My lovely friend and fellow designer Mel of Mel Smith Designs, has asked me to take part in this blog hop.
Following on from me will be the talented Briony from Blooming Briony.
Both Mel and Briony will be at East London Design Festival this December, so be sure to pop by and say hello!
What have you been making at your desk this week?
This week has involved me starting a new collection, so I've been doing a lot of drawing (always starting with good old pen and pencil to get my ideas down)
Next I'll scan all the artwork in and start adding colour, designing a few different pattern and motif options. I'm wanting to transfer the new designs onto some stationery products and maybe turn them into a new card collection. I'm not quite sure yet, so once I've start playing around on the computer with the drawings, I normally start to get more ideas and sometimes get that light bulb moment for a new idea.
I have also got a recent delivery from the printers, so I have been putting off sorting and folding the cards for over two weeks. So I thought it was about time I got to it!!
Where am I currently finding my inspiration?
Currently for the new collection I'm designing, I've been looking through my own photographs of my trips out. I often visit National Trust places in Kent for inspiration and love going to RHS flower shows, most recently Hampton Court Flower show in the summer.
Here are some of my photographs that have been inspiring me.
Being creative is very important, but sometimes when you work for yourself the admin side of the business can start to take over, so you have to try and find a balance. At the moment I work from my spare room, which is great but can sometimes be overtaken by boxes of stock and packaging, especially if I'm preparing for a craft fair.
I think you have to be very strict if you are freelancing at home and try and pretend to have "working hours". It can be very easy to work all the time, but you really need to have some relaxation time.
