Linda Southwell

MEET THE MAKER

My name is Linda Southwell and my business is ‘Linda Southwell Ceramics’. My studio is based in the Stable Courtyard at Renishaw Hall & Gardens in Derbyshire. I set the business up three years ago.

I make porcelain sculptures that are inspired by plants and natural forms. These are all made by hand. I also run pottery workshops to support sales of my work which I predominantly sell at craft fairs and directly online.

WHAT ARE YOUR FEEDBACKS?

I’ve learned how to write a business plan! I’m really engaging with the financial side of the business which I’ve always shied away from before, possibly because I didn’t want to see what was actually happening!

There were some training sessions which allowed me to consolidate ideas that I had floating around in my head or just extended existing knowledge, particularly the marketing sessions. I learnt a lot about presenting my work and how to do that with conviction and clarity. I learnt about my values and how important they are to my business. I also learnt that it’s OK to not have all the answers and that some of the sessions gave us knowledge we might not yet realise we needed.

FIVE THINGS YOU’LL BRING WITH YOU FROM THE EXPERIENCE:

• Keep strong! It’s going to be tough and sometimes you might wonder why you signed up for this but until you’ve completed the course and seen it through it won’t all make sense. This is about you: your way and how you want to do things – nobody else.
• It’s OK to feel overwhelmed by all the information. There is a lot to take in and I think it takes time for you to process it and let it settle. Take some time to re-interpret it back to you and your own business.
• You can’t avoid technology. I think there is an inherent desire in some of us to avoid social media and online sales but it is a rapidly developing area with massive potential.
• Be open to change and that feeling of uncertainty you might have. Don’t be scared by it.

One of the biggest things I learnt was that it is really, really hard to sell things to people if they have no function. My work is purely decorative and I’ve decided to change that to incorporate function and utility in what I do.