Oli Turnpenney

MEET THE MAKER

Hi, I’m Oli and I am just starting my business after studying a masters course. To get to this point I have studied at university as well as teaching myself skills previous to studying alongside work. I decided to study so I could concentrate on my making skills and turning this into something successful. I now work through Digital design processes to make digital handmade ceramics through 3d printing and slip casting. I also enjoy the materials side of ceramics, developing glazes and researching new materials.

WHAT ARE YOUR FEEDBACKS?

I hope that I can make a full time income from my business, but this is something that does take time to grow. I made goals while on the programme to contact and work with suppliers while also growing online with website and social media. My vision has always being to do this, while the programme has really helped me to understand the intricacies of making this vision a reality. I have learned how to talk about values, realistically manage money, and pricing. To write and talk about myself, and to be more resilient as a craft and design maker.

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

• Be honest about how long things take, I nearly forgot to include the time it takes to make moulds in my targets
• Stay true to what you do and why you do it, don’t be afraid to dig deeper on this.
• ‘Loss making’ is part of building your business
• Keep an open mind to the different ways of funding
• Make noise about your great business