‘Art’ AND ‘Numbers’ – and one very important ‘Number’ indeed…

A quiet lass, is a busy lass…

I often think, I NEED to be blogging more. But – the point of a blog (for this crafty lass anyway) is to support and share what I am up to for the business. And, if I am doing too many business related exciting things to have time to dedicate to it, surely a bit of quietness on the blogging front is ok!

Tonight: it’s Friday – another week over (although exciting workshops tomorrow!!) but I need to (and will) take a long deep breath out, and a long glass of wine in (and Fish and Chips from our local pub who have started to do takeaway (winning!)) Life – is crazy. One minute I am trying to explain to a well meaning 1 year old that putting his bath toys into the toilet isn’t the best of ideas, the next I am chatting to editors of National magazines about the benefits on mental health and well being that craft can bring to your soul…

January, so far – from a business perspective has been EPIC. Sleep, from a toddler perspective, hasn’t – but those awake in the small hours is plenty of brain time to get thinking about the next idea and challenge and it looks like the future is certainly going to bring many, many of those… My brain is buzzing!

As ‘a creative’, I got told when I was younger – by a ‘memorable’ career “advisor” (! – I would highly recommend to him now that if he is still doing this, that he should change jobs, and I hope for many other young’uns that he did just that) that as a career – “you either do ‘Art’ or ‘Numbers’. (NEVER Both.)” I will refer to ‘him’ forthwith as “Mr Never Both Man”… I ignored him. But, it did also resonate with me. What if he was right? – Could you do both successfully?

Years later – when I had left University from studying Printed Textile Design (Art) but instead of going into a studio based role (too many lugging portfolios all over the country for interviews offering just £10-11K per annum!) was considering going into fashion ‘Buying’ (more ‘Numbers’ but yet an element of ‘Art’ (and more than £10k pay!)) and I wanted some more advice about how to approach it, and I just wasn’t sure. I went to a (brilliant) Government support and advice service in Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey – with an open mind. I knew I didn’t want to a) work for pittance and b) just ‘draw’. I wanted to be creative, yet understand business. I filled out one of their generic questionnaires – LOADS of questions and at the end, it would tell you what you ‘should become’… 

I answered what felt like 250,000 questions, some that repeated and double backed on themselves, I was asked to sit and wait whilst they processed the results. And, was then called in…

This new – and clearly better than said previous – Career Advisor said, “You are showing to have both a ‘Logical’, and ‘Creative’ aspect to your brain. I would advise that you go into a career that combines both – so you are able to stimulate your passion for creativity – yet challenge your analytical and structured side to not become bored.” (Or basically, to translate… Art AND Numbers). Bingo! And actually ‘Buying’ was a great match. But he also said – “Perhaps in years to come you could look into running your own creative business? That would certainly fit with the results.” At that moment, I laughed – ‘no way could I run my own business’ – but I did think maybe he WAS right and perhaps it would be something for the future. Who knew he was very right indeed.

I DID go into Buying – and yes, I worked with both ‘Art’ and ‘Numbers’ – it could actually be a successful and fulfilling combination! 

So, Mr Never Both Man – and here is me now, in my life full of creativity and ‘Art’. But certainly lots and lots of Numbers: Accountancy meetings, Solicitor meetings, Buying meetings, Forecasting meetings, Sales meetings, Projections, Planning and lots of Excel spreadsheets… essentially about ‘Art’!

At present, here are just some of the numbers that are interesting me the most, and what I am thinking about at 3am…

• ONE, One year old: a challenge certainly, but one that makes me happy every day… (especially if he sleeps well at night!)
• ONE, Husband: also a challenge daily, but also one that makes me happy every day (especially if he helps with the chores (which he does most of the time actually, he’s a good’un!) and provides wine. He does put up with craft projects all over the house, even though I have a craft studio 10m away…
• ONE, MAJOR Christmas project, with (so far) lots of positive feedback and exciting ideas… 
• TWO, Craft party bookings in the diary…
• TWO, Speaker and craft demonstration bookings in the diary with the WI…
• THREE ‘Guest’ Feature blog appearances for The Crafty Lass with other companies coming soon…
• THREE, National magazine interviews lined up…. P.S. THREE???
• NINE, more sessions of our weekly Sketchbook Creativity Class to come for this term, a first for The Crafty Lass to be running artistic workshops of this kind.
• ELEVEN more workshops in the diary at The Crafty Lass Old Grain Store across the next few months …with more to certainly come!
• FIFTEEN (!) Workshops at the Kirstie Allsopp Handmade Fair at Ragley Hall in May and the planning of such…

There are lots more – but here, finally – there is one number, that I wanted to write this blog post about. It may mean nothing to you, but it is pretty important to me, and The Crafty Lass:

• 00003256180

What on earth does that mean? 

Well – it strictly isn’t just that number; it actually looks like this:

UK00003256180

And refers to the Intellectual Property Office. It is a UK Trademark Number.

Yes, The Crafty Lass – sorry, that should be “The Crafty Lass®” – is now a Registered Trademark across six different classes. It has taken 7 months, multiple hours of correspondence and lengthy phonecalls. 

And now, it is done. I’ve even got a certificate.

Not sure Mr Never Both Man would have predicted that, hey? I am not sure the younger me would have done either…

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