What if turning your creative passion into a thriving business was simpler than you thought? Join me as I recount my journey from crafting beaded jewellery at a  dining room  table to mastering fine jewellery and building a successful business from the ground up. This very first episode of the Thriving Maker podcast is essentially an interview with myself as a as a handmade artist and asks the questions I would have wanted to know when I first started out, and lays the foundation for aspiring makers and artists, offering actionable advice on daily practice. Tune in to hear about the pivotal moments that shaped my career and how you can apply these lessons to your own creative business.

I share insights on balancing the creative process with essential business skills, and the rewards of community and collaboration among fellow creatives. Hear about my proudest achievement and how it confirmed the potential of my business. This episode is your invitation to a journey of inspiration, education, and practical steps toward achieving the time and financial freedom you've always dreamed of through your craft.

 Follow along and join our community as we build thriving creative businesses together.

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➡ AUGUST DESIGN CHALLENGE

Transcript:

Sarah: 0:03

hello and welcome. Today's episode is well. It's essentially the first episode of the thriving maker podcast, so I thought a good place to start would be to do an interview with myself and to ask the questions that I would have asked somebody when I was first starting out. So sit back and I hope you enjoy. Hello and welcome to the Thriving Maker podcast. This is a podcast to support makers, crafters and artists to start and grow their creative passions into thriving, profitable businesses. I'm Sarah Kavanagh, your host, and I'm passionate about all things creative and how to turn your unique talents into a thriving business giving you the lifestyle that you want. I started my own handmade fine jewellery business over 15 years ago and now also help other artisans and makers build their own creative businesses through marketing and branding and techniques and strategies I've studied, learned and put into practice along my journey. Today I want to help you to establish and grow your own design-led business so that it can help support the lifestyle that you want. Think of this as your go-to resource and check in for all things strategy and marketing for your business, along with stories and anecdotes from my life as a creative entrepreneur. Thank you for tuning in and welcome to the Thriving Maker podcast. Hello, hope you're well. This is the very first episode of the Thriving Maker, so I thought it'd be quite useful to introduce myself to you and I thought it'd be quite interesting to ask myself the questions that I would have asked when I was first starting out on my creative journey. So here goes this is an interview with myself. As bonkers as that might sound, I thought it would be the best place to start.

Sarah: 1:58

So I'm Sarah Kavanagh and I started my creative business over 15 years ago as a jewellery maker. I live in the Cotswolds with my husband and our two dogs and our two children, and over those last 15 years my business and life has changed hugely. I started after taking evening classes in silver jewellery and I made primarily beaded jewellery and pearl wedding jewellery for friends and family at our tiny dining table before we had children and my sister shared the house with us, so it was quite busy. I sold mainly to family and to friends and then started selling on Etsy. I'm a self-taught jeweller and over the years I've continued to learn and take numerous courses to improve my making skills and also to develop my skills in business and being a solo entrepreneur business and being a solo entrepreneur. So over the years, as my skills developed and I wanted to try different things, I started to work more in precious metals and precious gemstones and I now make and sell fine jewellery mainly bespoke commissions so engagement rings and wedding rings and anniversary gifts and I get consistent sales doing that and I work the hours I want to work and I can bring in the income that I need to support the lifestyle that I want, that I want. However, if I start doubting myself and I slack off on the marketing and the strategy work that comes with having your own business, then getting those consistent sales does become a lot harder and at times this has happened and I've had to kick myself back into action to get it on the right path again.

Sarah: 3:58

So running and growing your creative business is hard work. It's not quick and it's not an easy way to make an income, but it can give you an incredible buzz and satisfaction. That comes with doing something that you're really passionate about and you know you can produce good work for people. I think as a creative you're always learning. You're always in search of something new and more knowledge and ways to grow. So when you find inspiration, you have nuggets of ideas. You have to run with them and experiment with your ideas, as they don't flow all the time. They can come and go in waves, much like your energy does, and so keeping on going even when you don't feel like it and reach the next wave of inspiration or motivation is so important. So that's something that I think when you're first starting out as a creative, you don't necessarily anticipate that there will be ups and downs in your journey.

Sarah: 5:03

So these are some of the questions that I would have asked myself when I was just starting out if I had a mentor in the craft world who could have helped me. Where should I start with my craft business? What should I be doing first? So I'm I would keep practicing your craft. Try and do a little bit every day. It could be making the pieces, trying out different techniques, practicing techniques, sketching ideas, finding inspiration and making notes. Just keep doing, working on your craft a little bit every day. But also you want to step outside of actually doing the craft and spend a little bit of time each week to start learning some of the business skills, and it will take time to learn these. So you do need to be doing this at the same time, research, setting up your business. Get that done out of the way. Set up a separate bank account just for your business so there's no crossover of your personal finances and those that you're using to develop your, your craft and your business.

Sarah: 6:10

Start recording your work. Start taking photos of your work and your ideas as you're going along, whether you use them or not in any way. Just having a record of your journey and the techniques you use for the future is really important. Have a bench journal so that you can record the processes and write down what works and what doesn't work, if a technique needs to be done a particular way. Just have that journal to hand where you can write down your working notes as you're making your craft or as you're actually doing your craft.

Sarah: 6:49

Don't stress about being on social media. Pay attention to the craft world around you in your discipline, but don't get hung up about what everyone else is doing. It can be inspiring, but it can also be a bit demoralizing to see where others are. They may have spent years getting to their position and you're just starting out, or you're on your own journey and your journey is unique and your craft and creative talent is unique to you. You have to follow your heart, however scary it may seem. You have to just keep going and do something every day and you will find your style and work and the type of work that brings you the joy that you're looking for. It might take a few years to get there. It won't. It possibly won't happen overnight, but gradually you'll start liking one particular style and you'll be like yes, this is what I want to do, and then, as you do more of that, it might change and you might develop it into a different style. That's totally OK. Your style will change, but to get to that point, you need to be practicing your craft and you need to be doing it so that you can see how it evolves and see if there's a common theme in it all. See how it evolves and see if there's a common theme in it all and see if your style, your creative style, is shining through.

Sarah: 8:12

My next question would be why do you want to make your jewellery or your craft as a business? So being able to make an income from what you love doing is a real gift. To be able to sit and work on something that you are passionate about gives you creative license and freedom to produce beautiful things or to express yourself and then to get paid for that is wonderful, um, I think that's what we would all love. Obviously, it doesn't work like that entirely. You do end up making things that people want to buy, um. But being able to use your creative talents to produce an income, um is is a a really wonderful thing.

Sarah: 9:07

I think having your own business as a creative does afford you time, freedom, because you can work around your lifestyle, your schedule. When I first had my children they're a bit older, now they're still quite young I can take them to school. I can be really involved in their day-to-day lives and and still get the work done that I need to do on my business. I have the freedom to get up and mix up what I do day to day and from time to time go in direction, in new directions, as kind of inspiration for new ideas hits me. I'm not confined to nine to five every day. I can be there at drop off, be there at pick up. I can still get the work done during the day, in the evenings, whenever it suits me, whenever I work best as well. I don't always work best in the afternoons, I'm much better at working in the morning. I get an awful lot of work done on a Sunday and everyone else is kind of being all kind of slouchy and just chilling. I tend to get a lot of marketing work done and ideas written out there. How much? My next question would be how much time do I need to dedicate to my business?

Sarah: 10:29

When I started out, I was working on three different businesses. I had an event company that I ran with my sister. I worked with my husband on his photography business, which I still do from time to time. Again, this is an opportunity to mix up my passions when I want to and I wouldn't be able to do that if I was working in 95 somewhere else. I also get to. If I want to do work on something different, I can do, and that's what having your own business affords you. So I was doing three different types of work when I first started out.

Sarah: 11:04

Our first child was born in 2010, so things really changed then and I stopped doing the other work and spent my spare time growing my making skills and setting up my jewellery business. So you really have to just take time to get to know your craft, work on it and let it fit in with your life. When you have more time and you can move a bit faster, start developing the business skills. But you do need to practice and hone your craft and making skills, either at the same time or before, depending on how much time you're able to dedicate to your creative business. So I'm a bit of an introvert. How do I get my work out there and get over myself to sell my own inhibitions to sell? So I'm okay in small groups and one-to-ones, but the thought of putting myself out there to lots of people is quite scary.

Sarah: 12:04

The way I do this now is to think of potential audiences and customers as friends who are genuinely interested in what you do. I do think that when post, when I post something on social media, I'm thinking about telling just a few people my sisters and close friends um, so I don't overthink it, I just go. These people want to know what I'm doing. These people I'm going to show them this work because I'm proud of it. Um, this is what I want to talk about. I will post things which are more directly marketing to people promotions or new collections. However, I do tend to think I'm talking to just a few people, people who are really interested in what I'm doing.

Sarah: 12:51

As a creative, your work is going to be unique. People are going to love you, for what you do or not, and there's no getting around that. They'll either like you and your work or they won't. You have to show and tell people what you do and then eventually you'll you'll grow an audience of people who are really interested in in um in your work and want to hear what you're telling them, want to see what you're, what you're making, what you're showing them, um, and when you, when you love what you're doing which I think most creatives do you can speak openly, um, honestly and passionately about it, and that passion shines through and brings people into your world. So don't overthink it. Don't think of it as selling. Think of it more as sharing your passion and sharing your love for your craft.

Sarah: 13:45

So next question will I be able to make a living from selling my jewellery? Possibly not at first, but with consistent work and a strategy in place, you will be. As your skills grow, you can spend more time learning the business side to selling your work. Focus on strategies and marketing to grow your business and get your work seen as. Ultimately, if people don't know about your work, they won't be able to buy it and you won't make any money. So you do need to get your work out there, but it will happen. It will take time and it will take hard work, but it is definitely achievable. You have to set yourself realistic goals on a regular basis and work towards them each day.

Sarah: 14:27

What will be the hardest part of running my own business? The hardest part of being a solopreneur is the solo part. I think is the solo part. I think I'm lucky that my husband is a photographer and we get to spend time, get to spend creative time together and bounce ideas and thoughts around. If you can get into a community with other creatives, this is great. Build connections where you can at shows and events online and build links with fellow makers who understand what you're going through and your world.

Sarah: 15:03

Being a creative, a maker, a crafter, an artist requires inspiration and this won't always be present. You have to nurture it when it comes and push on through. When it gets hard and you're not feeling inspired, it will come in waves. There'll be good times and there'll be hard times when you're struggling, and much like life itself, but you just have to keep doing a little bit each day to reach the next wave, the next idea and the next commission that sparks the imagination and fuels your creativity. It will come. You just have to push through those, those difficult days.

Sarah: 15:41

Finally, my final question is what's the what's your proudest moment you've had in your business? So this was the first time that I sold a piece of fine jewelry to somebody that I didn't already know, so it wasn't a friend, it wasn't a family member. This was somebody completely random who came through my website and spoke to me and I did a bespoke ring for them. It was a bespoke engagement ring for a really lovely couple. It was made in fair trade white gold and had a Sri Lankan blue, sri Lankan saffir and Australian diamonds. This was the moment of true validation for my skills and that I knew my business would work from here on. I still use the review that they gave me to this day and I'm because I'm just really proud of it.

Sarah: 16:33

And when I'm doubting myself, which still happens from time to, I remind myself that people trust me and have trusted me to design and make some of the most important pieces of jewellery or gifts that they're going to give or wear, a piece that's going to be worn a lifetime and possibly handed through the generations with love. Each time it goes around and it's a moment in someone's life that's that fills me with great pride and gratitude to be part of. So those were. Those were my questions.

Sarah: 17:05

If that, I would have asked myself, um, if there's any questions or subject you'd like me to cover in the podcast, please do let me know. Um, just head over to the show notes and you can send me a message there. I'd really love to hear from you, and this is the first of what will be many episodes, and I hope they'll inspire and educate you to follow your creative passions and establish and grow a creative business that you love and give you the time and financial freedoms that you're wanting. Thank you for listening. I'd love for you to join me here again, so please do subscribe to the Thriving Maker podcast wherever you're listening, and if you enjoyed it and love listening along, I'd be thrilled if you'd be happy to write a review. Thanks again for listening, until next time. No-transcript.