A day in the Life of Nicola Ryan

‘Not a good morning person until the caffeine sinks in’

I usually start the day at around 7 pretending not to hear my husband telling me it’s time to get up. He will have been up for about an hour already, tending to our youngest’s breakfast requests. I am not a good morning person until the caffeine sinks in and I’m lucky that by the time I get downstairs there will be a cup of tea waiting for me. I then normally sit at my PC and check my email, mark anything that needs to be dealt with and then have a quick wander round the blogs I subscribe to. By the time hubby leaves for work I’m awake and make up lunch boxes and then it’s off to school.

I run Sparkly Treasures from my studio at home. So after I get back from the school run I usually stick the kettle on and while it’s boiling go to the studio to turn my pickle warmer on. I will have planned out what needs doing the night before which might be a commission or continue working on making new stock for the boutiques or galleries I supply.

As I only have the mornings child-free, I try to get out to the studio as much as possible during this time. It is the best part of my job and I love nothing more than to saw, hammer and solder, watching a piece of jewellery come to life.

‘It can make for a very varied day’

If I don’t have much on that day I will work on other parts of the business which may include updating the website, taking photos of finished products, following up on leads or talking to suppliers. Although the paperwork side of the business is the part I like the least, it can make for a very varied day as you never really know who you will end up talking to and the opportunities it may bring.

‘I’ve built up quite a nice base of customers just from mum and toddler groups’

I have to stop work at lunch time to pick up my youngest from preschool, so we normally get home and have a bite to eat. Then I will pack up orders and we will take them to the post office before the after-school rush. On nice days we might have a picnic at the local park or go and visit other SAHM’s. Even though I’m not technically working I find this is a great time to meet people and network. I’ve built up quite a nice base of customers just from mum and toddler groups, and many of the ladies I have met have skills that I benefit from too. Then it’s off to collect my eldest from school and think about what were going to have for dinner.

My working day doesn’t really have a set start and finish time, rather a staggered one around my children. Once they have been fed, bathed and put to bed I will start working again until about 11pm although I do make a point of not working in the evenings at weekends, where hubby and I will usually catch up on the latest CSI or watch a film, although I have to admit I normally sit and bead at the same time.

‘My business is a now a vent for my creative side’

The best thing about being an indie designer is that my business is a now a vent for my creative side, which was stifled by a 9-5 job. I get to talk to so many different people who possess the most fantastic skills; and have discovered that there really isn’t much that you can’t get indie made.

This artical featured on Indie Quarter Blog and can be found here.