Radiance - www.radiancelighting.co.uk
Today we follow Hannah Nunn though a day in her life . . . .
Hannah Nunn
Getting up
My daughter Ffion (14) gets up first at around SIX o’clock (way too early) and clatters around the house running the bath, drying her hair etc. Once I’m awake I’m not very good a dozing off again so I get up too and leave Robert, who IS very good at dozing back off, in bed. I get up, feed the cats who are camped outside my bedroom door waiting for their breakfast, make the kids packed lunches and then do my yoga. I’ve been doing yoga everyday for YEARS. It’s utterly ingrained into my routine. I love it. It keeps me healthy, sane and straightened out! Then Euan (13) gets up (he only takes 10 minutes to get ready) and they leave for school at 8. I have my breakfast and then switch the computer on.
www.radiancelighting.co.uk
Starting work
I like this time of day. Kids have gone, Robert’s still asleep. The house is peaceful. I do most of my computer stuff at home at this time of day. I check my emails and Etsy conversations, bumble around on the net looking at blogs and things, update website stuff, do a bit of blogging on either my Hannah Nunn blog or my Radiance blog, print out orders and get anything I might need when I go to the workshop. Then Robert gets up and goes to work and I get dressed. It’s up to me what I do then. My shop opens at 11. This gives me the mornings free to do what I like - I might go straight to the workshop if I’m busy or stay at home working on the computer until then, or I might go for a walk in the woods with my camera for inspiration or go for a coffee. It’s nice to be able to choose!
Hannah’s Desk
www.radiancelighting.co.uk
Going to work
www.radiancelighting.co.uk
Then I make the long commute to work (it’s about 30 seconds away) with my cup of tea and my cat following me all excited. My shop is Radiance - a lighting and craft boutique and I have my lamp making workshop up some steps at the back of the shop. I switch everything on so it’s at its glowing best, I light the fire in the workshop and then get on with my work. I manage somehow to run the shop and the workshop. The shop isn’t that busy in the week so I’m able to get my head down to my making but I’m there for customers if I need to be. On a Saturday when it is busy I just sit behind the shop counter chatting to people and catching up with shop paperwork on the computer there.
There is always a lot to do but I don’t do it in a particular order. I just choose what I fancy doing next. This includes - making my lamps which involves lots of cutting out with my craft knife and then laminating, packing orders for galleries or individuals, making up cables and tripods for the insides of lamps (that’s a boring job), unpacking deliveries for the shop (lovely job), contacting designers and makers, photographing things for the websites, doing shop displays, paperwork and accounts etc.
Hannah Nunn Lamps
www.radiancelighting.co.uk
Lunch
I put a back in a minute sign on the door and nip home to make a quick sandwich and a cup of tea which I bring back down with me. I don’t have a loo in the shop so it’s a good job I only live round the corner!
Afternoon
In the afternoon when all the jobs and orders are done I might do a bit of development work and play with any designs that I’m working on. I’m developing some new wall panels at the moment and have lots of ideas for designs. I like this part. I can get very excited about new things I’m working on.
www.hannahnunn.co.uk
Hometime
I finish at 5 and usually need to walk round to the post office. It’s nice to get some fresh air. Don’t know what I’d do without a post office 5 minutes away. I’m so glad it’s there!
Hannah Nunn Lamps
Evenings
Then home. Evenings are usually cooking something nice for tea, having a glass of wine, cosying up on the sofa with a pile of cats on top of us. Euan’s electric guitar can usually be heard in the distance (but that’s OK, he’s very good) as can Ffion’s tapping away on the computer keyboard.
I try not to work in the evenings but sometimes I get sucked in. I’m doing a new Radiance website at the moment and turning it into an online shop. I can really get into doing web stuff in the evenings but I have to fight with Ffion for the computer as she is Tumblr mad and also always has lots of homework to do.
Things I like about being an indie designer
It’s a pleasure to be able to do the things I do. To be allowed to follow my inspiration and make lovely things for a living. It makes me very happy that people want to buy my work. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. It means I can do the things I love everyday like sitting in the woods with my sketchbook or cutting out pretty things from paper or buying flowers from the flower shop for inspiration. This is my JOB! It’s great!
www.hannahnunn.co.uk
Things I don’t like so much about being an indie designer
Sometimes I can feel a little overwhelmed at the task of keeping everything running smoothly and knowing that I am responsible for ALL aspects of the business. It’s usually just when I’m tired so I have to be careful not to wear myself out too often. When I’m excited about work and full of inspiration I just go and go and go! I have to remember to slow down to keep balanced.
Hannah Nunn Lamps
www.hannahnunn.co.uk
Summing up
It’s a nice life. I’m very happy. Although I work alone mostly I feel quite connected to the other makers through the Internet and through the network built up at trade and craft shows. And I’m never alone for long in my shop. I have lots of lovely customers without whom I would have no business so thanks guys! The indie Craft world is a lovely, friendly and far reaching place and it’s a pleasure to be a part of it!!! Long may it flourish!
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