Monday 17 June 2013

Creative shift - guest blogger

Recently Creative shift asked me to Blog for their website, here's the interview.

Independents We Like: Sarah Heaton Ceramics

Posted by:  on Jun 12, 2013 | No Comments
At Creative Shift we feel that it is important to champion the talented people and inspiring businesses that we meet along the way.
In our latest Independents We Like feature, we talk to Sarah Heaton, of Sarah Heaton Ceramics, who recently worked with us on our Manufacturing Seminar for Coventry University, for creatives looking to get their products manufactured on a larger scale.
A champion of British Manufacturing, Sarah has exhibited in London, New York and Paris where her designs have met with critical acclaim. Her beautiful, functional products embody a deep understanding of the ceramic process and natural flair for future proof design. They show profound respect for the traditions of the past while emphasising contemporary living at its most desirable.
Pretty Pottery-10
Tell us a bit about Sarah Heaton Ceramics, what are the aims/ethics of the business, and do you enjoy being an independent?
Having worked in the ceramic industry for nearly 20 years, I got quite angry with the overseas  re-sourcing of product that many uk ceramic
brands embarked on. Quite quickly some of our famous brands had compromised quality, ethics and turned their back on years of traditional
skills and methods of production. I felt that I had to do something that embodied the best of our heritage and supported UK pottery manufacturers, while the big guys were chasing round the world to finder cheaper production methods I was working with an old factory in Stoke to design a product that used their knowledge and embodied the best of our tradition.
I now divide my time between running my own small ceramic design label and consulting for companies who need ceramic design expertise. I have a varied and busy week/weekend this keeps me on my toes and  always challenges my pre conceived ideas on what can and can’t be done.
How did you get involved with Creative Shift?
I met Helga from Creative suite whist sipping aperitifs in the ambassadors residence in Copenhagen !!!   How cool is that ??? We got chatting and next minute I was agreeing to take part in a Creative Shift event.
What was the nature of your seminar? What challenges did you speak about?
The premis of the event was to help explain my path from having a creative design concept and turing it into a marketable product.
Sarah Beautiful new designs-4
What are your thoughts on how the event went?
I think the seminar went really well and I now have contact with some of the attendees through Linked in and other social media, I had quite a few people with  specific ceramic needs and I think I helped them on their quest to find uk manufacturers etc. I have had lots of positive feedback
from the event and hope to get involved with other Creative Shift enterprises.
I really enjoyed the open and relaxed atmosphere, this helped everyone ask any questions and the answers they got where as open and honest as
possible. The facilitator had a great approach and the afternoon flowed freely and if anything we ran out of time !
scarlet range shot_0
Many thanks to Sarah for taking the time to talk about her business – you can find her beautiful ceramics on her website, follow her on twitter @sarahheaton_ or like her page on facebook.