What’s there not to love about crafted products which are of high quality, locally made and totally unique? Knowing that someone has poured their heart and soul and a good chunk of time into creating a distinctive brand encourages people to pay a little bit more for it. Crafters themselves know that their work is high quality and will benefit and bring pleasure to others; so, how to get the message out there?

Incidentally, there is nothing like human contact and face-to-face encouragement, so maybe this is a good place to start. Talking to fellow crafters at craft fairs or at your local arts quarter or hub is invaluable. Making a special visit to someone else’s studio or workshop and chatting with them about their business; we are all passionate about the products we have created and the crafting community is a friendly bunch, keen to share advice and simply to tell our stories. Each business is unique, but there are often tips that can be gleaned from hearing others’ journeys, contacts which can be made and encouragement to be taken to heart. Failing a personal visit, connections made via social media groups help us to garner invaluable insights from other crafters who are further down the path.

There are also numerous blogs and articles online which offer advice about starting up small businesses and marketing your goods. We thought we’d also share some tips here on other things you can do to get people to “fall in love with your brand”.

1. Build relationships with your customers

A brand which customers fall in love with revolves around the customers themselves. Without these, our businesses are nothing. So, do everything you can to build up mutual respect between your clientele and yourself. If you sell face-to-face, at craft fairs or within your own retail space, you will have the opportunity to engage in conversation with your customers. For those who have studios open to the public, for example, if you create handmade ceramics in the UK, you are able to take it a step further as you invite people into your space, either to watch a demonstration or to participate in workshops. 

2. Make sure that potential customers know who you are and what you stand for

Friendly customer service is a large part of a good reputation, upon which foundation you can then build your business. In an age of anonymity and our constantly busy lives, our yearning for human connection is arguably greater than it has been at any other time over the past few centuries. This is where small family businesses win hands down over large corporations. You have a story, you deal directly with customers yourselves, your business is locally rooted and you often have far greater ethical and environmental care standards than any large company. These are all things to shout loudly about! They are huge strengths that can be made much of. If you have a website, write the “about” section to your best advantage, emphasising how your business began, how it is expanding and what your vision is. If you can, use first names for yourself and your staff so that potential customers know who might be at the end of an email or phone call. Some pictures of your workspace as well as your products, maybe including a friendly dog or cat, will all add to that feel of a personal touch.

3. Listen to what your customers say to you (and about you)

Another important aspect of marketing your brand well is taking on board customer feedback. This sounds obvious, but may not always be easy if it’s something you’d rather not hear. While you will always need to filter bad feedback, once your initial reactions have subsided, it really is worthwhile sifting through a less-than-complimentary comment. There may be something useful in it, and, with a little wisdom and distance, some useful threads can often be disentangled and tweaks made to your brand or marketing.

As mentioned earlier, a great way to engage with customers and increase your profile is to invite them into your workspace. This not only offers an excellent way of demonstrating your skills but also gives good opportunities to chat about your brand, what your customers like about it and what they might like to see in the future. Textile workshops offer great opportunities for this, as, with a warm drink and maybe a biscuit or two, participants will enjoy the sense of community as well as learn a new craft. Pottery throwing may not quite adapt to this model, but it is a fascinating and mesmerising activity to watch, and open days where people can see the potter at work, and visually observe how lumps of clay are turned into beautiful handmade ceramics are sure to attract customers.

4. Answer a need.

For your brand to really take off, it has to fill a gap or solve a problem in a way which appeals to your customer base. Handmade soap or bar shampoo will be a hit with those who want to use more natural, chemical-free products on their skin. Handmade ceramics can be marketed as customised wedding gifts, as well as beautiful presents which will bring delight every time they are used; a chunky mug in tones reminiscent of the sea out of which to drink your morning tea, or a stunning vase in heathery tones which brings back memories of a restful holiday. (Sometimes, your customers might not even be aware that they have a certain need – it’s down to you to bring that awareness.)

Handmade, ethically sourced and locally produced craft items are good. Arguably, as we become ever more digitalised and impersonal, local family businesses offering high-quality products with longevity may well become more sought after. You are doing a great thing; have confidence in yourself and your product!

N.b. If you are considering holding workshops and demonstrations, you will need to ensure you have the correct insurance in place; pick up the phone and we can talk you through the best deal for your unique needs. If you would rather email, we endeavour to respond within twenty-four hours. We too are a family-run business and value our clients greatly.

Have you ever looked through a kaleidoscope? Maybe as a child? If so, you’ll recall that as you peep through the eye hole into its drum and gently turn the end segment, a multitude of brightly coloured “gems” meet your gaze, with their patterns slowly changing with each turn. It is fascinating and compels the gazer to keep turning, knowing a marvellously different set of colours and patterns will appear at each shift of the mechanism.

The huge variations in us as human beings, in the biodiversity around us and in the vast universe of which we are a part are mirrored in a minuscule way by a kaleidoscope. Details as apparently insignificant as no two snowflakes being the same, (a fact first discovered by Wilson Bentley as he examined thousands of snowflakes in the 1800s), or that many botanists, including Carl Linnaeus, often seen as the founder of the scientific classification system, only found similarities with plants, and no two ever identical. Or, on a grand scale, the Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light-years across (that’s six trillion miles x 100,000), and there are estimated to be about 350,000,000,000 galaxies in the universe. And none of those will be the same.

We live in a magnificently varied and wonderful world, with infinite variety all around us. It is no wonder then that each of us is unique, with our own set of talents and abilities, passions and dislikes, character traits and personalities. This should make each of us feel great about ourselves…there is no one else quite like you; you are the only one with your unique and complex mix of abilities and character and only you can fulfil the role you have in life. However, the fact that we are not clones, and are all so wonderfully different, can bring challenges, when it comes to working together as well as its strengths, to the same end.

To help employers hire the best mix of staff to create stunning and unique products handmade in the UK there are various personality tests which can be used to assess individuals and hence ensure a team works well together, to their best strengths. As crafters with small businesses, knowing personality types could be a help not only in employing staff but in allocating roles within your business as it and they develop.

It can also be helpful to have some insight into the wide variety of personalities you may encounter at craft fairs, demonstrations or workshops. Human nature is deeply fascinating and understanding a little about how we interact can both prevent fallouts and also enable us to get the best out of our team members, audience and workshop participants. Of course, we need to start with ourselves first, and becoming more self-aware will help us in many areas of our lives, including our relationships and the decisions we make.

As crafters, we produce a huge variety of products handmade in the UK and our unique creativity and personality will shine through each of these. The next step is to promote these amazing products, and understanding a little more about yourself can prompt you in the best direction for marketing strategies. A personality test which is much in use today is DISC. This is an acronym, with D standing for dominance, I for Influence, S for support and C for compliance or conscientiousness. A quick look on the internet reveals that many companies both offer and use DISC and that as there is infinite variety in our personalities, so there is some variety in how test results are both categorised and interpreted. It is possible to do this test online, but also a thoughtful self-study of the categories will illuminate some character traits of ourselves and others around us. Most of us will have elements of our personalities fall in all four categories but with more landing in one or two.

For example, a dominant personality (green or red zone) will generally be firm, direct and strong-willed. In a work situation, this person might be the most results-driven of the team, will push others forward and take risks but may also be impatient and not that aware of the needs of the rest of the team. Someone whose personality falls mostly in the I category (yellow zone) will be outgoing, enthusiastic and optimistic. They are often the visionaries, with ideas to bring your business forward and the optimism to help you over the hurdles. However, they might need to partner with someone whose feet are firmly on the ground! An S (green zone) is a supportive or steadying person who is a great team player, empathetic, calm and a good collaborator. They may be indecisive though and as they are often overly accommodating might need to be encouraged to express their own needs and opinions. Finally, a C (blue zone) conscientious person will be precise and analytical at work. They may be somewhat reserved but will be good at checking on detail and working systematically.

As we saw at the beginning, we are all so vastly unique and different that it is an oversimplification to put ourselves, our clients and our employees into one of four categories. DISC does not account for physical attributes (these may be very important in a craft which requires physical strength and endurance) or our spirituality (which will be shown in how we view and understand the world around us). However, a fuller understanding of our own and others’ personalities using DISC will help in our businesses and our lives in general.

Maybe we could consider our team and customers to be like a thoughtfully stitched-together patchwork quilt. Each of us is beautifully and wildly different with an infinite variety of combinations and talents, strengths and abilities as we work together to produce and enjoy stunning and unique craft items, handmade in the UK.

If you love the world of arts and crafts but don’t see a future for yourself as a crafter, there are plenty of opportunities to work in and around the craft industry. Although a primary career in the craft industry would be working as a producer of items, there are lots of options for working alongside talented crafters to provide them with the services that they need to be successful. Most crafters want to be spending their time crafting their products and, in some cases, they won’t have the necessary skills to be able to look for where to sell ‘homemade crafts uk’, or to market their products. There may also be elements of finishing off their products that they don’t have the time or the skills to complete. Here are just some of the careers around crafts that you could look into.

Photography

All product-based businesses need to have high-quality images of their products. These will help to encourage people to buy items on the business or other e-commerce websites as well as provide content that can be shared on social media channels. Product photography can differ from portrait or landscape photography and so it is important that if you look to move into this line of work you create a portfolio of items that you have photographed so you can share this with potential clients. Whilst you won’t necessarily need a private studio to be able to take product photographs, you will need access to lighting, light boxes and potentially some props that can be used alongside the products. It is also important that you can take the photos and edit them in graphics software to make them as commercially viable as possible.

Framing

This is an example of a finishing product. When artists produce landscape or portrait paintings or photographers make prints of their photos, they may need to be placed in frames ready to be sold. This is a job that can take time and it is often best passed onto someone else. There will be a need to research what types of frames are currently most popular as well as look for those frames that are most cost-effective to buy. When you have decided where to sell homemade crafts UK-wide, you can decide whether you are going to offer framing as standard for all your pictures and prints or whether you are going to offer it as an additional service. Working as a framer can be incredibly rewarding as you help to add the final touches to items before they are delivered or picked up by the customer.

Marketing

All businesses need to market themselves as this is how the products and services that are on offer become visible to potential customers. This is especially true for items that are made as a part of the craft industry. Working as a marketing specialist within the craft sector allows you to find ways in which to increase the number of customers buying products. This could be by sharing pictures of the products on social media channels and creating content that makes them want to buy the items. It could also be creating campaigns for specific times of the year such as the run-up to Christmas or Easter. It is important to understand the business’s audience, their product and what makes it appealing, and also to find where to sell homemade crafts uk-wide that will give the business entry into new markets.

Sales support

When crafters are busy creating their items or attending fetes and fayres, they often won’t have the time to deal with any sales enquiries that come in. This is where those people with sales support skills can help. This might mean working in an administrative capacity and answering any emails that come in and responding to enquiries based on current or potential sales. Other sales support jobs might include picking and packing items ready for delivery. This can include selecting the items that have been requested, packaging them up using the packaging materials most appropriate for the items, and adding in any personal brand touches. Printing shipping labels will also be necessary, before sending the items out for delivery.

Website

Having a fully functioning website that makes it easy for customers to buy items is extremely important. This could be a stand-alone website built using a platform such as WordPress, or it could be a site built on Shopify or a presence on Etsy. The type of site that is used will depend very much on the type of business, the products being created and sold and the size of the business. It is important to get support from a professional who can help you manage your site. This might mean updating your product listings, dealing with any enquires that come in via the website and adding in new products. The imagery that you use on your website will be incredibly important.

There are lots of other jobs that are related to the craft industry such as delivery couriers, event staff who can help you sell your items at fayres and also admin support jobs that might help you manage your enquiries and respond to any social media messages or comments that you receive.

The type of job that you choose to work in will depend on your skills and passions and the type of job that crafters need support with will also depend on what their skills are and how much time they have available to be working on all other aspects of their business. By working with others on areas that they are not confident in, crafters can free up their time to do what they love and also help to increase sales and then ultimately the profits of their businesses.

Careers in Craft (how a young person could make it their job)

Working in the craft industry is an incredibly rewarding role. Not only do you get the opportunity to create items that you can sell to others, but you can also spend your days crafting. What could be better than that?

There are lots of different ways that handmade crafts can be turned into a full-time job. This could be working as a crafter yourself or working in some areas that help support the craft industry such as photography and design work. Here are a few ways that a young person could start a career in the craft industry.

Artisan Crafts – Finding a niche craft with a specific theme can be a way for a young person to hone a product for the market. The creation of unique products is a great way of capturing trade and making a name for yourself. Taking an apprenticeship or mentoring with an established artisan will give any young person the chance to hone and learn the necessary skills to become adept at their craft. Two of the best examples of this are jewellery making, a perfect medium to make bespoke and commissioned pieces, and pottery. Both of these have a good online platform and focused attendance at regional crafts fairs. Ultimately, the main goal would be to have their shop or be able to open up a studio that they can work from and sell directly to the public.

Design Work – There are plenty of academic avenues via which young crafters can progress in the field of design work. The route to design work usually begins at GCSE Design and Technology. Here the student can learn the basics of design and get a foundation to start their career. It’s usual to combine this with GCSE Art. From here, the next step is to study both subjects at A-Level with a view to moving on to university and a degree in the subject. This will give the young person years spent being creative in which they can find the type of design they prefer to work in. Fashion and textiles may be an option but there is also scope for furniture design, taking a break from traditional styles for example. It also opens up the possibility of working for a design company and the chance to see their products mass produced. Over time, it may be that they may wish to start their own design company.

Workshops and teaching – The teaching of arts and crafts may be a better outlet for the young person seeking a career in handmade crafts. Gaining a degree in teaching is the best way to combine the two disciplines for a successful role in the field. Teaching others the skills required to be an artist or crafter can be a deeply rewarding experience. As well as being taught in schools, arts and crafting have also been used very effectively as a means of pain management and for creating mental health wellbeing. These kinds of courses can be conducted at colleges or in workshops in community centres as well as in schools.

Restoration and Upcycling – If the creation of new pieces is not something that the young creator finds appealing there is also the option of specialising in the restoration of older pieces. This gives them the chance to bring something that may appear damaged beyond repair, or needs a little love and attention, back to life. Restorers have an in-depth knowledge of the pieces from the past that they are working on, meaning that they have had to invest time in research of the history of the furniture, tapestry or art piece that needs a spruce. This also includes the conservation of the item with constant monitoring and care. Studies in art conservation and working with established conservators can prove to be an advantage. Conservation of this sort requires vital skills that can be used to make a long lasting and truly satisfying career.

Craft Entrepreneurship – Anyone with a business mindset can use their entrepreneurial skills to make craft related operation. There is a readymade market for the provision of craft suppliers. Opening up an online supply business with delivery and distribution can bolster the craft industry. Young entrepreneurs may also consider becoming a retail seller of the handmade crafts that people make. This will save them time and money plus allow them to concentrate on the more important aspects of actually making the crafts to sell as they can still add their own craft projects to sell as well. One of the more interesting ideas that has become popular of late is that of creating a subscription service where people receive a themed item every month. It’s clear that these young people who have embraced the world of the online marketplace are some of the most forward-thinking business people out there.

Whatever path the young person decides to take in the crafting world, either producing, selling or assisting in terms of sales, marketing and admin, they should make sure they are constantly updating and maintaining the skills they have. They can do this by joining online communities or creating their own with other likeminded artisans and crafters.

They need to be completely in tune to what is happening in the craft world. In this way they can be able to see what the shifting market trends and fashions are doing. Being adaptable and staying on point with what people want is the only way to stay relevant.

Finally, for a young person to be successful in the craft business they must make sure that they have built a strong online presence. Following the recent events of the pandemic and the rising costs in the retail outlets, this is a great way to make inroads into the market and sell to as wide an audience as possible.

For any countryside dwellers amongst our readers, the picture of a group of teenagers, slightly cowed under enormous rucksacks, huddled around a map or trudging slowly forward is a common sight in and around our national parks at this time of year. They are clearly walking with a purpose, not just out for an afternoon stroll. There is often not much laughter or needless banter until they reach camp, weary, at night time; their energy is taken up by carrying their heavy loads and their brain power focused on ensuring they are walking in the right direction; a wrong turn means extra distance to cover. This is good training indeed for our young people. It is, in fact, the expedition component for the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

However, D of E is not just the expedition. In fact, there are four components to it; volunteering, physical, skills and expedition. It is in the skills section that young people may find a way into arts and crafts which could continue to provide enjoyment and even employment throughout their lifetime. The Duke of Edinburgh award invites young people to develop a skill they already have, try out a new one, test their limits and through all this, grow in confidence. This last year has seen a record-breaking number of participants and at a time when adolescent mental health issues are also at a very concerning high, it offers a truly welcome programme to give our teens purpose, grow them in resilience and enable them to gain a fresh perspective not only on life, but on themselves and their abilities.

As craft business owners, there are formalised ways to partner with the D of E award scheme; take a look at their website if this is something you might be interested in doing. If not, there are always informal ways you can support a young person you know to learn a new craft for their skills section.  As we know, crafting and creating are very good for our mental health and our teens could surely do with some practical boosts in this area.

In an age when so much of teenage life can be focused around screens, the very present and sensory nature of crafting can be of huge benefit. It seems that an increasing number of teens have sensory processing issues in some area, and crafting can offer some wonderfully calming and regulating sensory projects. Working with clay is tactile and soothing and can be an effective way to channel frustration with the added benefit of a finished product! Choosing and mixing essential oils for soaps is a fragrance dream, while selecting and experimenting with colour can be a visual feast.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award has a very holistic approach to young people’s lives, with the aim that the activities in which they participate will allow them not only to grow in confidence but also to develop skills they need to successfully navigate life. Crafting requires of us and develops within us many character qualities essential for life. Perseverance and patience are required to learn and hone a new skill. Confidence is needed to share your finished product with someone, and then maybe take the next step to exhibit or sell.

It might be that what starts as learning a new crafting skill for a D of E qualification leads in time to beginning a small crafting business. This indeed would equip any young person in a manner in keeping with the the original vision of the late Duke of Edinburgh. And, with the  popularity of crafts handmade in the UK ever on the rise this could be a good step to take. For young people who may struggle to see the point of a maths GCSE, developing a business plan and budget will bring purpose to the maths they have been taught. And, it is not only maths for which light bulb moments may occur. Leaning a new crafting skill can bring fresh hope and vision into a young person’s life. It may be the first thing they feel they have excelled in, and the sense of achievement in creating an end product of beauty, which will bring benefit to someone else, will create a huge sense of pride. This in itself will lift their self esteem and provide confidence and motivation for the next step.

Being a part of the community of crafters is also good for their general well being. Friendships are often built around shared interests and the added bonus of being part of a community who produce crafts handmade in the UK adds a whole new level of self esteem and belonging. The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme is keen to draw young people in who might be on the margins of their communities, and as we know, crafting is an excellent way of integrating people into the community in which they live, through shared work spaces, community projects, fairs and celebrations. A young person could truly find a new sense of meaning and purpose in his or her life through learning a new crafting skill.

As crafters we all have our unique stories of how finding and honing our skill and eventually turning it into our very own business, has impacted our life. We can each testify to the sense of satisfaction we get as we produce crafts handmade in the UK. We know the friendships we have made, the communities we have become a part of and the sense of purpose our crafting business has gifted to us. For many of us, we may also have stories of how our craft has been therapeutic, maybe even life salvaging at times, and offered us not only an outlet for acute anxiety or long term stress, but a sense of purpose and and exciting vision for the future. In a world with so much greyness, we are fortunate indeed to have skills and businesses which create beautiful, praiseworthy products and provide us with so much enjoyment. Here’s to the next generation of young people creating products handmade in the UK and let’s keep our eyes open for opportunities to help them.

Although it may seem very strange, considering we have just finished one of the hottest Junes on record in the UK, anyone working in the retail craft industry will be already thinking quite seriously about Christmas.  Businesses that have craft stores online will already be looking to advertise products that could be used as Christmas decorations, table ornaments, gifts for loved ones and, of course, a comprehensive range of Christmas-themed cards.  It can be difficult to get into the mindset of what you are going to feature as a Christmas range in the middle of summer, but this is the standard time for retailers to be finalising their ranges for this period.  In fact, most will have been working on the basis of being a year ahead with their planning, focusing on a strongly themed seasonal approach to the production and selling patterns.

For the average crafter who is looking to get into the field of selling their products, Christmas can seem like a daunting prospect.  Admittedly, it may feel like you are straying away from your original intentions of turning your hobby into a business. However, you cannot ever discount the selling periods of Christmas and Easter.  For many retailers, Christmas in particular is the one period of time where they can make their best profits and continue to operate as a business. Whilst this can be a stressful time for a crafting professional, it can also be an incredibly rewarding time seeing your items being sold for gifts.

There may not be the same pressures to decorate areas of a store for those operating in the online space, but it’s still necessary to think about how you are going to present your products for the festival season. There is one distinct advantage, in that if you are selling online you can have a section on your website devoted to Christmas products all year round. This makes it essentially the choice of the person visiting the website whether they wish to peruse and browse the products available for Christmas.  For those who are heading out into craft fairs and market stalls then Christmas creation needs to be an activity that you are focusing on right now.  

For example, if you look at heritage organisations such as the National Trust or English Heritage you will see that they will already have begun placing out their Christmas card ranges at the start of the summer and, if not, certainly by mid-August.  It does seem unusual to see these kinds of products being available in the height of summer, especially when there is a heatwave! There is a certain logic to why they do this which might be something that you will want to apply to your own business. In fact, the reason the National Trust and English Heritage have such a wide Christmas range available during the summer months is that most of their shops and sites close after the October half term. Although this is changing and more and more of them are opening for longer, many are bound by restrictions and covenants that mean they must close at a certain time to ensure the conservation of the property. Therefore, the retail manager must take into consideration these special conditions for opening. So, if they have no customers from November through to March how are they going to sell their Christmas lines?

This is a principle that you may be considering yourself.  Are you sure that you want to be working over the winter months attending craft fairs and such like? It’s one of the reasons you may want to consider taking your products into the virtual buying world and get craft stores online.  This enables the customer to come to you rather than you having to go to them at outdoor events.  It may be that you enjoy the interaction that you get with your customers, and there is certainly a lot to be said for this as people do tend to buy from people.  However, many crafters have taken up this field of work so that they can avoid the nine to five grind! Also, many crafters use the winter months to work on new projects and produce new ranges and new items for sale at a future date.  It’s pretty fair to say that the crafting industry is a very seasonal operation, and you have to decide what you are going to get out of it.

Preparing your head for the Christmas months is essential.  Have a range laid out in your mind as to what you are going to sell and begin preparing and making them well in advance of October. You can launch a teaser campaign in your marketing to give people an idea of the items that are going to be available for Christmas. Some craft stores online will also offer pre-ordering so that you can start making items, ready for customers. This will also help to give you an indication of how many products you need to make and shouldn’t leave you with too much surplus that you’ll have to sell in the New Year.  Most consumers are already looking to buy Christmas presents rather than have a tremendous rush over November and December and the crafter can take advantage to this.  

There is a very strong argument for retailers and craft producers to be at least 12 to 8 months ahead of themselves in what they are producing and planning to sell.  While you may not be able to plan ahead as far as some of the major retailers are, you can be sure that they are already planning out Christmas ranges for 2025 as we speak!

Everything else aside, planning 3-6 months ahead for Christmas gets us in the Christmas mood! Let the Grinches say what they want, there’s nothing like Christmas and crafters can play a key role providing unique, personal gifts to enhance this most wonderful time of the year!  

There is a line of argument that would suggest that all craft is art in the first place. There is very little difference between the creators of art, such as painters or sculptors, or someone who works in three dimensions, creating collages, and the craft person turning wood, creating pottery, or even creating some nice needlework. Ultimately, the end result is intended to be the same, i.e., to create something that is beautiful and pleasing to the eye and would make a fantastic addition to someone’s home. It’s why you’ll see collectors and aficionados of high-quality artwork and crafts wandering around local and national arts and crafts fairs, seeking out any new and exciting pieces that might be available. There is also a good chance they might be seeking something bespoke, so it’s always wise for crafters’ public liability insurance to be in place for anyone producing and selling their wares.

When we look back through history, there is one fantastic example of where craft became artwork at the same time as being a first-hand recording of a series of monumental historical events. I am, of course, referring to the Bayeux tapestry, which is widely considered one of the most incredible pieces of art and craft ever made. The tapestry chronicles the story of how William I came to be King of England. In minute and incredible detail, the crafters hand-sewed the events, starting from the passing of Edward the Confessor through the adventures of Harold Godwinson in Normandy, before finally documenting the actual Battle of Hastings itself. Its famous image of William, crowned King of England, with all the gold stitched glory behind him stands as an incredible testament to the skill and knowledge of the people who sewed it. Contrary to popular belief, the tapestry was not actually created in Bayeux. It was in fact sewn in England and then shipped over to France so that the person who commissioned it, Bishop Odo, a relative of William the First, could view it at his leisure. Regardless of who created it, or the fact that it tells the story from William’s point of view, it remains a miraculous piece of work. This is even more incredible given that it has managed to last for over nine centuries and remains almost completely intact. As the work was crafted, it’s hard not to wonder if the people sewing it, mainly highly skilled needlework women, ever considered the fact that it would also be thought of as an incredible piece of artwork. Although its worth could probably never be accurately calculated in monetary terms, its historical value is immeasurable.

Needlework is a good example of how art and crafts merge. Throughout the mediaeval period, large-scale pieces of tapestry and pictures in needlework were greatly sought after by those who could afford them. If you were to visit some of the older National Trust properties, such as Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, for example, you’d see plenty of tapestry work that is extremely grand in scale. These homes were draughty and cold places, so thick pieces of needlework and woven linen were essential to try and retain the heat of the room. In addition, they provided much needed decoration for the hard stone walls, which were only offering a slate grey palette in terms of colouring.

These large scale crafts would have been big business for those creating them. Although they may not have needed crafters’ public liability insurance as producers do today, you can be sure that the crafters that created them were certainly enjoying a lucrative return on their work. However, it isn’t only needlework producers who could expect to get some return on their investment. Those that worked with wood were also highly sought after, and some pieces that woodturners produced could quite easily be counted as exquisite works of art as well. This is also true of the work of the potter, especially when it comes to the decoration of the cup, bowl, teapot or plate afterwards. As with many things today, wherever a piece of craftwork crosses over into artwork, it seems to be extremely dependent on the person viewing it and the person who created it.

Never mind the voices you might hear coming from the critical camp, who believe they are able to distinguish between art and craft. As with many critical insights, it all comes down to a matter of opinion. All that the crafter really needs to have is faith in their abilities and the work that they produce, so that it is of the highest standard that they can make it. If this is the case, their work will undoubtedly be seen as artistic and worthy of the accolades that a piece of art usually receives.

No crafter should be afraid to display their work openly on their stalls and be convinced that they are also displaying it in an artistic way and as an equal to any artwork that is there at the time. It may well be that what you produce could someday end up in someone’s private collection or even part of their gallery. As far as you were concerned, you created a piece of craft, but someone else might consider it to be art.

For example, one of the greatest testaments to this happening is that of Snowshill Manor in the Cotswolds. Within this Elizabethan home, you will find a huge collection of arts and crafts that was collected by Charles Wade. Wade saw no difference between what was art and what was craft.  He made it his life’s mission to collect examples of both to try and preserve the skills and knowledge that these artisans had shown to create the many pieces in his collection. These include tapestries, cabinets, models of ships, a huge array of clocks and even Samurai armour.

So, with crafters public liability insurance, you can safely trade in the knowledge that what you are producing will be protected should there be any issues arising from it, and who knows, one day your pieces may be considered to have caught the very epitome of artistic creativity of your time…

Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you!”

“Red is for London buses and post boxes, yellow is for sunflowers and rubber ducks, blue is for whales and cornflowers.”

From our earliest days, colour is woven into our lives, from childhood ditties, picture books that teach us colours, and observation of the incredible multicoloured world around us. As we get older, we associate colours with specific objects: our team’s football strip, white wedding dresses, yellow chicks at Easter and red poppies for remembrance. For many years, when babies were born, tiny pink wrist bands were put on baby girls and blue ones on baby boys. Before this, pink and blue cosy hats were used in hospital nurseries. Doctors now wear surgical “blues,” and before that, white coats. Postmen and women wear bright red and the police wear black. Would we react differently to a policeman in a turquoise blue uniform or a medic in a sparkly gold coat? Is there more to colour than just our associations?

Interior designers use colour to create their desired atmosphere. White walls will create a sense of space, while for a season, maroon was in vogue, creating a sense of warmth and cosiness. A therapist’s waiting room will be painted in calming colours such as a cool green or blue; a hot orange might lead to raised blood pressure even as the patient waits! Colour can also be used to convey a particular message. For example, summer weather temperatures reported in the 1970s were given as yellow (happy) sunshine, but more recently similar temperatures are depicted in red (danger).

How do you, as crafters who are experts in colour, use it in both the making and marketing of your products? A scant glance into the psychology of colour reveals that different colours do give rise to different reactions. Brown and black portray a sense of seriousness and stability and generate respect, hence the police uniform. Red is linked with both danger (hazard signs) and love (Valentines Day). Green and blue are calmer colours, with green especially connecting us with the serenity and life of nature. Yellow is the brightest colour in the spectrum and is associated with fresh ideas and brainstorming (lightbulb moments).

Colour is displayed to perfection in the natural world all around us. Green is a calming colour, so it is ideal to have as the backdrop for everything else. When we leave the city and travel into the countryside, many of us will let out an involuntary sigh as grey streets and concrete buildings are replaced by rolling green fields and trees. Blue and green, neighbours on the colour wheel, are easy on our eyes and make the combination of green earth and blue sky both restful and uplifting. As an aside, many of us feel our moods lift with a blue rather than grey sky. As well as the effect of colour, we also look up more when the sky is blue, and this action in itself is good for our mental well-being.

It is well documented that being outdoors is beneficial for our mental health, and it’s interesting to wonder how much of this is due to the colour combinations we see. After a long winter, the vibrant green of new leaves, together with cheery yellow and blue bulbs are enough to lift anyone’s spirits. The abundant mayhem of colour during the summer months, along with the exquisite beauty of butterflies, wild flowers and birds, offer a feast for the eyes. Autumn, with its tones of orange, red and brown, were, to our ancestors, indicators to gather in and get ready for the cold months of winter. And, even in the long winter months, colour can be found, albeit in more subdued tones and hues. 

Over the centuries, many artists have taken inspiration from the beauty of the natural world around them, and customers continue to want paintings that bring the outdoors in. The palette the artist uses will generate different reactions in those who view their art, and therefore having a concept of your customer base and even the season in which you are selling could be helpful in marketing. For example, prints resembling the work of Cassatt or Monet might sell more during the spring and summer months, whereas a more sombre palette evoking a Renoir or Constable might sell more during the cooler months. 

If you are one of those gifted artists who is able to recreate the beauty seen outside into paintings that can be brought inside, you may consider exhibiting your art work at a local gallery or exhibition. This is a wonderful way to meet potential customers as well as sell some of your work. Whether you collaborate with other artists for a joint exhibition, plan it by yourself and exhibit solo, or then invite other artists to join with you, you will undoubtedly need art exhibition insurance. This covers any unforeseen accidents to members of the public during the exhibition and unavoidable damage to your work itself (product liability). Art exhibition insurance can cover you for event cancellation, damage to property or equipment, or disputes with a disgruntled customer over a commission. While all these are unlikely to occur, and your risk assessment will make the event even more watertight, mishaps do happen, and the whole point of insurance is to cover you for the completely unexpected. As a family-run business with decades of experience in craft insurance, we are deeply committed to supporting small craft businesses as they step out and share their beautiful artwork and crafts with the world. Give us a call, and either Samantha or Naomi will discuss your individual insurance requirements and work out an art exhibition insurance package best suited for you. 

Colour is an integral part of our lives, and we can use it to bring calm or to invigorate, to lift spirits and to engender a sense of well-being. Whatever your craft, have a think about how you can best use colour not only in your products but also in your marketing throughout the year. Go make a splash!

Many of us are looking towards living a more sustainable lifestyle, whether that be through our product consumption, our travel, or more holistically, by living at a pace and in a way that is good for our own health and wellbeing. Although sustainability is very much a word on everyone’s lips at the moment, it is an age old concept, one that was lost during the fast-paced materialism and throw away culture of the 1980s and beyond but to which we are now gradually waking back up. The concept could be compared to a voyage around the world seeking new ways of doing things, only to return home to port to find the old ways were in fact fairly sound and worth reinstating.

Until the mass production of plastic in the 1960s, together with an increase in a wide range of cheap consumer goods and easy finance deals, the population of our nation generally lived within their means, which meant that mending, passing down and reusing were part of everyday life. From the sustainability of woollen clothing, homespun and woven as a cottage industry in the Middle Ages, to rag rug making from scraps of fabric in the nineteenth century, right up to the ‘make do and mend’ mentality of the Second World War, our forbears had a toughness and creativity that can inspire and shape our modern drive towards sustainability.

Many customers are looking towards buying more responsibly made products and are willing to pay a premium for items that have both individuality and longevity. It is therefore well worth advertising your sustainability credentials in any marketing or promotion. There are numerous ways your business can be more eco-friendly, many of which you may already have in place. Possibly the largest contributor to a sustainably made product is the raw material used. If possible, source locally, or at least use UK-based materials. If this is not possible, look for fair trade options.

For example, if you own a ceramics business, you may be able to join with other businesses, e.g., brickworks or quarries, to use some of their offcuts. As a jewellery maker, you may be able to gather sea glass, plastic or other treasures from the shoreline in order to create your unique range of jewellery. If you use textiles, you might rummage through charity shops and reuse your finds. The beauty products industry is changing, too, with opportunities for small businesses that arguably put them ahead of mass produced products. As a small soap making business, you may be able to use discarded products from other businesses, and you could lead the way in bar shampoos rather than liquid ones. This would not only avoid the use of multiple plastic bottles but bar shampoos are often preferred by the user. Sourcing raw materials in this way will be more time-consuming than simply ordering them online, so you will need to factor this into your product price.

Packaging is another area in which small craft businesses can often excel in comparison to large corporations. Your customers will, by nature, often be more discerning in their desire for sustainable products, so using paper packaging, or even recycled paper, will always be appreciated.

Another fast growing area is the upcycling market. Upcycling, or the reusing and changing of discarded products or materials into something of higher quality or monetary value, isn’t a new concept either. Vintage cars have been lovingly restored for generations, soft furnishings have been reupholstered and patchwork quilts have been meticulously sewn from scraps of older fabric. It is arguably the most sustainable form of producing “new” products, as it avoids throwing old items into landfill. There is also a huge element of satisfaction in breathing new life into something which would otherwise be at the end of its lifespan. Upcyclers are very enthusiastic about their craft, possibly because of the “feel good” factor it produces.

If you are considering transforming your sustainable crafting hobby into a small business, it is worth getting your admin foundations in place first, so you are then free to throw yourself into creating your unique products. The Laws on selling handmade crafts in the UK are, fortunately, not too arduous. You will need to register with HMRC as a sole trader and fill in a yearly tax form; this must be done even if initially your earnings are below the tax limit. There are also specific laws on selling handmade crafts in the UK. If you sell toys, for instance, you have to ensure your toys meet essential safety regulations as laid out by the Toy Safety Directive.

Once you have your collection of beautifully and sustainably made products, you will need a place to promote and sell them. It is important to use a website and social media to your maximum benefit, but selling face-to-face to the public is also a great way to build up a customer base. This may be in local craft shops or quarters, at craft fairs, markets or shows. If you sell at a craft fair, the organiser will almost always have organised any trading licences needed. If however, you are trading at a market, it is advisable to check with your local council if any licences are needed in line with the laws on selling handmade crafts UK.   

Whether you sell online or in person, you will also need public and product liability insurance, and you may also require specialised insurance for your individual business. This may sound confusing, but as a family firm with decades of experience in the craft insurance industry, we can ensure you have the correct package to fit your specific business needs. So, pick up the phone and have a chat with one of our team members. Craft businesses are strongly positioned to make and sell sustainable and upcycled goods that are unique, made with care and will last. So why not take inspiration from generations past and get creating?