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!

Member Showcase: Clare James

Meet our flexible member Clare James. Clare has signed up to host Yoga classes here every Monday evening from 6pm. We held a quick interview to find out more…

What do you do? How did you get to where you are now?
I’m a full-time yoga teacher and shiatsu and reflexology therapist. One of my first jobs was as a computer programmer… I loved it for five years, but one morning, half-asleep, I realised I was writing a program, in “while” loops and “if” statements, to try to get my dead arm to move into a more comfortable position. I told myself that enough was enough, and I needed more humanity in my life. I was getting regular massage at the time, and my masseuse became a friend - casually one time, I told her it was a great thing to do for people, and then I thought, why not me? My friend suggested I learn shiatsu as it teaches you to look after your back and hands - massage therapists often get RSI and back pain. So I joined a two year shiatsu therapy course and it blew me away - even though I’d been into fitness, running, cycling, the gym, I didn’t know what it was like to connect to my body, not in the way shiatsu does. I started trusting subtle sensations in my body to fix headaches, hayfever, cramps, tiredness - and I was amazed how giving shiatsu massage to other people made me calm and focussed, and even after five back-to-back treatments at the student clinic, I felt more energised than I had than before I started. That was 11 years ago, and since then I’ve had another career, and also studied to become a yoga teacher by living in an ashram in India, and then last year started my shiatsu-yoga business in Colchester, and it has grown very quickly…

What surprises have made you smile along the way?
Becoming aware of my body and the power of touch - it was a big shock when a guy who wasn’t my boyfriend gave me a hara massage on the belly - but I passed through fear and embarrassment very quickly and arrived happily into a new sensation that had nothing to do with sex… And it made me smile when a fellow shiatsu student, who was a retired veterinarian and always annoyed our Chinese medicine teacher with his Western scientist’s need for proof and explanation, always refused to talk about qi (energy) and believed shiatsu was just a particularly effective physical massage, when he came to give me a massage because I was ill, he worked on my back for a little while, and then said, “Clare, you’re not there!” - of course, he was talking about my energy, but he surprised himself that he’d said something like that, and I think he kind of wished he hadn’t said it!

What do you think of our membership hub and Colchester’s growing Cultural Quarter.
I am thrilled to be a part of it and hope that it continues to grow!

As a creative do you think it’s important to be around other creative people?
Absolutely, I didn’t enjoy living in Colchester as a teenager, really because I didn’t know anyone who I shared goals or interests with… now I feel like I can meet people much more easily, and this makes my life in Colchester wonderful!

Thank you Clare. The benefits of 15 Queen Street is bringing together lots of local, like minded people. Join out meetup group Creative in Colchester to easily RSVP to all our events. If you have any questions, want to find out more, please drop us an email.

Member Showcase: Emily Turnbull

Meet our new resident member Emily Turnbull. Originally a flexible member, Emily would pop in to use a desk, enjoy a cuppa and work on her projects as an interior designer. She enjoyed being in the building and meeting our other residents so much that she has taken the plunge and signed up for a designated desk!

To showcase our new member and help you find out more, we asked Emily a few questions:

How are you a part of, and use 15 Queen Street?
I’m an interior designer and resident of the building, I use it as my design studio but also the Thursday night talks and parties are a favourite!

What do you think of our membership hub and Colchester’s growing Cultural Quarter?
I love it. It has been great socially for me and a fantastic place to meet other creatives living in the area. It’s opened my eyes to the huge creative side of Colchester, which my husband and I never realised existed when we moved here 4 years ago. It has so much potential and looks like it’s going in the right direction.

Tell us a bit about your journey and where you are today.
I studied Interior Architecture and Design at Leeds Metropolitan University. While I was there I won a Royal Society of the Arts award for a competition I entered and that was it, I got the design bug. Two weeks after the course finished I moved down to London on the bus and luckily got a job pretty quickly in a design studio. I’ve been working in the industry for 13 years now. We moved to Colchester 4 years ago to have a baby. Two years ago I set up my own design practice called Studio Can Can, now based from 15 Queen Street. 

Give us a sneaky peek of what you are working on right now.
My main client at the moment is Fred Perry, I design a lot of their shops as well as some of the window displays. Their Nottingham store has just opened, and Ingolstadt (in Germany) will be built in a few weeks.
I am just about to leave to get the train to Penrith in Cumbria, after a meeting with a new exciting client.

Very exciting times! The amount of creativity in Colchester is huge and we strive to continue bringing them into the building to meet, share knowledge and allow even more projects to develop. Thank you Em!

Member Showcase: Lauren Baker

Meet the wonderful Lauren Baker. She’s been a member of fifteen Queen Street since the very beginning leaping in as a resident and now part of the building as a supportive flexible member. Lauren dropped in to illustrate our ‘I make’ speech bubble and answer a few questions:

What do you do?
I’m a freelance illustrator specialising in the retro-inspired and hand-drawn, with a fun twist. I tend to use happy, eye-catching colour schemes to create anything from promotional and editorial work, bespoke illustration or a spot of branding and logo design.

Tell us a bit about your journey and where you are today.
I dived straight into the deep end as soon as I left uni and set up as a full-time freelance designer as part of The Hidden Dingbat Collective, based at 15 Queen Street. It was fun, and a huge learning curve, but also very challenging as it’s an extremely competitive and tough industry. I decided to try and do things a little differently towards the end of last year and got a full-time job at the new bespoke garment printing shop My Icon Art. This worked as a creative outlet, a change of scenery and I was safe in the knowledge of where the next pay cheque was coming from. This allows me to continue the freelancing dream in the evenings and on my days off, and it means I can be more selective over the work I take on. I’ve been very lucky and am very happy to be where I am right now. 

What do you think of our membership hub and Colchester’s growing Cultural Quarter?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of 15 Queen Street and the wonderful family of creatives associated with it. Their knowledge and support has been life-saving to me, I owe them a lot. It’s exciting to see the Cultural Quarter grow so rapidly in such a short space of time - it’s become a really important part of the town and something to be genuinely proud of. To the future!

Do you have any tips for people embarking on a career with the Creative Industries?
I can only offer advice based on my own short-term experiences. Talk to people, make yourself known, be tenacious and enthusiastic, and above all be nice. It’s really cliche but networking events are an indispensable source of knowledge and contacts, and you never know when that person you just shook hands and exchanged business cards with might need your help, and vice versa. A strong online presence is important in this digital age, as well as a strong portfolio (obviously). And be nice. That bit is really important.

Thank you Lauren. It’s great to see our members grow and develop. We’re always happy to help. To the future indeed!

If you want to get stuck in with a networking event don’t forget it’s our Creative in Colchester event this Thursday. Join us here from 7.30pm to meet the members and residents of the building, local creatives, and enjoy drinks, talks and music. RSVP here.

Got any questions on what we provide, our membership, or to book a tour, please send us an email or call 01206 562888.

Member Showcase: Jade Channon

Meet our latest flexible member Jade Channon.

Jade’s signed up to the building to start hosting Hells Bells Burlesque. A monthly meetup group to encourage the artistry of Burlesque; whether that be a practice for a dance, or making props, costumes or creative make up. Join Jade at the first meeting on Wednesday 14th March from 7.30pm. RSVP here.

We asked Jade in to have a cup of tea and to answer a few questions so we could find out more about this burlesque loving gal.

What do you do? How did you get to where you are now?
At the moment I do a few different things. I paint, make jewellery and work in the tattoo industry. My love of art came from childhood but I also worked in other creative areas such as the theatre and in London at tattoo/piercing shops. I loved anything kitsch/ tattoo rockabilly related and that is what I try to express in my work.

What do you think 15 Queen Street can do for people like you living in the town?
I think 15 Queen Street is very important as it not only allows you to individually pursue your creativity. It also is a great networking environment where you can learn from others or be a part of all the great events that go on. It definitely has an awesome community of loads of great creative people.

Do you have any tips for people embarking on a career within the Creative Industries?
Being in a Creative Industry, the biggest advice I could ever give some is be willing to learn and grow. networking with others is extremely important, sharing ideas and being bold - That’s what creativity is all about.

As a Creative do you think it’s important to be around other creative people?
I think being around other creative people is purely inspiring! Even if they are creative in a different way. I think it’s important to always keep an open mind and maybe you can even apply one creative persons way of doing something into your work. Visa versa! That’s the great thing about creativity, there are no wrongs.

We agree! Thank you for your time Jade. Hope to see some keen ladies here this week to help a Colchester burlesque troupe form and develop.

Creative Showcase: Imogen

What do you do?
I trained as an actor many years ago but now I love to sing!
I get on my hat and perform Old Tyme Music Hall performances (a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960) out and about in Colchester. I’m a street performer so I can do my act anywhere – parks, festivals, in the streets, and outside firstsite soon when it gets warmer.

Along with Old Tyme street gigs, I sing various other styles from ballads, folk, blues, Andrews sisters. I also dramtise spoken word i.e. comedy and poetry. I have performed at the Arts Centre, Mercury Theatre, Bury Folk Club, Apex Theatre and regularly gig at Slack Space.

What surprises have made you smile along the way?
I relate with children and love involving them in my acts when I’m out and about. When working with adults I say: “Does your wife know your ‘ere? Don’t worry I won’t tell her.” - I love to watch people’s reactions to my work. I enjoy music hall patter and ad-lib.
Last Christmas at a Castle Park event I performed in the Castle and to people in the queues. I got a group of children singing carols from their school concert. That made me smile.

What are you most proud of about Colchester and why?
As well as the established venues - the Arts Centre, the Mercury and the impressive yearly town/park festivals. I am pleased to see the more recent creative inclusive spaces springing up around the town especially Slack Space with it’s art gallery supporting local-ism and music with Slackfolk and mini fests. Also other creative inclusive sites such as Tin Pan Alley, Foresters, the Bull and the Minories.

I have personally found 15 Queen Street to be a very encouraging events studio and creative hub, with particular reference to the very obliging co-ordinator Alex Davis. She gave me, as a guest, a very warm welcome.

Do you have any tips for anyone embarking on a career within the Creative Industries?
I think it’s important to relate face to face, be spontaneous wherever possible, flexible, and versatile.

Member Showcase: Sally Parkinson

Meet Sally Parkinson. She’s a flexi member who is hosting her Photography Club here tonight at 7pm. We’ve been told they will be painting with light using photographic paper. Very exciting. The club will be here every first Thursday of the month from 7pm. The aim is to give snappers the chance to come along and talk photography, be set challenges, work on projects and the opportunity to ‘Show n Tell’ your work. Plus there’ll also be a competition to keep you on your toes!

We grabbed Sally for a quick Q & A to get to know our new member a bit better.

How are you a part of, and use 15 Queen Street?
I’ve joined as a flexible member which means I can use rooms at the venue to run workshops and my photography club. 

Tell us a bit about your journey and where you are today. 
My background is in hospitality and events however my interest in photography has been around for years.  About 7 years ago I set up a photography studio in my garage and my business has grown from there.  I’m now a full time photographer and loving the variety that it gives me.  I also love teaching others how to get more creative and get so much satisfaction from seeing my students taking great photos.
 
What do you think of our membership hub and Colchester’s growing Cultural Quarter?
I think the membership scheme is fantastic and I’m so pleased to be part of it.  The location is perfect for me and everyone I’ve met so far is incredibly friendly and helpful.  It’s good to be a part of the Cultural Quarter too, it’s a growing and important part of our community.
 
Do you have any tips for people embarking on a career with the Creative Industries?
Stick at it!
If there’s something you really love and you are determined then you will get there.  Anything is possible if you want it badly enough!

We agree! Determination is the way forward. Thank you for the interview Sally.

Member Showcase: Matt Keeling

We are proud to announce our latest resident member is Matt Keeling - a graphic artist/illustrator based in Brightlingsea. Matt was a flexible member before he signed up for permanent space. Popping when he could to come use our building to host desk. He took to plunge to own a dedicated space here at our hub, based right in the centre of Colchester.

We grabbed Matt for a quick Q & A to discover more about the local creative, what he thinks of us, the town and those ever important tips.

What do you do? How did you get to where you are now?
It’s quite difficult to label what I do, but the closet term would probably be ‘Graphic Artist/Illustrator’ with most of my work being in High Street Clothing/Fashion creating graphics across Kidswear and Menswear garments. I’ve been working as an freelance illustrator for around 14 years and have found my way to this point by taking the opportunities as they have crossed my path from visualising for a packaging design agency to editorial illustrations for poker magazines and many other projects in between. I also create digital paintings and collages which I sell through The Paper Shed online gallery.

What surprises have made you smile along the way?
I always have to laugh at the fact I work in ‘Fashion’ If someone had told me that when I was at college I’d have run a mile but to be honest I love it and the work I do in this field is great fun!

What do you think 15 Queen Street can do for people like you living near the town?
15 Queen St is a great environment to mix with other professional creatives, giving invaluable feedback on your work and working within a setup like this you can’t help but pick up the buzz, it’s very inspiring. With the stream of speakers and creative people doing talks at the regular events, you’re exposed to things you wouldn’t normally seek out, so 15 Queen St diversifies the base from which you develop each project.

Do you have an tips for people embarking on a career with the Creative Industries?
The best tip has to be work hard, but also take the knocks in your stride, they keep coming regularly, even after 14 years!

Give us a sneaky peek of what you are working on right now.
I’m working towards an Exhibition at the Coach House Coffee Shop in Brightlingsea through April, a series of artwork based on Birds of Prey and their Prey. Also a large Supermarket and a High St store, both Boys clothing. Which keeps me out of trouble!

Thanks for the interview Matt. Glad to have you as a part of the building and look forward to helping you settle in!