A happy new year to one and all. Already a month and a half into the New Year…YIKES. Alright stop panicking.
Last year, as some of you know, I left my career in Buying and Product Development to focus on my dream…creating my label…Julian Garner. Forgive me if I repeat myself constantly.
When I reflect back on last year there are a couple of questions that I ask myself.
Did I do enough last year? -OR- Could I have done more?
Bear with me whilst I reflect and hopefully through this what I did will outweigh that feeling that I should have done more.
Here goes…
Left career in February 2014 - Sad times as I loved my job and everyday wonder if I will ever work with great people and the talents I did.
New job..DRAG QUEEN! - Yikes…kids, is this what happens when you don’t study? Fuck it…what a job, it’s a creative outlet and an opportunity to reach that goal and dream.
Set up www.JulianGarner.com - check it out! - Still a lot of work to do and new pieces to add…watch this space.
Focused on brand logo and re-branding of business cards making it definite! Hooray - happy with the outcome. Always proof read and research market to get best rates!
Then we moved house in May. Our new home and my new studio. Moving house, another excuse I ask myself, a stressful thing to do. House is amazing and coming along bit by bit. Finally got round to painting the living areas white. Need more storage in tiny studio.
I booked my course in Millinery at the London College of Fashion. Right, do I create product using my self trained learning’s or do I wait until I have trained in this ART and then crack on with work? I wait as that’s the standard I want Julian Garner to be. Training is booked for August. No work done in 5 months until course completed. A waste of time or soul searching?
Battersea Power Station rises. My course starts. Amazing time, amazing teacher (Thank You Chloe), amazing people. What a course - great decision.
Right which block to get? - Order of the blocks, a milliners tool, these and many more. Whoa…that was expensive…shit…get another job to tie you over.
Third job, at the same venue, working as a waiter, Wednesday and Thursday. Is my week been chewed up again, am I going to be sucked into the rat race and sticking my middle finger up to the biggest opportunity I have ever had.
Time to create Julian Garner.
Right - price comparisons and commissions. Not many commissions but more than the previous year. Hooray! My biggest commission comes along - thank you to a client who believes in Julian Garner and my ability. Work begins on the biggest commission I have ever had.
Last year, as some of you know, I left my career in Buying and Product Development to focus on my dream…creating my label…Julian Garner. Forgive me if I repeat myself constantly.
When I reflect back on last year there are a couple of questions that I ask myself.
Did I do enough last year? -OR- Could I have done more?
Bear with me whilst I reflect and hopefully through this what I did will outweigh that feeling that I should have done more.
Here goes…
Left career in February 2014 - Sad times as I loved my job and everyday wonder if I will ever work with great people and the talents I did.
New job..DRAG QUEEN! - Yikes…kids, is this what happens when you don’t study? Fuck it…what a job, it’s a creative outlet and an opportunity to reach that goal and dream.
Set up www.JulianGarner.com - check it out! - Still a lot of work to do and new pieces to add…watch this space.
Focused on brand logo and re-branding of business cards making it definite! Hooray - happy with the outcome. Always proof read and research market to get best rates!
Then we moved house in May. Our new home and my new studio. Moving house, another excuse I ask myself, a stressful thing to do. House is amazing and coming along bit by bit. Finally got round to painting the living areas white. Need more storage in tiny studio.
I booked my course in Millinery at the London College of Fashion. Right, do I create product using my self trained learning’s or do I wait until I have trained in this ART and then crack on with work? I wait as that’s the standard I want Julian Garner to be. Training is booked for August. No work done in 5 months until course completed. A waste of time or soul searching?
Battersea Power Station rises. My course starts. Amazing time, amazing teacher (Thank You Chloe), amazing people. What a course - great decision.
Right which block to get? - Order of the blocks, a milliners tool, these and many more. Whoa…that was expensive…shit…get another job to tie you over.
Third job, at the same venue, working as a waiter, Wednesday and Thursday. Is my week been chewed up again, am I going to be sucked into the rat race and sticking my middle finger up to the biggest opportunity I have ever had.
Time to create Julian Garner.
Right - price comparisons and commissions. Not many commissions but more than the previous year. Hooray! My biggest commission comes along - thank you to a client who believes in Julian Garner and my ability. Work begins on the biggest commission I have ever had.
The most expensive commission I have ever made.
Right, what does my first collection look like - “designers block” kicks in! FUCK!!! What will be my first ever collection? FUCKITY…FUCK, FUCK! One day when walking home it hits me like a tonne of bricks and the juices boil. They boil over and images are pulled to create a mood board. To broke to print in colour - hit slideshow and put your music on. Draw, Drew, Drawn! Yippee, hooray, fuckilicious.
Apologies for the swearing!
Approached by a friend to talk to her students about my career path and journey at the Ashford School of Art and Design. Great time and good luck to all the students on their paths ahead. Amazing creative space.
Venue - presentation - set date and a goal. Date set and goal to work towards. Venue found, feet sore! Inspired - shit is that how much public liability insurance cost for a three day presentation? But these hats aren’t going to kill anyone? Swallow and carry on.
First lot of fabrics arrive for collection - GREAT - that extra work is paying off.
Labels arrived...
Rehearsal for new cabaret show. Shit where is my time going?
Applying to be a British Citizen - I don’t have a certificate to prove that I can speak English…application refused!!! Doing a pretty good job writing it. 10 minute assessment arrives - marked within two minutes and the remaining 8 minutes spent talking Hats and exchange of business cards. Could that £125.00 for assessment be the price of a very expensive networking event?
December - WHAT THE FUCK? December a blur. WERK, WORK, TWERK - Happy New Year.
Madame Mu Mu's New Years Eve Bowler Hat
January… FUCK!!! 9 months till the first presentation.
Right stop panicking you have time. If you can make 5 beautiful hats in two weeks you have this covered! Waiter job changes to one full day! Brilliant. Always good and I encourage this…ask for what you want and make everyone aware. By doing this you are perking up peoples ears and possibly making things convenient for others and more important…you. Gain, 2.5 hours extra from original shift of two days rolled into one day.
Tick tock! Body Clock! Fuck!. Come on, cant sleep, relax, get out of bed. Don’t waste the day! Why am I worried? Don’t be, remember, don’t paddle in your fear, swim in it.
Blocking begins, commissions come to an end, and new ones begin. More fabric arrives and more is found. Relationship built with suppliers. By comparing prices and asking, able to get desired fabrics at an affordable price and better quality!
Turn 30 and my partner proposes to me!!! Very happy!
Conclusion - although time is ticking, I spent a good amount of time settling into our new home before studying and learning my skill. This skill now allows me to make well made product. I did enough that my budget allowed me to do. Rome wasn’t built in a day and one must pay their due before success.
The road to success is always under construction.
Major lesson learnt last year, don’t paddle in your fear, swim in it.
New lesson to learn this year, be your boss. Take yourself seriously in your chosen goal in order to achieve it. Not going to be easy.
I found this small statue in a boutique shop in Maidstone. It‘s gesture suggests shouting. I stuck my business card to it and placed it by my bed. Each day I go to sleep then wake up and its there to remind me why I left my career and became a drag queen.
January… FUCK!!! 9 months till the first presentation.
Right stop panicking you have time. If you can make 5 beautiful hats in two weeks you have this covered! Waiter job changes to one full day! Brilliant. Always good and I encourage this…ask for what you want and make everyone aware. By doing this you are perking up peoples ears and possibly making things convenient for others and more important…you. Gain, 2.5 hours extra from original shift of two days rolled into one day.
Tick tock! Body Clock! Fuck!. Come on, cant sleep, relax, get out of bed. Don’t waste the day! Why am I worried? Don’t be, remember, don’t paddle in your fear, swim in it.
Blocking begins, commissions come to an end, and new ones begin. More fabric arrives and more is found. Relationship built with suppliers. By comparing prices and asking, able to get desired fabrics at an affordable price and better quality!
Turn 30 and my partner proposes to me!!! Very happy!
Conclusion - although time is ticking, I spent a good amount of time settling into our new home before studying and learning my skill. This skill now allows me to make well made product. I did enough that my budget allowed me to do. Rome wasn’t built in a day and one must pay their due before success.
The road to success is always under construction.
Major lesson learnt last year, don’t paddle in your fear, swim in it.
New lesson to learn this year, be your boss. Take yourself seriously in your chosen goal in order to achieve it. Not going to be easy.
I found this small statue in a boutique shop in Maidstone. It‘s gesture suggests shouting. I stuck my business card to it and placed it by my bed. Each day I go to sleep then wake up and its there to remind me why I left my career and became a drag queen.
Don’t lose sight of this opportunity, remember you had no time and were increasingly frustrated that your creative energy was not been exhausted.
Roll on 2015 and my first ever collection.
xoxo
