Creative Showcase: Maryann Morris

    

Meet Maryann. She’s the creative mind behind the new independent shop Handmade High Street, a space selling handmade wares and hosting crafty workshops on Sir Isaacs Walk. We popped round to ask a few questions behind her new venture.

When and why did you start Handmade High Street?
Handmade High St is a brand new venture of mine, I had a craft studio at Barleylands in Billericay, but in October 2011 we decided to move to Colchester, thinking that the drive to work every day wouldn’t be too bad, especially as my car runs on LPG. I didn’t expect the drive in itself to be so tiring and the 45 minutes I anticipated it would take turned into more like 2 hours each way. So we started looking for premises in Colchester. Which is when I realised I wouldn’t have the same restrictions I had at Barleylands and could sell anything I liked! There the idea so Handmade High St is born!

What’s happened since it started? Tell us a bit about your journey.
Well to start with I had to decide and stick to it that I would leave Barleylands. I absolutely loved it there. Then we have had problems with the roof leaking 2 days before opening. But its no fun if it all goes to plan right? We have only been open here a week now and I have already met so many wonderful people from the area. I didn’t realise how much creative talent there is here!

How can people get involved? Do you still have space for creatives to sell their wares?
By popping in for a chat, taking a look at the “about us” page on the website, emailing  or just giving me a call 1206764771 we have a little space still available for the right crafters.

Do you have any tips for people starting their own creative business?
Yes - Don’t expect it to be easy! There are so many people fighting to get the same sales. Convincing people why they should buy from you can be hard. But incredibly rewarding. I didn’t expect the sheer volume of paperwork, or the long hours that I need to put it. But it is all worth it in the end!

What do you think buildings like 15 Queen Street can offer creative people in towns like Colchester?
Colchester seems full of creative people, and its nice that they have somewhere to collectively meet, discuss their work or use the facilities. Sometimes creatives work can be dismissed as a “play job” or just not worthwhile by people that just don’t get it. So its nice to have a place where people do!

Thank you Maryann. We feel your shop provides a similar service, a great place to showcase the wonderful talent in the town. Keep up the great work!

Anchoring Creativity: Understanding Creative Work Spaces

The Essex Business School are conducting research into 15 Queen Street to contribute into academic understandings of contemporary creative work, and to raise our profile with local governmental policy makers.

Academics and policy makers know relatively little about how creative spaces and co-working buildings work and the importance of these organizations in the creative industries today. The creative industries are increasingly being called upon to lead the UK economy out of recession and into recovery.

The research is being conducted by members of Essex Business School: Professor Steffen Böhm, Dr Marjana Johansson, Dr Christopher Land and Dr Manuela Nocker.

Members of the research team will be spending time at 15 Queen Street for a full week, starting on the afternoon of the 22nd of March, 2012. They will be talking to members, watching people work and taking photographs to document the range of work done in the organization. 

There will be no obligation for anyone using the space to speak to the researchers or to be involved in the project in any way. They do not want to disrupt the normal working routines but to see them in action.

The project is jointly funded by the University of Essex and local councils, who will receive a report of the main findings at the end of the project in Summer 2012. This report will help both the University and local government to better understand the dynamics of work in the creative industries and the role of flexible, creative workspaces in these industries.

Script Writers meetup here tonight!

               

Tuesday 29th November 2011 
7.30 - 9.30pm 
15 Queen Street
£1 per person (covers room hire cost) 

If you’re a writer, have a script, treatment, idea, and want to get involved with other like minded people, the Script Writers meetup will be here at fifteen Queen Street tonight.

This week they have two screenplays we’ll be providing feedback on:

Felix is a struggling writer. He is alone, nearly broke and has a domineering sister who seems to pop up everywhere, reminding him of how screwed he is. To his sister’s surprise, he finds the break he is looking for with a new, up-coming publishing firm. Will anything get in the way of his new found success? 

Ray is a man in his mid-life crisis whose only source of excitement is a secretive affair with a younger woman. He soon feels that he has played too close to the edge. He unexpectedly bumps into his wife whilst at a local park, whilst on his way to meet with his mistress. 

These two stories link in ways you may not expect and are meanwhile being observed by two characterful snails who act as neutral observers.


It is 2188. Jack Larner seeks revenge over Simon Linstead after he is robbed of the Time Controllers job after Simon stole some of his papers and used them to get the job. Jack tries to blackmail Simon into giving up the job but he resists and ends up shooting his own deputy.

In 2388, Jack’s ancestor, Tom Larner, is refusing to give concessions on the merger of two time travel projects, his stubbornness due the circumstances that surround Jack’s car crash on the day he got the job. One of the deputy’s at the opposing project decides to get rid of Tom altogether by replacing him with Jack, so it is Tom who dies in the car crash instead…..

If you have a screenplay you would like them to give feedback on, please get in touch.
Please email or visit their facebook page Colchester Writers.

We found this video on David A Smith - a name that has become synonymous in sign-writing and glass gilding circles.  

In this short documentary by Danny Cooke, he reveals the behind the scenes work, techniques and visions that Dave uses when carrying out his passion as a glass embosser - One of the few remaining traditional UK glass artists.

You can see David’s Elaborate Victorian Style Mirror completed here.

Wiki House

WikiHouse is a contribution to the debate on Open Hardware and Open Design by 00:/, Momentum Engineering, Espians, Beatrice Galilee,(artist collectives) a global community of designers. And you can be one of them.

WikiHouse will be shared via a Creative Commons license for anyone to adapt and improve. A WikiHouse is fabricated from locally sourced plywood cut on a mill from an openly shared template files. It can be assembled with minimal skill by local people. 

The first WikiHouse will be constructed in South Korea at the Gwangju Design Biennale 2011. WikiHouse are now looking for architects, furniture designers, product designers, craftsmen, and makers from around the world who are interested in contributing to the WikiHouse process.

If that’s you then why not drop them a line on hello@wikihouse.cc

NOTANOTHERBILL

    

Notanotherbill is a great little project set up by Ned Corbet-Winder. We can’t remember how we found it, but stumbled across a beautiful concept that brings back the joy to receiving mail.

Pay £15 a month, a one off or subscribe for yourself (or a friend), and receive a beautifully sourced item. It could be a limited edition print, a box of vintage wonder or a one off piece of jewellery. The concept is simple.

Everyone loves receiving something in the post but if what you are getting is cool too then that’s even better.

Read more about this enchanting project here, and even better, view the items people have received before here.

We are in lust with the Merchant and Mills sewing kit and the limited edition print by Dan Hiller. Well worth £15.