As much as I try not to be, I am a social media fan and spend a fair bit of time scrawling through posts and pictures. Recently though, it’s been getting me down. I follow lots of other small businesses and see a lot of beautiful workspaces; picturesque views, clever storage solutions and rustic furniture and equipment plucked straight from a showroom.
I couldn’t help but feel a bit bleak looking around my workshop. To start my business, I moved back in with my parents. The room I work in used to be the children’s playroom so hidden in a cupboard you can find old pieces of Playmobil, the sofa wears a pair of rather fetching shoes (apparently a child’s dream…!) and the view from my window is of a rather dull fence. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for my parents’ support and workshop space help, but it’s hardly the stuff of Instagram dreams…
It got me thinking about social media in general. Posting pictures of items I’m making and of the things I am doing is a crucial way of getting my name out there. When I’m taking a picture of a lead I’ve made for example, I do take some time angling it in a way that will make it look best, accessorising with some autumnal leaves or putting it on an attractive live model (thanks Beano and Ivy!). I’m selling things that I have worked hard on and am proud of, so always want (and want others) to see them in the best light possible. And sadly, that’s not often with the backdrop of my workshop.
I can’t be the only one wanting to make things look the best they can on social media. I am seeing beautiful workshops – who knows if the people posting those pictures even work in those perfect surroundings?! A lovely hut in the country might be beautiful, but maybe can only be an efficient and comfortable workspace for a maximum of a couple of hours since heating is limited and that rustic stool is incredibly uncomfortable! They could all be in similar workshops to me, a room that’s used for multiple purposes, just altering their online image to something more idealistic.
It goes deeper than just businesses portraying products in a certain way. We all have that friend brunching with cliché avocado toast for the third time in a week, or that couple we know who are on holiday for what seems like the hundredth time – we can’t let this make us feel inadequate, we are only getting a glimpse into their lives, not the whole story.
So this blog is a quick reminder to not let the beauty of certain images make us feel less worthy – I may work in a small, crammed room that isn’t the perfect workshop, but it doesn’t stop me creating some beautiful things. Don’t measure yourself by what others ‘appear’ to be doing; be proud of who you are, how you work and what you believe in. I’m going to continue to be proud of my workshop – so keep an eye out, you may be seeing more of it in the future!
the name.) I was lucky enough to get my hands on a really old machine, as a general rule with saddlery tools the older the better! The thing about old tools is the tend to have quirks so Stanley does have the habit of splitting more off the right-hand side than the left. I’ll just have to make some small adjustments but it’s quirks like this that make me love the craft even more. No two pieces are the same and every little piece of leather has had some time put into it!
Every year Saddlers from all over the world flock to Saddlers Hall in London for the annual National Saddlery Competition. This year I was attending to officially receive my certificate of completion for my apprenticeship. It was a really nice way to round off 4 years of hard work. I was also fortunate enough to be awarded a bursary award on completion of my apprenticeship in recognition of my efforts.
It came to the results and we were all invited up on stage to receive a certificate for participation and then the announced the winner. To my surprise (which apparently was hilariously visible in my face) I was announced the winner of the competition. It sounds like it was a pretty close call, but the judges informed me that the decider was that the preferred the distance I had chosen for my billet hook – proof that it pays off to go against the crowd!
award were also announced, and I was overjoyed to hear that I was one of the runners – up and was being awarded a hide of leather in a colour of my choice! Probably sounds terribly boring but to a trainee saddler it doesn’t get much better then that!
Thankfully we all finished within the time and without any major injuries or breakdowns! I didn’t envy the judges this year as when the pieces were all laid out on the bench, we could barely recognise which one was our own. Anyway, they were able to come to a decision and I was excited to learn I was awarded the runner-up award. It must have been so close to judge as I think there was only 1 mark difference between 1st -2nd place and 2nd-3rd place. It’s great to think that there is such a consistent standard of work amongst the trainee saddlers, after all, we are the future of the trade!
Our task was to make a basic foal slip so we were all perfectly capable but in the atmosphere of BETA with all sorts of people watching it seemed an intimidating task. Nevertheless, we got to work cutting our straps. By now the cold tablets had well and truly kicked in and I was feeling much more alive, so I decided to not put any pressure on myself and just try and enjoy the opportunity. Afterall, it wasn’t that different to a normal day at college other than the fact that we were being watched! I actually started to quite enjoy myself chatting to some interesting people who were walking around the show, some interested in training in Saddlery themselves, and some who just wanted to watch out of curiosity.
gathered for a small presentation. Firstly, we were all given a certificate to recognise are participation. Then the announced the winner…I was overjoyed to hear my name being called! I want to say a big well done to all my fellow competitors who also made some beautiful items!