An Art To It

What happens when an artist decides that joy isn't just an emotion - but a creative purpose?
 
In this episode I chat to ceramic artist Emily Hett, whose colourful, tactile sculptures have captured the imagination of collectors and social media audiences alike. Emily's joyful 'blobs' have become her signature, but behind the playful forms lies years of thoughtful experimentation, resilience and a clear understanding of what it takes to build a sustainable creative business.
 
We talk about the moment she realised joy was at the heart of her practice, the extraordinary impact of a viral Instagram reel, and why success isn't simply about algorithms or follower numbers. Emily also shares some refreshingly honest advice about marketing, consistency and finding a way of working that feels authentic.
 
Whether you're just starting out or already running your own creative business, this conversation is full of practical insights and plenty of encouragement.
 
In our chat we discuss:
 
- How Emily discovered that joy had become the driving force behind her work.
- Why colour, shape and tactility create such an emotional connection with people.
- The value of experimentation and allowing your creative practice to evolve.
- What really happened when one Instagram reel reached millions of people—and how it changed her business.
- Why artists need to embrace the business side of their practice as well as making great work.
- Building an audience without losing sight of why you create.
- Creating content that feels natural rather than chasing the latest trends.
-  Balancing exhibitions, commissions, social media and studio life.
 
You can see Emily's work at https://emilyhettart.co.uk/

When creating with flowers is not quite fulfilling you, it's time to pack away the secateurs and pick up the paintbrushes. Brigitte Girling shares her story in Episode 56 of An Art to It.
Brigitte is a fine artist based in Suffolk whose vivid, joyful still life paintings celebrate what she calls "the beauty of the everyday." But her route to the easel was anything but straightforward.
In this episode, Brigitte talks about a childhood of creative freedom in Framlingham, being steered away from art at school despite loving it, studying psychology at Exeter, teaching primary school children, and eventually building a thriving floral design business specialising in seasonal, chemical-free flowers.
When COVID brought events to a halt, Brigitte found herself retrieving a box of art materials from the attic — materials that had been sitting there for a decade — and quietly began to paint. Within a couple of years she had exhibited at the Colchester Art Society, done Suffolk Open Studios, and become artist in residence at Wickham Vineyards in support of the charity Art for Cure.
We talk about:
The creative thread that runs through every stage of a life, even when it isn't obvious
Why she called herself an artist from day one — and why more of us should
How her floristry background shaped her composition and colour instincts without her even realising
Changing her mind about galleries — and why she's glad she did
Self-limiting beliefs, fear of judgement, and the art of ignoring both
What it really means to burst out of the chrysalis of other people's expectations
 
A warm, funny and genuinely inspiring conversation to kick off Series 6.
You can see Brigitte's work at brigittegirling.co.uk and @brigittegirling
Brigitte talked about:
Mandy Leeson of Vanil in Woodbridge @vanil_ltd    https://www.vanil.co.uk/
 
Kay Prestney Kinship Creative @kinship_creativedc
 
Art For Cure @artforcure  https://artforcure.org.uk/
 
Wyken @wykenvineyards   https://www.wykenvineyards.co.uk/
 
An Art to It: the home of inspiring stories of how women artists and makers turned their creative passion into their business. Hosted by gallery owner and mentor to creatives, Elaine Dye.
Follow An Art to It for artist conversations, creative entrepreneurs, creative women and interviews with women artists and makers.

Having her eyes fixed as firmly on her business goals as on her paint palette, has been the bedrock of Alice Sheridan's creative success. In this episode of An Art to It, artist, mentor and co-host of the long running and much-loved Art Juice podcast, Alice Sheridan, shares her journey.
Alice talks about her move from a career in graphic design into painting, how she began taking her art seriously as a business, and why structure, support and self-awareness have all played such an important part in her creative career.
We discuss the realities of building an art practice alongside family life, the role of ADHD in how Alice works, and why understanding your own energy, habits and decision-making is so important when you're running a creative business.
Alice also shares her thoughts on selling directly, working with galleries, art fairs, social media, membership communities, pricing, and why artists don't all need to follow the same route to success.
This is a wonderfully honest conversation about commitment, creativity, business, tenacity, and learning to build a creative life that works for you.
In this episode, we talk about:
Alice's experience of co-hosting Art Juice

Moving from graphic design into painting

Taking art seriously as a business

The importance of structure and support

ADHD, organisation and creative working rhythms

Open studios, art fairs and direct selling

Galleries, endorsement and choosing your own route

Building and evolving an artist membership

Why creative business is not one-size-fits-all

Pricing, confidence and standing by your decisions

The long-term nature of a sustainable creative career

 
You can find out more about Alice's work and her membership at https://alicesheridan.com/ and on instagram @alicesheridanstudio

A passion for colour, flowers and making all came together for Katie Robbins as she said goodbye to a career in marketing and welcomed a new creative direction as a ceramicist. 
In a lively and very open chat Katie - known by many on Instagram with her memorable handle @ceramicmagpie - shares her journey from a career in marketing to becoming a full-time ceramicist, and how creativity was always present in her life - even before she could imagine it becoming her work. She talks about studying French and politics at university, working in marketing, keeping her creative levels topped up with evening classes, and eventually finding her way to clay after having children.
Katie reflects on the slow process of building confidence as a self-taught maker, the challenge of calling herself a ceramicist, and how selling her first pieces helped her begin to believe in her work. She also discusses how her marketing background has helped her shape her brand, understand social media, and bring people along on her creative journey.
We talk about the realities of running a creative business: learning new skills, managing admin, showing up online, doing both general markets and specialist ceramic shows, developing a product range, and balancing heart-led making with commercial decisions.
Katie and I also explore the importance of community, customer experience, and delighting buyers - from sharing the behind-the-scenes process to creating beautiful packaging and memorable moments.
A warm and practical conversation about confidence, creativity, flowers, ceramics, and the many skills involved in building a sustainable creative business.
You can see Katie's work at https://www.ktrobbinsceramics.com/ and on instagram she is @ceramicmagpie

Ceramicists never really retire, but they are allowed to indulge in a sabbatical. In this episode of An Art to It, I chat to Lucy Burley, whose beautifully distinctive ceramic bottles and vessels have been a much-loved part of my gallery https://thebyregallery.co.uk/ for ten years.
In our very lively chat Lucy reflects on her creative path, from a first life in London as a tri-lingual secretary and then working in television production to discovering painting classes, art school, and eventually clay. She talks about developing her now instantly recognisable style, inspired in part by Giorgio Morandi, and explains how she built a ceramic practice rooted in harmony of form, colour and use.
We also discuss what it means to sustain a creative business over decades: learning as you go, building gallery relationships before the internet made everything visible, managing health challenges, and knowing when it's time to step back and reassess. Lucy shares why 2026 has become a "mini gap year" or sabbatical for her - certainly not retirement, but a pause to think, travel, learn, and explore new directions in her work.
This is a very open and honest conversation about longevity, resilience, creative identity, and the delicate balance between making work and making a living. Oh and, as a memorable postscript, Lucy also shares the extraordinary story of the time she ended up in prison in the Indian Ocean.
In this episode:
Lucy's route into ceramics via painting and art school

Leaving television and finding a more creative path

Developing a distinctive style and glaze palette

The influence of Giorgio Morandi on her work

Building a ceramic career before Instagram and websites

Why she chose not to do large craft fairs

Teaching ceramics and why she eventually had to stop

Living and working with Lyme disease

The decision to take a sabbatical from full-time potting

What success means at different stages of a creative life

The "fine art of balance" in a creative business

And the unforgettable story of a spell in jail in the Andaman Islands

 
Lucy talks about some of the fellow creatives and businesses who have supported or inspired her:
 
Charles Gladstone: https://gladstonehellen.co.uk/@hawardenestate and @gladstone_hellen
Scilly flowers: https://www.scillyflowers.co.uk/@scillyflowers
Fiona Findlay: @findlayfiona
Thom Hudson:  @thom_hudson
Lucy Nicolls: @lucydorothyart
Kyra Cane @kyra.cane