In conversation with Amber Weir
“My work celebrates the human form, both male and female, and aims to showcase the beautiful curves and lines of our bodies.”
- Amber Weir
Image: Amber Wier
Amber Weir is a 2020 Graphic Design graduate from the Glasgow School of Art and the founder of Bloom and Body, a small ceramics business, aiming to showcase the beautiful curves and lines of the human form.
Each piece is slab built by hand and glazed to order , resulting in truly unique customisable artworks for your home. Bloom and Body came onto the scene in September 2020; a product of the boredom and unemployment that came with the global pandemic and has since grown a strong following on social media.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m Amber, a 24-year-old, Covid-19 graduate currently based in London and founder of Bloom and Body. I always knew I wanted a career in the arts, if you know my family that’s no surprise, but the success of this little side hustle has been such a shock to me. I definitely didn’t think I’d be running my own ceramics business at this point, I thought I’d be settling into my first graduate position in a graphic design studio but here we are!
To be honest I think freelance was always the way to go with my eclectic design style and my constant hunger to experiment with new techniques and materials. I’m so lucky to be in a position where I can start up my own creative business and I am so happy I’ve done so, I don’t think I could handle a global pandemic and being in a job completely devoid of creativity.
Tell us about your business, how did you come up with the idea or concept? What were your first steps to bringing the business to life?
Bloom and Body is my one-woman ceramics business. The current collection of work is based off of illustrations from life drawing sessions as well as my own body that have then been translated into fully functional vases.
My work celebrates the human form, both male and female, and aims to showcase the beautiful curves and lines of our bodies. Bloom and Body came about very naturally through the making of the first Harley vase for a charity fundraiser put together by my sister last summer. I hadn’t really worked with clay that much before that point – I’d made a plant pot and that was about it since I was a kid.
From the first, it snowballed into The Amy as a housewarming gift, to more friends wanting one and encouraging me to get the brand out there. That’s when I made the Instagram account and Bloom and Body was born!
What was your overarching mission/aim at the outset?
To be perfectly honest I really didn’t anticipate this going anywhere at the start, I didn’t expect people that weren’t friends or family to want my work. So, I didn’t set out with any aim other than to have a creative outlet in the mess that was last year. Especially as I was struggling to kickstart my career after only getting a few freelance jobs since graduating it was initially just a lifeline for myself and my mental health. I guess really the mission was to give some purpose to my time, get myself out of the rut that came with the void of lockdown and create.
What is the main inspiration for your business?
It would have be my dad, Mark, who was the inspiration for the business, maybe not for the subject matter of my work but for the push into ceramics.
Without the old kiln he bought for his own hobby of pottery years back, I would never have experimented with the art form. The nudeness of my work is probably from my mum and sister’s paintings and photography respectively. My sister has been referred to as “that pornographic photographer” when shooting in Iran for example (she’s not by the way).
Also a quick shoutout to Elise at GSA who’s words stuck with me about my life drawings. Let’s just say my work wasn’t really the tutor’s favourite but her excitement about those images has lead to me revisiting them some three years later.
Image: Lowri Mini Vase
Were there any initial challenges that you came up against, if so how did you overcome them?
The big challenge with starting your own business is making a name for yourself and getting your work seen. Social media is great but is incredibly saturated with amazingly talented people so can be very overwhelming, as well as the ridiculous amount that platforms such as Instagram’s algorithms hinder your reach.
The way I got through this was to initially promote myself on my personal accounts so I got some friends and family to follow then moved on to platforms such as Gals Who Graduate and Gals Who Create on Facebook in order to reach some other like-minded people to create a community with. This led to features on pages that showcase small businesses as well as taking part in the South London Makers Market and the Creative Babes Club.
Just apply to anything you feel like your business would be right for, don’t let that imposter syndrome get in your way! I never thought either of those markets would accept me a month after I made my first vase but they did and it really kickstarted everything.
Can you tell us about your first “win”?
Although arguably a smaller achievement than South London Makers market so early on, my first sale to a stranger has got to be my first and maybe even biggest win to date. It was so incredible to me that someone wanted a piece because they loved my work rather than potential obligation. It makes you feel like you’re doing the right thing, and that maybe, just maybe, this could all work out.
What’s been the biggest lesson–about yourself, your abilities or just general life lessons – you’ve learnt since starting your business?
Oh there’s certainly a few big lessons I’ve learnt along the way but I’d definitely say figuring out your limits is a huge one. I learnt mine in the Christmas rush which was ridiculously close to me starting this whole venture, I had no idea the madness it would be. I ended up working from 10am until 11pm pretty much every day for about a month in order to try and get everyone’s gifts out in time which pushed me right to the edge. If you don’t set limits you just end up burning out, and you could lose the love you have for your work and your business.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
This is a difficult one, but I guess something along the lines of “don’t listen to them”. I’ve heard this from a lot of different people in a lot of different ways but essentially just if you believe in what you’re doing and it gives you joy then pursue it, it doesn’t matter if it’s not the correct way to do it just go for it. I mean, there’s too many people doing “it” the right way anyway so you’ll stand out, and what you’re being criticised for could be your thing. The thing that gets you hired or makes you a success, the thing that differentiates you from the pack. One of my tutors made me cry for hours and all the things he was brutally ripping me down for is what’s made me a success.
How do you find the work-life balance? What strategies and routines do you have in place to cope with the work-life balance?
I try and balance my days like a normal 9 - 5 and, despite working from home, it’s really important for me to try and keep business and relaxing spaces separate. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of working all the time, especially when spaces are muddled which can lead to an unhealthy balance.
I know how difficult it is as a creative, dealing with feelings of guilt at not producing what you wanted within the time allotted for work but it’s vital not to let it get to you. It’s important to keep to the boundaries you’ve set for yourself. Sometimes everything goes wrong or you’re just having a bad day and can’t muster the energy to create but that’s okay. Just take some time for yourself, or else you will burn out.
Would you recommend any resources that have been useful for you when starting/running your business?
As mentioned before finding groups of likeminded individuals is great, so Gals Who Create on Facebook is a good one for artists and makers. There’s quite often people looking to start engagement groups in there which can be really helpful as well seeing as Instagram shows more people a post if it gets a flurry of likes and comments right after posting.
A South London Makers Market also has some good highlights on their Instagram profile with different small business owners talking about their experience and offering their advice.
Click here to order your Bloom and Body vase.
What would be your advice to anyone wanting to start their own business?
My advice would be to just get going with it, it’s so easy to get bogged down and delay yourself thinking “what if people don’t like it?”… “What if it fails?”. I almost didn’t set up Bloom and Body for those very reasons but I’m so glad I didn’t listen to that little nagging voice that insisted that I couldn’t create something that would be successful.
Apply to everything you can that fits with your brand and you’ll get noticed. If you are struggling there are so many insanely talented female creatives I’ve connected with through this business and every one of them would have no trouble helping out another business out. So, don’t be afraid to reach out - within reason - as we’ve all been there and are so thankful to the people who helped us starting out.
How can we support your business? Share any links or information that will be useful to our readers!
Website: bloomandbody.com
Instagram: @bloom_and_body
Facebook @bloomandbody
LinkedIn : Amber Weir
