Yes I know, these pictures are boring.
But to me, these are the most EXCITING pictures in the world right now – this is really happening!!
I’ve always been a hand-made gift kind of person, thoroughly believing ‘it’s the thought that counts’ to be totally true when it comes to giving and receiving presents. I often used it as a good excuse to get creative and make something that has a personal meaning, finding that well thought-out gifts that have had some time and effort put into them always get the most positive response and appreciation from people.
It started as mostly canvas paintings and cards but there were times that I wanted to give something practical as well as personal, which is how I got into porcelain painting. Designing mugs as wedding gifts was fun and I liked playing around with ideas, making sets of two for a cute couples gift. In fact, I enjoyed the process so much that I finally discovered something I have spent years trying to figure out – this is a creative outlet that could potentially be a business.
I have worked in the fast-paced film industry for the past 7 years and there were plenty of elements of the job that I totally loved – watching new movies (of course), innovative marketing, media planning, consumer research, premieres and parties, brainstorms – I’ve been lucky enough to experience the big time. But it was exhilarating and exhausting in equal measure and I found myself looking for potential alternatives to the corporate office life. My recent relocation from the hectic London pace to a more relaxed, outdoorsy lifestyle in Sydney has given me the time to think about what I really want to do and the answer is actually quite simple, I just want to paint.
So introducing my new venture – Secret Painter. Hand-painted gifts, starting on Etsy with a new shop opening next week. I am excited and terrified in equal measure!
I really want to take you on this journey with me; to show the process of starting a new business in a real, honest way that might be helpful to others in the future; to get your advice on what people really want from giving/receiving hand-made gifts and how I can help make this business the best it possibly can be; to gain inspiration from as many sources as possible. And to help prevent insanity of course, having gone from a job talking to a huge range of people every day to working from home.
Thanks for popping by and please do subscribe for regular updates if you can. Comments are hugely welcome if you have any feedback or ideas on any posts as we go along.
Now let’s get started – Ready, Steady, GO!
Secret Painter 