
17:29and after leaving
17:30everything to harden
17:31join the pieces
17:32back together.
17:34The wax puffin
17:35is then given
17:35a ceramic coating
17:36before being placed
17:38in a furnace
17:38where the wax melts
17:39creating a hollow
17:40ceramic mould.
17:42Hot liquid bronze
17:44is then poured
17:44into the mould
17:45and when it's set
17:46the bronze is freed
17:48from its casing
17:49tied it up
17:50and sent back
17:51to Sarah
17:51who uses
17:52a chemical
17:53called ferric nitrate
17:54and a blowtorch
17:55to create
17:56a dark reddish
17:57brown patina
17:58on the piece.
18:00Can you see
18:01it's starting
18:01to get darker?
18:02Nice.
18:03There it goes.
18:03Look.
18:04There it goes.
18:05Yeah.
18:05It's getting there.
18:06Yeah, that's brilliant.
18:07To finish the puffin
18:09Sarah sands it
18:10and waxes it
18:11to give it
18:11a lovely shine.
18:13Well, thank you
18:13for introducing me
18:14to a new technique.
18:15It's good fun.
18:16You'll be going home
18:16and trying that though.
18:17I will be, yeah.
18:19With a make time
18:20of around a week
18:21plus a three-month
18:22casting process
18:23Sarah sells
18:24her large bronze puffins
18:26for £2,950.
18:29It's fantastic
18:30to see that she's
18:32scaled up her work
18:33as Derek suggested
18:34and I want to know
18:35if any of the other tips
18:36we gave her
18:37three and a half years ago
18:38have contributed
18:39to her success.
18:41When you left
18:42the boot camp
18:43we gave you
18:44an action plan
18:45to try and help you
18:46to build your business.
18:47One of the things
18:47was having a look
18:48at moulds
18:49to try and speed up
18:50your work
18:51and hope to make
18:52things more efficient.
18:53Did you try?
18:54I did try them
18:55but when they came
18:56out of the moulds
18:57they just felt
18:57really fragile
18:58and quite lightweight
19:00so that's why
19:01I've stuck
19:02with the hand making.
19:03Yeah.
19:03I feel like
19:04you're so attached
19:05and so you've got
19:06such a personal
19:07connection to your work
19:09by making one
19:10from a mould
19:11I guess you've
19:13lost a bit
19:13of that connection.
19:14At least now you know
19:15you've tried
19:15it's not for you
19:16move on
19:17to the next thing.
19:19Exactly.
19:19Another thing
19:20was to work
19:21on your pricing.
19:22Firstly pricing
19:23your work to sell
19:24and then trying
19:25to work on increasing it.
19:26With all of that
19:27in mind
19:27have you come
19:28to a new price
19:28for these little
19:29characters now?
19:29I have yes
19:30they're roughly
19:31about the £70 mark
19:32now.
19:33Are they selling well?
19:34They are yes.
19:35They are?
19:36Yes.
19:36So it sounds like
19:37you've found
19:37that sweet spot.
19:38Yes.
19:39At the boot camp
19:40Sarah's small birds
19:41were £20 to £40
19:42but they're now
19:44more refined
19:45and with material
19:46and workshop costs
19:47of £24 each
19:48she's raised their price.
19:51She's also spent
19:52that time developing
19:53and expanding
19:54her product range
19:55and investing
19:55in equipment
19:56like her kilns
19:57and it's time
19:58to find out
19:59what impact
19:59it's all had
20:00on her bank balance.
20:02Come on then
20:03let's talk figures
20:03if you don't mind.
20:04How's this year's
20:05accounts looking
20:06so far?
20:07There's been a lot
20:07of investment involved
20:08but I've paid
20:10myself £20,000
20:11this year.
20:12£20,000?
20:13Yeah.
20:14And that is
20:15purely paying you
20:16taking up
20:17all of the costs
20:18and everything else
20:18out
20:19that pure profit?
20:20Yep.
20:21So that pays
20:21my bills
20:22and puts food
20:22on the table
20:23and means
20:24I can go
20:25on a holiday.
20:25I am so pleased.
20:27It's something
20:28that I always wanted
20:28as a kid
20:30and now I'm doing it.
20:32I am living
20:33the dream.
20:34And you know what?
20:35It is thanks
20:36to the hard work
20:37that you've put in
20:38clearly very talented
20:39but you've really
20:40worked for it.
20:41Well done.
20:42Come here.
20:43Well done.
20:45Starting a new career
20:47from scratch
20:48is a daunting prospect
20:49but thanks to
20:51a lot of hard work
20:52Sarah now has
20:53a successful
20:54and rapidly
20:55growing business.
20:56When I look back
20:58at how I first started
21:00to what I've
21:02been doing
21:02sometimes I have to
21:03like pinch myself
21:04because it's like
21:05did I really do that?
21:08It's been hard work
21:09but it's also
21:10been a lot of fun.
21:15The second maker
21:17we're catching up
21:17with today
21:18is Emmy
21:19from Devon.
21:20In the spring
21:21of 2022
21:23she'd recently
21:24returned to glassblowing
21:25after taking time off
21:26to focus on being a mum.
21:29I used to think of myself
21:30as more of an artist
21:31in glass
21:32whereas I'd like
21:34to build the skills
21:34to be a maker
21:35as well as
21:36an artist
21:37to combine the two
21:39and could really do
21:40with some guidance
21:41on where my target
21:42audience is
21:43and what I'm making.
21:46To help Emmy
21:47kickstart her business
21:49I teamed her up
21:50with professional
21:50glassblower
21:51Alistair Malcolm.
21:53Based in the National
21:55Glassblowing Museum
21:56in Stourbridge
21:57in the West Midlands
21:58Alistair sells his pieces
21:59in galleries and museums
22:01in the UK, Europe
22:02and America.
22:06I really think
22:07I can help Emmy.
22:08She comes across
22:08a little bit timid
22:10and not too confident.
22:11We need to kind of
22:11inject a bit of more
22:12confidence
22:13so that she can
22:14stand there proud
22:16with her shoulders back
22:17and just say
22:18here I am.
22:19Like Sarah
22:20I set Emmy
22:21three tasks
22:22and for her volume piece
22:24she chose to make
22:25a glass pip.
22:26It was something
22:27she created
22:28in the hot shop
22:29and once cooled
22:30cut the top off
22:31with a diamond saw
22:32and then polished
22:33to create
22:34a beautiful ornament
22:35which she planned
22:36to sell
22:37for £60.
22:39I'm picking up
22:40a little bit
22:40of rod colour
22:41which is cobalt blue
22:43and I'm going
22:44to go quickly
22:46into the furnace
22:49to warm it in
22:50so I want to melt that
22:52so yeah
22:52that's getting
22:53nice and molten now.
22:55With Alistair's guidance
22:57Emmy was hoping
22:58to launch her own business
22:59but it wasn't going
23:01to be easy
23:01after only recently
23:03returning to the craft
23:04she loved
23:04following an eight year break.
23:06I had two little girls
23:08Lily and Daisy
23:09really close together
23:10which was a marvellous plan
23:13but unfortunately
23:15Daisy got really poorly
23:17really quickly
23:18and she was diagnosed
23:20with a mitochondrial disease
23:23which was a deteriorative disease
23:25and I had to become
23:27a main carer.
23:28She became really
23:29medically complex
23:30and in 2019
23:33Daisy passed away
23:37and yeah
23:38so then I've been
23:40slowly as a family
23:41we've been building
23:42our lives together.
23:44it was so important
23:45to get back
23:46into glassblowing
23:47to do something
23:48for myself
23:49to be able
23:50to build
23:51a work life again.
23:53I'm going to use
23:54the marver
23:54just to point it up
23:55a little bit
23:56I'm going to get
23:56that nice and warm
23:57and then I'm going to
23:58blow it and thumb it
23:59so I get a little bubble
24:00in the middle of it.
24:04I'm going to just let
24:05that cool down a little bit
24:06before I gather
24:06over the top of it.
24:09Gathering is the process
24:11of collecting molten glass
24:12from the furnace
24:13on top of the colour
24:14on the end
24:15of the blowing iron.
24:16Whilst it was hot
24:18Emmy shaped it
24:19and then gathered
24:19more molten glass
24:20to build up her pit.
24:22These are good
24:23for the speed challenge
24:24because I can make
24:25them quite quickly
24:30and then neat
24:31little things
24:32that doesn't take
24:33a lot of time
24:34to make
24:34and then it's got
24:35a nice shiny rim
24:36and it's just cute.
24:38With Emmy making
24:40good progress
24:40with her glass pit
24:41I sat down
24:42with Alistair
24:43to talk about
24:44her high end item.
24:46She brought along
24:47a piece she called
24:48Copo
24:48or knit one
24:49purl one
24:51decorated with
24:52a knitted design
24:53which she sandblasted
24:54off to leave
24:55a delicate white
24:56enamel pattern
24:57it was priced
24:58at £225.
25:00It wasn't cheap
25:01but with a 3 hour
25:03plus make time
25:04along with the material
25:05and energy costs involved
25:06I was concerned
25:08that Emmy wasn't
25:08going to be able
25:09to make any money
25:10from it.
25:11If we're going
25:12to make a success
25:12of this
25:13we really want
25:14to make sure
25:14that she's got
25:15the prices right
25:16because you know
25:17if she's looking
25:18at £225
25:19in a gallery
25:20and then they're
25:20going to take a cut
25:21then it's
25:22not even going
25:22to cover her costs
25:23and at the end
25:23of the day
25:24we're trying to
25:24set Emmy up
25:25to have a successful
25:26business
25:26absolutely
25:27and so she needs
25:28to price her work
25:29accordingly
25:29yeah yeah
25:31back in the hot shop
25:33Emmy's glass pip
25:34was quickly taking shape
25:35I've blown the bottom
25:36out a little bit more
25:37than I would usually
25:38because I'm a little bit
25:39a little bit thinner
25:40but that's just
25:41my critical eye
25:42it's always tricky
25:43in a new studio
25:44though
25:44you know
25:45things are a little
25:46bit out of place
25:47and temperatures
25:48look different
25:49and particularly outdoors
25:50if you're looking
25:51producing these in volume
25:52what sort of palette
25:53of colours
25:54do you like to go
25:55for I can see
25:55you're not afraid
25:56of colour
25:56yes
25:57so I love
25:58a good rainbow
25:59one from each
26:00kind of turn
26:01of the colour wheel
26:02should we say
26:04I like having
26:05a combination
26:05of two different
26:06tones of blues
26:08pinks
26:09yellows
26:10reds
26:10greens
26:11yeah yeah
26:12just paper in the
26:13bottom to cool
26:13the bottom
26:14so it doesn't
26:14blow out too much
26:15on the bottom end
26:17I'm going to neck it
26:18in to create a weak
26:19point where I can
26:20break it off from
26:22using the jacks
26:23I'm going to pull
26:24out the points
26:25I'm going to use
26:26my tweezers
26:26to create the shape
26:27of the pip
26:38after being cooled
26:39in a special
26:40annealing oven
26:41Emmy's pips
26:41were cut
26:42with a diamond saw
26:43and then polished
26:44each one
26:45took her
26:46around 50 minutes
26:46to make
26:47and had a price tag
26:48of 60 pounds
26:51Emmy
26:51these look
26:52absolutely beautiful
26:53I love that you've
26:54brought down
26:54some other examples
26:55of different
26:55potential colours
26:56what do you think Alistair
26:57well what a brilliant
26:59approach to a volume
27:01challenge really
27:01it's perfect
27:02you know she's proven
27:03that she can
27:04produce numerous
27:05in the same style
27:07there's a very minute
27:09variation in shape
27:10size but that's the
27:11beauty of a handmade
27:11object and they're
27:12perfectly within
27:14you know everybody's
27:15tolerance levels
27:16you could easily
27:16market this as a set
27:18you know it's perfect
27:19yeah
27:20how about the price point
27:21it's a good price
27:22in terms of
27:23protecting you for the
27:24future it may be that
27:25we need to look
27:26at those costings
27:28and make sure that
27:29we future proof
27:30them a little bit
27:30we need to get them
27:31out there
27:31get them in galleries
27:32shops
27:33I think they'd sell
27:34really well
27:34thank you
27:36both Alistair and I
27:38were impressed
27:38with Emmy's first
27:39two items
27:40and for her third
27:41challenge
27:42her favourite piece
27:43she made what she
27:44called her Del Mar
27:45or of the sea
27:46creation
27:48inspired by her
27:49coastal home
27:49in Plymouth
27:50it featured
27:51knitted copper wire
27:52representing fishing nets
27:54encased between
27:55two layers of glass
27:56which were then
27:57cooled
27:58cut
27:58and polished
27:59and priced
28:00at £150
28:02how long does it
28:03take you to actually
28:04knit the object
28:05you're going to pick up
28:06half an hour
28:06it's a lovely thing
28:07in itself
28:11so you have to squeeze
28:12it on there
28:13so the glass
28:14sort of bites
28:15into the surface
28:16yeah
28:18there must have been
28:18a lot of trial and error
28:19with this to begin with
28:20so what can go wrong
28:22oh absolutely
28:23large trapped bubbles
28:25that create big pockets
28:26are there in the glass
28:28where they're not quite
28:29adhered to the glass
28:31actually melting
28:32slightly back
28:33just waiting now
28:34so you can drop one
28:35just waiting for it to cool down
28:36I don't want to gather over it
28:37while it's too hot
28:37so it's unstable
28:39once it had cooled
28:40Emmy gathered her second layer
28:42of molten glass
28:43and encased the knitted
28:44copper wire mesh
28:47after being cut and polished
28:49Emmy's Del Mar piece
28:51had a price tag
28:51of £150
28:54I love it
28:54it's certainly a desirable object
28:56I think really
28:57we could do with some
28:58exquisite photos
28:59so that we can kind of
29:01then start to showcase
29:02what we're doing online
29:03what about the price point
29:04I think the price
29:05could be a little bit higher
29:06particularly if we're going to be
29:08retailing these through
29:09a gallery
29:09if they take a cut
29:11we've got to think about
29:12how much is left over
29:13and whether that's
29:14something we need to think about
29:15increasing the price on them
29:16as a result
29:17is that where you think
29:18Emmy has the best chance
29:19in selling
29:19you can run around
29:20trying to do a lot of retail shows
29:22and try and sell direct
29:23we can attempt to try
29:25and set up an online store
29:26and retail that way
29:28but either one of those routes
29:30will keep you extremely busy
29:31and so it may be a good opportunity
29:33to sort of delegate
29:35some of the retail
29:36to galleries
29:37yeah I completely agree
29:39it's going to free up
29:40a little bit of time
29:40to spend time with your family
29:42and get in the workshop
29:44absolutely yeah
29:45because that's the love isn't it
29:46that's why you do this
29:47absolutely yeah
29:47yeah
29:48we can maybe look at
29:49boxes with branding
29:50so that the whole marketing
29:52looks like it's a very special package
29:54you know I've got ambitions
29:55that we're going to be aiming
29:56for some very high end retailers
29:58for you
29:59you know so that you
30:00you really do shine
30:04after an eight-year break
30:06from glassblowing
30:06Emmy excelled in every challenge
30:09she was given
30:10and it was time for her
30:11to build a business
30:12from her work
30:13to help her do that
30:14we gave her an action plan
30:15to take back to Devon
30:17first she needed to get
30:19some top-notch photos taken
30:21to show off her work
30:22next we wanted Emmy
30:24to get some luxury packaging
30:25for her pieces
30:27finally she needed to find
30:28some galleries to sell her work in
30:33for the next two months
30:35Alistair continued to support Emmy
30:37as she worked on the advice
30:39we'd given her
30:39starting with sorting out
30:41her packaging
30:42so I just started doing a video
30:44and the doorbell rang
30:45and my box has arrived
30:50this is my recycled tissue paper
30:55which is pink
31:00and these are my boxes
31:01I'm going to be wrapping my picks
31:03and my Dalmar in
31:04I got
31:06beautiful
31:07black
31:09sturdy gift boxes
31:12that are going to
31:13have the pink tissue paper
31:15inside
31:15and then I have some
31:17logo branded stickers
31:19so you know who it's from
31:21having sorted her packaging
31:23Emmy found some galleries
31:24to stock her work
31:25she also took her pieces
31:27to a makers fair
31:28which helped her make a decision
31:30about the shape of her business
31:31Alistair was right
31:33it was really hard
31:34to find balance
31:35with my girls
31:37and my husband
31:39and to be away
31:40for that amount of time
31:42on a regular basis
31:44doesn't make sense
31:46when I could be
31:47putting my work
31:48in a gallery
31:48where it sits well
31:50and those people
31:51can do that for me
31:54so that I'm not spending
31:55lots of time away
31:56from home
31:59in the eight weeks
32:00after boot camp
32:01Emmy threw herself
32:02into building
32:03the foundations
32:04of her business
32:05and when she came back
32:06to give us an update
32:07she had encouraging news
32:10I've sold
32:11£1,255 worth
32:13of my work
32:14really?
32:15really
32:15you should feel
32:16really confident
32:16about making
32:17some more approaches
32:18to getting more galleries
32:19you know
32:19and I can see
32:20for instance
32:20you get yourself
32:21in another 10 galleries
32:22and all of a sudden
32:23you're reporting
32:23to Dom and I
32:24you've made £10,000
32:25of sales
32:26because you're
32:27more than capable
32:28I love Alistair's optimism
32:30and he was spot on
32:31about Emmy
32:32even after deducting
32:34her costs
32:34she'd proven
32:35she had what it took
32:36to build
32:37a money making business
32:44fast forward
32:45three and a half years
32:46and I've asked Alistair
32:48to visit her
32:49on a farm
32:49on a slightly grey
32:50and drizzly day
32:51in the Dartmoor National Park
32:53in Devon
32:53to find out
32:55what she's up to now
32:56and how much she's making
32:57hi
32:58hello
32:59lovely to see you again
33:00thank you
33:00come on in
33:02this place
33:03isn't her usual workshop
33:04it's the home
33:05of a pioneering
33:06community project
33:07aiming to reuse
33:08waste glass
33:09by combining
33:10cutting edge technology
33:11with traditional methods
33:15so tell me about this
33:17Ian Hankey
33:18master glassmaker
33:20locally
33:20is retiring
33:21and he's given me
33:22this
33:23sustainable glass studio
33:25to manage
33:26wow
33:26wow
33:27I mean I follow Ian
33:29and so I know
33:29this is groundbreaking stuff
33:31yeah
33:32absolutely
33:32it's groundbreaking research
33:34into melting down
33:37waste glass
33:37to make it a
33:39usable product
33:40at the moment
33:41it's running on propane
33:42and I'm working
33:44in association
33:44with the farmer Andy
33:45to transfer over
33:47to methane gas
33:48produced by the cows
33:50on the local farms
33:51wow
33:52so the ultimate goal
33:52is to produce
33:53carbon neutral glass
33:55yes
33:56taking over
33:57this established business
33:59will provide Emmy
34:00with an extra income stream
34:01but I want to know
34:03how she's getting on
34:04with her own work
34:06how's your existing business
34:07going since boot camp
34:08oh it's going really well
34:09it's grown ridiculously
34:11so you've got
34:11some nice repeat customers
34:12that keep coming back
34:13which is lovely
34:14it's a real compliment
34:15yeah
34:16yeah
34:16to order again
34:17and then I've got
34:17a touring gallery
34:18that's done fantastic
34:20for me
34:20and taken my work
34:21internationally
34:21and taken my work
34:22to Singapore
34:24Texas
34:24New York
34:25where I had a sell out show
34:27of all the pieces
34:28that you produce
34:28which are the best sellers
34:30so I think my pips
34:31and my Del Mar
34:32are the best sellers
34:33you've made them
34:34in the hundreds now
34:35do you think
34:35I think so
34:37wow
34:37okay
34:39it's fantastic to hear
34:40that Emmy's pips
34:41and Del Mar pieces
34:42are selling well
34:43and driving her business forwards
34:46since I last saw her
34:47she's raised the prices
34:49of her Del Mar pieces
34:50from £150 to £160
34:52plus
34:53depending on size
34:55and her glass pips
34:56from £60 to £80
34:58she's also developed
34:59a new product
35:02over this year
35:03I've done a lot of side quests
35:04that have led to new ideas
35:06which have been fantastic
35:07I did fisherman knitting
35:08with a project
35:10with the local museum
35:11and I started knitting
35:12sea creatures
35:14and encasing them
35:15in the glass
35:15and I'm in the same method
35:16as I've used
35:17for my Del Mar
35:18but just slight development
35:19wow
35:21Emmy sells her new
35:22knitted sea creatures
35:23for £280
35:25and back at her regular
35:26hot shop
35:27half an hour away
35:28she's going to show
35:29Alistair how she makes one
35:32having collected
35:33clear glass
35:34on a blowing iron
35:35she starts building up
35:36the colour
35:38I've just put a little bit
35:41of shard colour on there
35:43and I'm having to use
35:44the marber
35:45just to smooth it back in
35:46so I've heated it in
35:47in the reheating chamber
35:48and I'm just
35:50smoothing that colour back in
35:52thanks
35:55I'm getting it to a nice shape
35:56because in a moment
35:57I'm going to put some
35:58trails on it
35:59which will look a bit
36:00like seaweed
36:01Emmy's friend
36:02and assistant Holly
36:03drizzles on trails of colour
36:08yeah go on
36:09if we click enough
36:11it's so nice
36:12watching other people work
36:18next she puts the piece
36:20back into the reheating chamber
36:22then repeats the process
36:23and rolls it over
36:24her knitted copper octopus
36:26to incorporate it
36:27into the glass
36:29just making sure
36:30that all that is
36:31stuck on there properly
36:32yeah
36:32because we want it
36:33to adhere to it
36:35and I want to
36:36kind of even it up
36:36a little bit
36:37because it does end up
36:38distorted
36:39as long as I haven't
36:40got any massive indents
36:41I shouldn't get
36:42any massive bubbles
36:44I've just got to
36:44let that cool down
36:45a little bit
36:46before I gather
36:46over the top of them
36:48I think he's good to go
36:50after collecting
36:51more molten glass
36:52from the furnace
36:53over the top
36:54of her knitted octopus
36:55Emmy shapes the piece again
36:57and then blows it
36:58to make it bigger
36:59right now that moved
37:02it's at this point
37:03that this process
37:04gets really tricky
37:05because the colours
37:06are all pulling
37:07in different directions
37:08meanwhile the
37:09the copper's absorbing
37:10the heat
37:11at different rates
37:12so it's quite tricky
37:13to then get a nice
37:14round object
37:15and as I blow it
37:16further into the piece
37:17the copper distorts
37:19the bubble as well
37:20so I have to go gently
37:22to start off with
37:23because I don't want
37:23to blow too hard
37:24into the
37:26into the end
37:27before
37:28before I'm ready
37:29to get her piece
37:31to the right shape
37:31and size
37:32Emmy continually
37:33reheats
37:34shapes
37:35and blows it
37:36I see your octopus
37:37in there now
37:38can you see him
37:39he looks quite well
37:40spaced actually
37:41doesn't look too bad
37:42he does stretch out
37:44with the glass
37:45but I don't want
37:46to blow it out
37:46so far
37:47that it distorts
37:48too much
37:48because I don't want
37:49the wire to start
37:49to pull apart
37:51once Emmy's happy
37:53with the finish
37:53she cracks the neck
37:54off with the help
37:55of a diamond saw
38:00and heats the end
38:01so she can mould
38:02and smooth it
38:03into a rounded rim
38:04there you go
38:05yeah I love it
38:07I love the fact
38:08that you've pushed
38:08your glass making skills
38:09as well as developing
38:10a new concept
38:11so it's um
38:13it seems like
38:13the right way forward
38:16to finish
38:17Emmy knocks the piece
38:18off the rod
38:19and leaves it to cool
38:20in an annealing oven
38:21for a few days
38:22before polishing it
38:24with material
38:25and hot shop costs
38:26of just under
38:27£135
38:28and a make time
38:29of around 4 hours
38:31the knitted sea creature
38:32is priced
38:33at £280
38:36it's clear
38:37Emmy has come
38:38a long way
38:39since we last
38:40saw her
38:40and in addition
38:41to sorting out
38:42her packaging
38:43I'm keen to know
38:44what role
38:44the advice
38:45we gave her
38:45three and a half
38:46years ago
38:47has played in that
38:48Emmy when you came
38:49to boot camp
38:50we gave you
38:51an action plan
38:52one of the things
38:53we asked you to do
38:53was to get some
38:54professional photographs
38:55done and I know
38:56you did that
38:56but did you find
38:57that useful
38:57I think they were
38:59fundamental really
39:00to my success
39:02and I think
39:02having those photos
39:03on my website
39:04really made a difference
39:06to my marketing
39:07another thing
39:08we wanted you to do
39:09was to contact
39:10some galleries
39:11and retailers
39:11so that they could
39:12represent you
39:13allowing you to
39:15get on with the
39:15creative stuff
39:16and free up your time
39:17did that work out
39:18okay as well?
39:19yeah it went really well
39:20actually
39:20you know it's fantastic
39:22having those galleries
39:23representing you
39:23because people
39:24who wouldn't necessarily
39:26see your work
39:27go to those
39:27galleries
39:28I mean it's fantastic
39:29to have that
39:30money coming in
39:31on a regular basis
39:33Emmy couldn't have
39:34worked any harder
39:35over the past
39:36three and a half years
39:37building her business
39:38and taking on
39:39a second one
39:40but what does it all
39:41mean for her
39:42bottom line?
39:43I know we were
39:44aiming to turn
39:45a passion into
39:46a sustainable business
39:47but are you actually
39:49making enough money
39:50to survive as a
39:51glass artist?
39:52so I'm definitely
39:53able to make a living
39:54I'm earning about
39:55£25,000 a year
39:56I know that this
39:58process had the
39:59ability to give you
40:00a leg up
40:00and you just needed
40:02that help
40:04so to hear that
40:05this process has
40:07elevated you
40:08to the point that
40:09you're selling
40:10at that level
40:11is just some magic
40:12to my ears
40:13prior to boot camp
40:14I was selling in a
40:15few places
40:16and glass was just
40:18about paying for glass
40:19and the boot camp
40:20made the world
40:22of difference
40:22to my business
40:24every maker dreams
40:26of being able
40:26to sell their work
40:27but to make an
40:28income of £25,000
40:30a year after costs
40:32is life changing
40:33and with a new
40:34second business
40:35on top
40:36things are only
40:37going to get bigger
40:38and better for Emmy
40:39The past three and a
40:41half years have been
40:41wonderfully overwhelming
40:42and just beyond
40:45what I thought
40:46I could achieve
40:47now I have an
40:48established business
40:49and I'm making money
40:50doing something
40:50that I love
40:51and want to continue
40:52doing forever
40:54When they came
40:55to my boot camp
40:56both Emmy and Sarah
40:57weren't selling
40:58their pieces
40:59thanks to a few
41:01key suggestions
41:02and an awful lot
41:03of hard work
41:04they've now got
41:05brilliant growing
41:06businesses
41:06and very bright
41:08futures indeed
41:11Inspired by
41:12I Made It At Market?
41:13Go behind the scenes
41:14with The Open University
41:16to discover
41:17bonus interviews
41:18exploring new insights
41:19into how makers
41:20have sustained
41:21and grown
41:22their businesses
41:22Scan the QR code
41:24on screen
41:25or go to
41:26connect.open.ac.uk
41:29forward slash
41:30I Made It At Market
41:46I Made It At Market
41:49I Made It At Market
42:00I Made It At Market
Comments