Keeping Curious

This is the first episode in my series of mid-month 'catch ups' with my previous podcast guests... I wanted to check in a year down the line to see how the creative journey is going for some of my past interviewees. First up is Rebecca, an old friend who has now made the leap into a full time artistic career...

Aimi has been in the jewellery trade for over twenty years. What started out as a hobby, quickly became a passion and she knew that silversmithing was the right career for her early on in her journey. she started her first business with a grant from The Prince's Trust as Silver Shadows Jewellery, making contemporary silver jewellery. Picking up a wealth of knowledge, techniques and valuable experience over the years, she has since moved with the times and mastered the art of silver clay. Her subsequent businesses Silver Handprints and Silver Paws were created. The 'inSilver' website was created, a jewellery boutique with a modern feel when a friend suggested having Silver Handprints, Silver Paws and Silver Shadows Jewellery all in one website it all made perfect sense. As well as making high quality handprint, fingerprint and paw print jewellery, she now runs several jewellery making experience days. She welcomes clients into her workshop who want to try their hand at making a piece of silver jewellery an

Jessica Wilkes is a Childrenswear Designer and the face behind My Little Thistle! Having studied a Foundation Diploma in Fashion Design she went on to complete a BA (Honours) Fashion Design Degree at Birmingham City University. She began making childrenswear for family and friends and from there the idea for My Little Thistle was born; inspired by her experiences of tradition, family, memories of her own childhood, the colours, textures and visions she sees and feels when she is reminded of growing up. We caught up in her studio in Wishaw, a rural area of Birmingham. It is a cocoon of loveliness and where all her ideas come to life! We discuss the inspiration behind her brand, her ambitions for the future and how she juggles running a successful creative business alongside a full time job My Little Thistle's Design Ethos is to create easy-wearing and timeless clothing for your little ones; creating quality pieces that can be passed down the generations and be treasured for the nostalgic memories they hold.

UK based fine artist Dr Dean Kelland works with performance, photography and film to explore the underbelly of comedic characters through performative portraiture. He completed his PhD at Central St Martins with his doctoral thesis “flawed masculinities, rupturing 1950’s/60’s/70’s British Sitcom via a performance led interdisciplinary art practice’ He has regularly shown work with the IKON in Birmingham as well as recently completing a residency with New Walsall Art Gallery and the Birmingham Midland Institute. Currently he is a Fine Art course leader in Wolverhampton University and developing his own practice everyday. In this episode, we chat about how a boy from Great Barr Birmingham defied the odds to become a professional artist via a brief time working in insurance following a degree in Photography.  We talk around the influence of his tutors led him on to discover a body of work around a hidden passion for sitcoms and how he boldly took his future into his own hands when taking on the gallery world. N

Lauren Gutherie is the creative force behind Gutherie & Ghani, a fabric emporium and sewing school based in Moseley, Birmingham. Lauren set up Gutherie & Ghani in 2013 following a career shift from Physiotherapy to pursue a more creatively fulfilling life. During the renovation of the beautiful mock Tudor building where the shop now stands she was a finalist in the first ever series of BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee, where amateur sewers take on challenges as they compete to be named Britain's best home sewer. As a complete coincidence the shop opened shortly after the show was aired and the rest, as they say, is history. In this episode, we discuss what lead to the career change, how she created her own luck and her exciting plans for the future. It’s clear that Lauren loves what she does and her passion for sewing is infectious. If you walk into her shop, I dare you not to want to buy everything in it. She runs regular workshops to share her passion with others and has big plans for the future. Watch this

A Different Thread brings together three unexpected collaborators; Singer-songwriter Robert Jackson from Lichfield Staffordshire, Isaac Collier, a classically trained cellist from the Yorkshire Moors, and Alicia Best a singer/fiddle player from North Carolina. The trio have their own contemporary take on what Americana music is: They play what they are calling ‘British-Americana’ pulling from the roots of traditional American and British music alike, weaving together aspects of country, blues and folk with classical undertones and a hint of bluegrass. In this episode we discussed Rob’s journey away from Illustration where I first met him, to a more collaborative creative practice. We also discussed the limitations of classical training vs. being self taught but mainly we talk about music, inspiration and living a good life.

Kim von Coels is the creative powerhouse behind ‘Krumble Empire’. I met Kim at her home in Glastonbury, which is filled to the brim with her artwork and collections. Her current obsession is with light painting but over the years she has experimented with painting, video and photography. In her own words ‘I try to live a life full of art, adventure, photography, film, music, friends and fun.’ In this conversation we discuss the importance of enjoyment when creating from seizing the moment, to working with what you have in front of you. Travel has played a key part in shaping the artist she is today. Inspired by architecture, Kim explores the self and body within landscape all the while having lots of fun, often with friends. The result is spectacularly powerful artwork that is charged with her effervescent energy. She says, ‘I make pictures and take pictures. I collect unusual things. I photograph things I see and create things I want to see. I paint murals and dress people up in outrageous outfits, then ma

Rebecca Chitty is the inspirational tutor, lead cake designer and founder of the Birmingham based Chitty Cakes. Rebecca launched Chitty's Cake Company in 2011, following years of baking and cake decorating for fun. After a year of making bespoke cakes and cupcakes from home, the business expanded in 2012 to occupy a studio in the Custard Factory where Rebecca now runs the business and teaches a wide range of classes in both cake baking and decorating.   In this episode, we discuss her journey from her English Literature degree to a career in Law to a life changing event that made her make the leap towards creative living. Today Rebecca is busier than ever but her passion for cakes and craft make her love everyday. Whatever your creative interest Rebecca has some wise words for you.

Jennifer Maynard is the founder and creator of the innovative furniture renovation company Moorhaven Bespoke. Jen creates beautiful unique mid-century pieces with a twist from her home studio in Somerset.   In this episode, we discuss her journey from the school art class, where I first met her, to setting up her own creative business and the myriad of careers in between. Discovering how important embracing creativity is to well-being has been the catalyst to Moorhaven. Jen has always had an impeccable eye for design and has been renovating furniture for her own home and the properties she renovates with her husband for the past 14 years. However, it was only in the last year that she has decided to give it a go and make her work a brand it its own right. The website will be launching later this month so it is a really exciting time to follow her adventure.

Kerry Lyons is the mastermind behind ‘the imperfect life planner’ a brand new planning solution for 2018 to help navigate this crazy world we live in. Her inspiration for the ‘imperfect life’ revolution is simple. In her own words - I completely changed my life by choosing to show up for myself, not living for anyone else, and finally freeing myself from ‘perfection’ – by living the imperfect life. This philosophy resonated with me so much that I couldn’t resist getting in touch and finding out more.

To mark six months of Keeping Curious, in this episode the tables have turned and I answer your questions. I opened up the forum in the Keeping Curious Facebook group and asked what questions you would like to have answered. The questions range from my personal creative inspiration, how I went about setting up a podcast, what challenges I have faced and what regrets I have. We even cover the meaning of art! Here is your chance to get to know the person behind the questions… For those that don’t know me, I’m Polly and ever since I could hold a pencil all I have wanted to be was an artist. I followed my dream through school, college and university feeling an abundance of creativity that I thought would never go away. Fast forward to my mid twenties I had a demanding job in the arts that left me with little time or energy to focus on my own creativity. I stopped making... For 5 years. ​ So how did I get out of the rut? I followed my curiosity and I suggest you do the same. I believe creativity in all forms is

Sally Howden is the talented designer behind ‘I do Invites’ a bespoke stationery business based in the West Midlands. Sally creates beautiful bespoke wedding stationery from her home studio in Aldridge. It was Sally who designed the Keeping Curious logo and it was designing the stationery for my wedding in 2014 that sowed the seeds that led her to set up her own creative business. So I can personally testify to her incredible ability to take a brief and create something truly unique and individual for each client. In this episode we discussed her journey from art college, where I first met her, to the Senior Graphic Designer she is today. I was keen to find out more about how she balances running her own creative business at the same time as raising her two year old daughter Cora.

Fi Chappelle is the talented ceramic artist behind FICH ceramics. She creates unique contemporary thrown pieces from her home studio in Oxfordshire. In this episode, we talked about how she set up her creative business, her supportive family, her creative influences and her unhealthy love of teapots. Her passion for her craft is abundantly clear so it was interesting to find out her ambitions to be an art therapist. Fi wholeheartedly believes in the power of creativity to help others and to add meaning into daily life. She is an inspirational woman with a big heart...

Rob Gurney is the inspirational founder behind Digital Mechanic. Rob created the Digital Mechanic brand to be a one stop solution for digital creative work offering photography, videography and graphic design. In this episode we talk about everything from what it takes to shoot a wedding, why its hard to work with kids, to how he got involved in full body paint photoshoots and erotic art. This is an open and honest chat about how finding a creative outlet has transformed his life. In the four years since he first picked up a camera he has gone from being quite reclusive to being a prominent member of the Leicester art scene. He is resident photographer for 02 Leicester and has had his work featured in many national publications. Without a doubt Rob is a talented digital artist but it is his unique view of his creative work as a collaborative process that makes him really interesting to talk to. What amazes me most about Rob’s story and why I wanted to share it with you is that he achieves all this whilst m

Jen & Lydia Wild are the inspirational women who created the life coaching practice ‘Licence to Live’. As life coaches, Jen & Lydia help their clients realise their potential. For me, creativity is much about authenticity and Jen & Lydia believe everyone has the ability to create the life they want. They massively inspire me and it was them who I turned to when I was feeling creatively stuck. They helped me get clear on what I wanted and the best steps to take to get me to where I wanted to go. So, it made sense for us to get together and have a chat about creativity and how everyone can create the life they want.

I have known Rebecca since 2013 and she is a whirlwind of creativity. She balances being a mother with a demanding job in a fine art publishing company alongside running a baking business and taking fine art commissions on the side. Her days are filled with creative thoughts and she explores them fully. It wasn't always the case though and we often talked about the struggles of finding time to be creative when there are other demands on us that needed to be met first. Our many conversations led me to want to start this blog and I'm excited to find out how making more time for creativity has impacted on her day to day life too.