Ever wondered what it looks like behind the scenes making these one of a kind headbands? 
I love seeing the studio spaces of other creatives and this year I’ve been working on creating a more dedicated space here. Turns out I’m still not going to be able to fit in all my boxes of fabrics, trims, but I think I realised early on I would need several rooms to house all the bits this magpie has collected over decades of being in fashion and textiles. Being honest with myself I’d probably fill a warehouse with bits and pieces given the chance, my mum always said how I love to spread out everything around me but that’s how I design by being surrounded by materials and making mini collections of buttons, beads, jewellery, silk flowers for each headband that work together. 
I’ve got a lovely south facing window now with a view out to the trees. Downside is having to put up a paper blind to diffuse the light to take photos/video clips of me working and the products. If you haven’t connected with me over on Instagram @anjakearton I share pictures of making, products and behind the scenes there too. There’s always a few pictures of the house and garden too on stories. 
Most of the walls in the house are painted in soft white with grey trim with colour accents in the furniture/furnishings/pictures. However for my studio I found the most wonderful deep green and it has been the best decision ever. It has transformed my product photos for Instagram and been a joy to work in. I’m currently sorting through artwork from University, greetings cards I’ve loved (great tip for cheap artwork fixes, that and using old tester pots to paint the mounts) and things that inspire me to go on the walls. 
I’ve got a lovely retro chest of drawers where I store all the headbands and work in progress. It’s amazing how a coat of paint can transform an unloved piece of furniture. It makes for a great place to set up products for photographing. 
You’ll often find me sitting at the Ercol vintage table downstairs most days, so much more paperwork/marketing than actual making but I’ve got a view of the garden and the dog for company, listening to Radio 2. On lovely days I’ll be sitting on the front step with the dog with a cup of tea or in the garden, which is my other happy place and constant source of inspiration.
It’s been a busy year learning all things Instagram, taking photos of products and trying to fight through the cringe of putting my face front and centre of my brand, let’s just say I’m much happier when I’m behind the camera. I got a flexible camera stand for Christmas which has made filming the little making videos I put up on Instagram so much easier. Much fewer mishaps now when you realise you’ve totally not got your hands sewing a headband in the shot at all. Practice makes perfect as they say but even I laugh at just how many attempts it takes to make a few seconds of video with me smiling and not looking awkward along with multiple pictures to get the perfect shots for the products.
Sometimes I think my phone is my most used tool now more than my sewing needles but when I look back on all the pictures it stands as a fantastic visual record.
