The Uninspired Series: Studio Self Made founder Emma Redfern talks creative slumps, solo working and the need for self-care.
"Starting a business or going freelance can unlock so many opportunities but it can be incredibly lonely and challenging at times."
When brainstorming the concept of ‘Unfaced’, an underpinning theme that really resonated with me was a shared need for authentic wisdom whilst in search of creative inspiration. Narratives that (whilst being authentic) also acknowledge that some of us struggle to just get up in the morning or stick to one path.
Countless like-minded internet users sift through seemingly endless reels of content in hopes to locate the enigma that is ‘inspiration’. Instead, they find one-size-fits-all advice that neglects mental well-being.
So many of us feel lost. In our careers, our relationships, in our pursuit of ‘success’ and satisfaction. Enter the 'Uninspired Series,' a space where I converse with down-to-earth yet inspiring individuals from a variety of creative industries. Together, we unpack their creative journey and how they carved out their own unique careers that leave room for imperfection without sacrificing both wellness and growth.
A successful creative career isn’t linear and the multi-talented and simply awe-inspiring interviewees that I had the pleasure to chat with, prove that there is always room for YOUR individuality.
Emma Redfern is a multi-faceted creative who focuses on supporting young people as they break into creative industries - without sacrificing their mental health. With the importance of wellness at the core of her work, Emma founded The Calming Club. A self-care oriented stationery biz, crafted to help individuals level-up their mindset. This was followed by Studio Self-Made, a platform that teaches creatives how to get paid to do the work they love, by building a sustainable creative career. She was named a Virgin Money Young Change Maker in 2023 and continues to share her insight into an adaptable and ever-evolving creative career on Linkedin.
Emma, I am so excited to chat with you about your creative journey. You are someone I have followed for years and have watched your journey from afar both in-person and virtually and have been truly amazed by your achievements, flexibility and variety of skills. From founding The Calming Club to expanding Studio Self Made and growing multiple communities, I believe every creative deserves to hear your wisdom, so they can apply it to their own work.
To get the ball rolling, would you describe your ‘role’ as a creative? What is your job description?
I’m the Founder of The Calming Club and Studio Self-Made. As a solo founder, my role involves almost everything you would associate with running a business. From developing a business strategy to creative direction for new product ranges and social media campaigns through to applying for grant funding and pitching for investment.
How did it all start?
I started my first business The Calming Club during my placement year at Sheffield Hallam University in 2019.
I decided to turn down a traditional unpaid industry internship as it would have created a lot of financial anxiety by having to relocate to a different city.
I set out to explore freelancing and entrepreneurship, designing a product range of self-care stationery products inspired by my own experience with anxiety. I launched my first product range at the start of 2020 and by the time I’d graduated Uni I’d sold over 1000 products to 15 countries.
I completed my final year fully online due to the Pandemic. I had been sharing my journey of building The Calming Club on social media and when I graduated I was able to secure a freelance contract straight away which helped me go self-employed as soon as I’d left uni.
After working in the role for a year alongside growing The Calming Club I realised how many skills I had learnt from growing my enterprise and working freelance that could help other people. This is what inspired me to start my second enterprise, Studio Self-Made.
A purpose-driven, online platform that helps early-career creatives launch their careers without sacrificing their mental health. Over the last twelve months, I have been developing the enterprise with support from the Virgin Money Foundation, Big Change, Ingenuity Impact and Santander Universities. We’ve supported over 500 students and graduates so far, helping them unlock new opportunities.
You have literally MADE your own experience by starting your own businesses- how has this fleshed out your experience and what skills have you honed specifically by doing so?
Building a business helps you create a wealth of experience in lots of different areas. A key skill every founder or freelancer needs is problem-solving and this is something you will face almost daily when trying to build a career on your terms.
Without starting The Calming Club, I wouldn’t have had experience of designing and positioning a brand, launching a product range or using social media to build a community. These skills transferred over to my Freelance work.
Is striking out on your own and working for yourself something you suggest to fellow creatives?
Starting a business or going freelance can unlock so many opportunities but it can be incredibly lonely and challenging at times.
There are a few things that have helped me navigate working on my own over the last 5 years:
Mindset - This one goes for everyone no matter what career path you take but if you’re a founder or freelancer you need to take care of your mental health. Finding the ways you like to recharge and building them into your schedule is key.
Co-working and finding your community- As I mentioned, striking out on Your own can be lonely. Finding a place to meet and connect with like-minded people who are in a similar position can help you feel less alone. You also never know where those connections may lead.
Many creatives find themselves falling into a slump when trying to stay on top of their workload, especially when working solo. How do you combat this?
Creative slumps are one of the biggest challenges you can face, especially as a freelancer or a founder. One of the biggest things that has helped me is to change where I work. I’m fortunate that I’ve got to travel a lot this year so I’m used to working from trains, planes, airports, cafes - you name it. I like working from cafes when I write content if I can as it makes me feel more inspired.
Another way I’ve removed blocks from my creative process recently is setting up systems around creative activities I do often like writing our weekly creative career newsletter or LinkedIn content. It may seem counterproductive to put restrictions on being creative but it takes the heavy lifting out of the process and makes it easier to have fun with it.
Are there any preventative measures you put in place to ensure you don’t burn out?
Being self-aware of the early signs of burnout has been important in my career journey so far. It’s natural at the start of your career to push yourself but burnout can slow you down in the long run. If you can build rest into your weekly schedule that can help prevent burning yourself out.
Have you faced challenges due to your own mindset?
When you leave Uni, no one gives you a guide on what to do next. There is no way of knowing if each decision we make is the right one.
However, there is something that is guaranteed. With every ‘failure’ or ‘mistake’ there is a lesson which will redirect you towards your new path.
This year, that redirection has led me to one big realisation that I will be taking into 2024. If you have a feeling that something isn’t right that you just can’t shake, you shouldn’t ignore it.
You know that gut feeling that you want to follow but you are scared to take the leap. Often the more you ignore it, the stronger it will get.
So in 2024, I’m working on listening to that feeling and taking action.
Your work largely revolves around regenerating creativity and looking after your mental well-being whilst working for yourself, please share your top three techniques of prioritising well-being as an indie creative...
Have a process for getting your thoughts out of your head. One of the most challenging things as a creative or business owner is having a million thoughts and to-do’s swimming around in your head. Over the last year I have created a system on Notion to collect all of these thoughts in relevant places which has helped me feel less overwhelmed.
Figure out what fills your cup - Is it connecting with friends and family, having a cosy evening with a good book or creating something just for fun? Figuring this out and adding it into your weekly schedule is key.
Move your body - as creatives we spend a lot of time at our desks (probably hunched over, staring at a screen) making time to go for a walk or exercise will give you more energy for your creative projects.
How do you personally ‘motivate’ yourself?
It may sound cliché but really understanding my ‘why’ is what drives me to keep going even when I don’t feel like it. My ‘why’ is all about reducing the inequalities in the creative industries, creating opportunities for young people from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue artistic careers that pay them well and finding those opportunities locally.
As you can tell, my ‘why’ is so much bigger than me and the work I do. This gives you a mission to pursue which is a great motivator. It doesn’t have to be complex or challenging. You can start by identifying a problem you or your community have faced that you feel passionate about and use that as your North Star.
Can you suggest boundaries to put in place for fellow creatives, so they try to master the allusive work life balance?
Have set working hours and don’t stray from them too much
Set clear and realistic expectations if you are working with clients and push back if they try to put pressure on your boundaries
Do you have a favourite thing about working for yourself?
The freedom and flexibility of working from anywhere and everywhere.
Meeting incredible founders and creatives who are working on exciting projects reminds me that there are so many more opportunities out there than just taking any old 9-5.
Being able to shape my career, work on projects I am passionate about and have the time and space to learn new things.
Are there any drawbacks?
Self-doubt and self-criticism play a big part in your journey as a solo founder as you are constantly accessing your work and where you are in your journey.
Working alone can be lonely so finding your community is really important which is why I wanted to cultivate a community of creatives with Studio Self-Made.
Have there been any resources or experiences you wish you had used or experienced sooner in your journey that would benefit a new creative?
One thing I wish I had known sooner is the amazing possibilities that are out there in the social impact space. If you are a creative that wants to make a difference in the world, whether that is in the area of climate justice, social inequalities or community challenges there are lots of funding opportunities that you can get involved in.
If you are like me and the traditional corporate route of getting a 9-5 job didn’t naturally appeal, there are lots of other routes to employment. I discover a lot of opportunities on LinkedIn and share them through my weekly creative career newsletter to my community of creatives.
Can you tell us about any new projects you might have on the horizon…?
I’ve recently launched Studio Self-Made’s weekly newsletter that shares creative industry updates, creator inspiration and paid creative roles. I’m enjoying writing the weekly episodes, it’s a great community space and a resource I would love to have had whilst I was at uni.
I’ve got lots of exciting things planned for Studio Self-Made next year, the first being a free creative webinar series which will be arriving in early 2024 so sign up to the newsletter to be the first to hear about it!
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