An Interview with Illustrator Lauren Kelso
Ahead of her creative talk for us on Wednesday 9th April, upcoming illustrator Lauren Kelso has very kindly done a short interview with us, sharing some of her experiences working as a freelance illustrator since she graduated including her journey to opening her new shop!
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your business and what inspired you to start your own creative business?
Hello! I’m Lauren and I’m a Freelance Illustrator who runs Lauren Kelso Illustrator. Alongside completing freelance projects, I also sell my work through my IRL shop & studio from Raceview Mill in Broughshane, sell via my website & Etsy, stock various shops across NI, attend different markets and host workshops – a lot of variety! I’ve always been creative and decided to study Graphic Design & Illustration at Ulster University Belfast School of Art, specialising in Illustration. During lockdown, I’d been really inspired by other Illustrators who were selling their illustrations online and I got the opportunity myself when during my Placement Year, I completed Enterprise Placement Year (EPY). This was a very valuable programme ran by Ulster University which supported students to start/develop their own businesses and I received fantastic support from the mentors and other specialists within their fields, creating my own website and freelance work. I continued on during my Final Year and during this year, I discovered a way of working as an Illustrator that was experimental, quirky and intuitive which I really enjoyed and I loved the outcomes. I used ink and a cocktail stick and paper collage that I created using the photocopier etc. and alongside other methods, this still forms part of my current Illustration practice today. I now sell prints with my illustrations that are created in this developed style and I also love travelling to new places – often for day trips – and love soaking in the inspiration ready to dive into my sketchbook on my return!
You only recently graduated in July 2023, how have you gone about bringing your business to life since then?
Since graduation, I’ve focussed on building up my products and I’ve really leant into the refining process. I was chosen as one of the Graduates in Residence for the following academic year after I graduated and I was able to use the university facilities, work on my own practice and complete the First Steps to Teaching qualification which included me hosting workshops for the students. I’ve collaborated with others, attended many markets around NI and tried to push boundaries and think outside the box. I’ve taken one step at a time and have developed my work throughout the years, continuing to post on social media and trying to make the most of opportunities where I can.
I saw on Instagram that you are soon opening your own shop, how has that journey been so far?
The shop is now open and ready for business! I officially launched on Friday 7th March and it was such a special evening. Many people came to support the shop opening, left me an encouraging card/gift and sent me lovely messages – I really appreciated it all. I got the keys in January and from then, I worked flat out preparing the premises, decorating the walls, completing DIY projects, upcycling second-hand furniture, carrying out the behind-the-scenes jobs, creating stock for the shop and more. It was a very busy time but I had a lot of support from family and friends and I really enjoyed seeing the vision come together, taking lots of footage to look back on! I’m now open most Wednesdays through to Saturdays and the premises is a hybrid shop and studio area which means I can work from the studio at the back alongside being able to put through payments and help where needed in the shop at the front. I’m loving being able to work from the premises as beforehand I worked from home so it’s great having a purpose-built designated space to come and work from during the day which helps with work-life balance. There’s a lovely community here and the other business owners have been very supportive too. If you were free anytime during those days, you’re more than welcome to pop in and I’ll also be hosting workshops in the space too which is exciting!
What has the experience taught you about yourself?
The experience of setting up the premises has taught me that I’m resilient when working under a lot of pressure with many things happening at once as I had to balance a lot but I’m still developing and learning as I go!
If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice at the start of this journey what would it be?
I would probably say that things take time and to keep learning and developing as everything will come together. I have gone through a lot of change in my business and I’m really glad I was able to pivot and change as things have slotted into place. I would reassure my younger self that things take time to come together and to keep working hard.
Do you have any advice for other creatives hoping to open their own premises?
As I’m writing this, I’ve only been open less than a month so I’ve no doubt I’ll still be learning as I go but I would say to tap into your network, attend as many events as possible, avail of free programmes and grants that can support you, try to build a support system that can help you and just take one day at a time – it’s a very exciting step but requires a lot of work!
Finally, what are your hopes and dreams for the future?
I’d love to be hosting regular workshops in the shop & studio, completing projects for dream clients, continuing to sell through the shop with new products having been released, continuing to sell online and attending markets – that’s the dream!
You can sign up to attend Lauren’s talk on Wednesday 9th April here
