Slumbermonkey Designs
It's August and it's time for another crafter to be interviewed in our 'Crafter in the Spotlight'! Whilst scrolling through our socials, we came upon an account called 'Slumbermonkey Designs' and we immediately wanted to know more.
We approached Lindsay Buck, the talented lady behind 'Slumbermonkey Designs', and to our delight, she agreed to do an interview! Lindsay is a surface pattern designer, artist and crafts person who makes jewellery, wall art and quirky gifts.
First of all, we wanted to know a little bit about Lindsay:
"I'm Lindsay, the designer and maker behind Slumbermonkey Designs. I sell illustrated jewellery, unique homewares and other eclectic items online, at markets and fairs as well as in shops and galleries."
Now that we knew who she was and a little bit about what she did, we wanted to know how Lindsay first got into crafting.
"I've always loved Art and Design and specialised in textile design at university so making and creating has always been part of my life. Although I worked as an art teacher for many years, I found it didn't give me time to develop my own creativity. After changing direction, I began exploring lots of new techniques and began to make and sell my ideas."
Many of Lindsay's creations feature positive and reassuring quotes such as 'There is always light at the end of a tunnel', 'You are enough' and 'You are doing ok' – we think this is a lovely touch to her work, but we wanted to know why she thought it was so important to feature these positive messages.
"First of all, thank you for your lovely comment! This area of my work developed when I was ill with depression. I found that it helped to illustrate positive thoughts and quotes and I kept a sketchbook to help with this. My friends and family would say these things but I wouldn't believe them. I began to post my illustrations on Instagram and they really resonated with people. The power of a simple quote or message when you are low cannot be underestimated. It is so important to keep reminding yourself how amazing you are and try to overcome the negative mindset that we can all get stuck in."
We love this story and thought process behind Lindsay's work. Many people are affected when it comes to bad mental health, which is why it's important to spread awareness about it and provide positive messages like Lindsay has done in her amazing creations.
A wide range of jewellery, greeting cards, wood wall art and more are available on Lindsay's online shop, we asked her about where she gets the inspiration for her work.
"I love nature and I'm always taking photos of the world around me such as flowers, plants, animals, birds and insects. My inspiration also comes from a love of Mid-Century design and Scandinavian Folk Art. Patterns from the 60s and 70s are also favourites."
Many of Lindsay's products are extremely colourful, she uses bright colours in her work which makes the product really stand out, we were curious to know why she picked this style above all others.
"I adore colour and try to use it in everything I do. As I mentioned previously, the retro style of the 60s and 70s is something I love and I think it reflects an optimism and playfulness that marries perfectly with my style."
If you're wondering how long each product takes to make, Lindsay told us her jewellery "generally takes two to three days to create between designing, cutting, printing, baking and finishing off", the other products she sells "can vary from a couple of hours to a week".
"I'm so lucky that I get to do what I love and that other people want to share that joy by buying my items. Each piece feels like a little extension to who I am, so finding that people like my work is so humbling. I also like that I am my own boss, can keep to my own timetable and create my own opportunities."
'Slumbermonkey' is quite a unique name. We were too curious not to ask Lindsay where this name originally came from!
"I get asked that a lot! It's actually a nickname that my husband gave me one day when I was particularly tired. When I first began selling my items I was looking for a name and it stuck. I have thought about just using my name but people seem to remember it. I like to think its quirkiness fits with my brand."
Lindsay makes a wide range of products; she says it's tough to decide on a favourite as she loves "creating new jewellery ideas but love losing myself in colour creating my wood gifts too."
Lindsay's craft business and online shop already look stacked with beautiful products, but we wanted to know if she had any plans for the future.
"Last year was the first year I worked full-time on my business and I had lots of plans in place for 2020 which were (like many, many people) interrupted by the pandemic. However, my online business went from strength to strength! I would like to find more outlets for my work, develop my own website and get back to doing larger markets."
We had one last question for Lindsay and of course, it's to do with insurance. We asked her why having craft insurance was so important for businesses like hers.
"If you want to have a professional approach, it is so important to make sure you have the right cover. All reputable markets, large or small will require you to have this and it's very important that both your customers and you are protected."
Perfect answer! Thanks for taking part, Lindsay!
If you enjoyed getting to know Lindsay as much as we did, make sure to look out for another edition of our 'Crafter in the Spotlight' next month when we'll be interviewing another talented crafter!