How we started Our Illustration Business
Hi there! Welcome to our first blog post (woo). Written and edited by both Lauren and Liv we thought it was about time we started writing what we have done down for something to look back on, but also (maybe) pass on some kind of wisdom or tricks of the trade we learned along the way...
BP (Before Pickle) Two Pickles, Two Stalls
The very first thing we can plot on our Pickle journey map is a Makers Market we took part in one windy August weekend. We’d been friends for a few months, bonding over wanting to become freelancers. We had days where we’d meet up for ‘arty’ days, painting to the background noise of ‘When Harry Met Sally’ and snacking on mini party food (the best). It was during one of these days where we decided to take part in a market. Two stalls, selling both of our individual designs (the idea of teaming up hadn’t hit us yet).
The prep for the market: printing our designs and organising stock counts, was our first taste of business life. Little did we know that we’d both be hooked. The market introduced us to the creative community in Leicester which we knew we’d love to be a part of. Chatting to other creatives was super inspiring and it was so rewarding to see people complimenting and appreciating our work. It gave us the confidence in believing that someday we could possibly do this as a job?!
Squirrels, Snacks and Start Up Workshops
In 2018/2019 we both had the utter delight to live together in a wonderful, but slightly animal infested, student house (Squirrel in the drainpipe anyone?). Liv was completing the final year of her Graphic Communication and Illustration degree at Loughborough Uni and Lauren took a year out to complete an Enterprise year, a new initiative at the Uni which supported student start ups.
Lauren was working under her ‘Lauren Jefferis Design and Illustration’ title and was introduced to a huge array of free business advice workshops. Most of these enticed students with free pizza. Liv became interested.
We spent our evenings running to the other side of campus to take part in these Enterprise Network workshops making contacts and cramming in some pizza. All before we had to run back across campus to do a workout class with pizza very much not digested (would NOT recommend). We learnt so much that year and decided that teaming up was the way forward for us. We went through many ideas for what Pickle would be before deciding to work as a service with an online shop on the side. Simple!
Eden Park- Our first Job
Lauren’s dad works for PA Housing in Leicester and brought to our attention Eden Park, a home for teenage parents in Corby which had a couple of walls that needed some attention. We jumped at the chance to have a go at what felt like a big boy commission, and, with our material fee covered felt like the project was something worthwhile but also portfolio worthy. We can distinctly remember sitting on tiny children’s plastic chairs and eating a domino's pizza on the first day after trying to get our head around working the projector for the whole morning!
Balancing Act- Final year and freelance
From October 2019 it was time for Lauren to get that damn degree with Liv having graduated the previous summer. Keeping work ticking over was our goal for this year and we completed a couple of workshops, a few packaging projects and a big old mural in Touchwood shopping Centre which we are still super pleased with.
COVID- Postcards and full time pickling
Then BAMN, covid time. Lauren moved back home from her uni house and had a garden graduation (slinky the cat on front row). Liv could no longer visit almost every week like she was previously doing, so things were going to have to be a bit different. We felt as if we should be doing something to offer whatever help we could during the corona nightmare so thought up the Pickle Postcard initiative. We’d write and send our illustrated postcards to our customers' loved ones so they didn't have to. This was our first big passion project and not only did it spread some joy but it also launched our online shop properly and helped us to connect more with people in general, which was so special in such sad times.
Since then we have been working full time on Pickle ever since. We have been super lucky to not have needed to get any part time work alongside (our expenses are also pretty low at the moment, thank living at home!). Throwing 100% of our efforts into Pickle has been the most rewarding thing we have both ever done and we hope to keep giving it 100% for years to come (weep weep).
If you’ve got to the end of the blog, excellent job, we love rambling but have tried to keep it as short and sweet as possible. Let us know if there are any topics you would love us to cover in the future. It's only when you look back you realise what a journey we have been on over just a couple of years… bring on the next!