The Inspirations: Choccywoccydoodah’s Christine Taylor

in Green Room | Written by

Do you dream in chocolate? Then, surely you must be aware of the unequaled talented that is Choccywoccydoodah. Famous world-over for their creations in confection I am a huge fan, and even more-so now I’ve got to know the team behind the yummy personally.

I was seriously excited to speak to Creative Director Christine Taylor as part of this series, and when you read through our chat below I just know you’re going to fall in love with her too.

Hi Christine, So who are you and what do you do? Can you introduce yourself and your fabulous company?

My name is Christine Taylor (that’s me in the top middle of the photo above), I am the Creative Director of Choccywoccydoodah.

The company started 17 years ago in Brighton, born of a drunken night out, based on the desire to eat copious quantities of chocolate after consuming a bottle of gin with my co-director Christine Garratt. The reason we got drunk was we had found ourselves in possession of a shop we didn’t want. A very long story, to be shared when we are all drunk. It only makes sense then.

The name Choccywoccydoodah was also found at the bottom of the same bottle of gin. We also decided if chocolate didn’t work, we would sell diet stuff and call ourselves Chubbywubbydoodah. We still might. Reap what you sow!

There was no business plan then, there is no business plan now. The gurus of business we are not. What we are, however, is ambitious, hard working and obsessive. I believe proper earned success can only come about with complete 24 hour a day, 7 days a week obsession. And that is not for everyone.

Your cakes are out-of-this-world unique. What inspires you and where do the ideas come from?

The inspiration for what we do comes from everyday life, interspersed with extraordinary moments. My head is so full of projects yet to do, designs yet to make I feel I should have a head like Tim Burton’s Red Queen.

I employ artists and designers, the studio is full of creativity. Creative people just are, it’s a curse as well as a gift. If we didn’t work in chocolate we would still be doing this, maybe using dustbin lids instead.

You have a TV show on the Good Food Channel. Can you tell us about it?

Currently we are enjoying being on the telly, an approach out of the blue two years ago which has resulted in cameras tagging along in our lives on an almost daily basis recording what we do and who we are.

Sometimes it’s irritating, sometimes much worse than that, but mostly, we love it. Natural show offs with a TV camera – who’d have thought it?

Series 3 comes out on the Good Food channel on July 2nd.

What are you most proud of to date?

What I am most proud of is our team. Carefully chosen, all a little off-centre, some so far off-centre we have to tie them to the edge. There are about 40 of us now, all working together, enjoying what we do, making chocolate, creating cakes, selling chocolate, selling cakes and of course, we all eat chocolate and cake.

Continue reading

Accepting & Declining Work and Whether to Work for Free

in Green Room, Guest Posts | Written by

Photography Credit: Sacco & Sacco Photography

As an emerging photography business it can be hard to spot the times when you’d be better off saying no to potential jobs. It’s amazing some of the offers than can come your way so how do you gauge the times when it’s not in your best interests to take something on?

Even having been a full time photographer for twenty years, I still get it wrong sometimes.  Shortly after I did the Big Fat Wedding Bloggers Shoot, I was asked by a vet to do some portraits of him in his practice. I don’t get a lot of time for commercial work usually, but this sounded straight forward and it was right at the end of my road. He seemed like a fairly decent chap and when I turned up at the agreed time, he turned up late but I was polite and asked for a detailed brief. I fulfilled this exactly and did what I thought was a decent and quite flattering job portraying him and how he is at work. He was around 60 and a bit windswept, and as I can only assume that how someone presents themselves at a shoot is how they want to be photographed, this is what I did. I delivered the images the next day with my invoice. That evening I received an email saying that he was disappointed with them, that he didn’t look smart enough and he didn’t feel it really captured the ‘essence’ of his work and that now I had got a feel for the business could I come back for a reshoot? He then went on to point out that he had expected it to look more like the Bloggers Shoot…. er WTF?

I responded saying that I had fulfilled his brief and I had even pointed out to him that his tie wasn’t straight but he wanted to carry on. I also explained that the shoot he liked on my site was of girls in their twenties and was achieved with a team of hair stylists, make up artists, stylists and professional lighting. To recreate a similar shoot would cost thousands and had abso-friggin-lutely nothing to do with a suburban vets business. I told my best friend about it and she said it sounded just like her Dad who had his passport photo done 11 times because ‘they just didn’t capture him’. I declined his offer to go back for a reshoot and told him that I didn’t feel I could do the job any better and he was welcome to commission another photographer. I was right to say no as I believe he was never going to be happy because he had very unrealistic expectations.

However at other times it can be difficult to spot when something isn’t right for you. When establishing your business the pressure is on to accept anything that may come your way. Certainly if it’s weddings that you really want to concentrate on, then some portrait and commercial work undertaken during the week can be a good supplementary income. It’s important to ensure that you are getting paid a decent rate for these jobs, especially if they are not something that you want to promote on your blog. So many upcoming businesses think it’s acceptable to try to get photography for free to use on their own marketing material. As if it’s just an honour for you to be asked. I’m not saying never shoot for free because I certainly do, but only if it’s going to promote my business and is mutually beneficial. But if something comes along that’s just not right for you or you feel is beyond your skill level than its okay to say no or at least command a fair fee to do the job.

Another dilemma for wedding photographers and other suppliers is what to do when a friend asks you to do their wedding. I have actually only been a guest at a wedding two or three times as almost everyone I know who has got married has asked me to photograph their days. As awkward as this can be, I guess I am flattered. One of my close friends got married last year in Scotland (photo above) and though she had been my bridesmaid, she asked me to be her photographer. At first I was like ‘Really?’ but she said she would feel weird having anyone else do it and she loved my work, so maybe I was flattered into it! I had to be ready by 10am (no mean feat with two kids in the hotel room!) and she was stressing as she got ready, but as soon as she walked down the aisle I started crying as I knew her so well and had been a part of her life for over twenty years. I tried my best to hide behind my camera for most of her ceremony.

Continue reading

How to Write a Press Release That Will Actually Get You Featured: A Guest Post by Debbie Carlisle

in Green Room, Guest Posts | Written by

“Teardrop shower jewellery bouquet”
Photography Credit: Emma Case Photography

Before I entered the heady world of the wedding industry I worked for nearly two decades (gulp) as a journalist. I worked as a reporter and then news editor on regional weekly and daily newspapers and also wrote health and beauty features for a glossy magazine – all of which means I have spent a frightening proportion of my life reading press releases.

Press releases are a great way of sending information and news about your company, product or service to journalists and bloggers quickly and easily. While it is no substitute for face-to-face meetings, a well-written press release backed up by strong images is a godsend to busy journalists who don’t have time for countless meetings and networking events and can just cut and paste your copy into a last-minute gap on a page. On the other hand, a poorly-written or presented press release can do more damage than good, leaving the recipient tearing their hair out, reaching for the delete button or, in the very worst cases, blacklisting the sender for being rude and stalker-ish (no really…)

“Brigitte”

Now I’m running my own vintage brooch bouquet and headpiece company, the shoe is on the other foot and I find myself writing and sending press releases to journalists. I now realise more than ever the importance of this medium. To do it well is a time-consuming job – that’s why public relations professionals exist, and why it will be one of the first elements of my business I outsource when the time comes. I truly believe that hiring a good PR is money well-spent, especially if you can find one with good journalist/blogger contacts within your chosen industry.  If you can’t afford to pay for a PR firm there’s still no reason anyone with a computer can’t send a perfectly professional release – and so I’ve put together a few tips below to help get you started.

Of course I’m not pretending to have all the answers – there are many variables which will dictate whether your release, no matter how well-written, is used – these can include whether a competitor launches a bigger, better product at the same time as you, whether you advertise with the outlet or not, or simply whether your product is good enough.

I’m sure there are plenty of Green Room readers who have their own experience of sending, receiving and writing press releases – so please share away in the comments!

“Clara”

What are you selling?

A press release is all about selling your product or service and so you need to identify what you want the recipient to publicise. If you’re a new company it might be as simple as introducing yourself to their readers, if you’re more established you might want to publicise a new collection or product. Either way, you need to identify your unique selling point – what is the special thing that makes your photography business/latest headpiece stand out amongst all the other hundreds of people who are also photographers/ headpiece designers?

Who are you selling to?

Consider who your customers are – and what media they read. Once you know your market – for example budget, vintage, alternative, high end – you can start to identify which blogs/magazines/papers they are likely to read. If you’re selling low-budget products pick outlets that actively promote bargain buys. If you’re all about exclusive high-end products or services aim for titles that focus on luxury products.

READ the blog or magazine you plan to submit your release to to ensure that what you are sending has a chance of being featured – if the person you’re submitting to only ever features styled shoots and real weddings you’re wasting everyone’s time by sending them a release about your new collection of poetry-embossed wedding chair covers.

Continue reading

The Inspirations: Tattooist Mike Harris

in Green Room | Written by

I always loved sleeve tattoos on women, so when I finally got up the courage to get one done myself I really did my research to get the very best artist I could. Mike, and the London studio he was working in at the time, was recommended to me by a heavily inked friend when I said I was looking for a cartoony, colourful and fun design – nothing to serious, just like me I guess!

After spending 18 hours together I got to know Mike pretty well. I was surprised to find out he was so young but this along made me respect him even more. He is incredibly talented, devoted to his career and seriously inspirational. The perfect candidate for this week’s Inspirations interview if you ask me!

Mike tattooing me. You can see more photos as well as my “yeah right this doesn’t hurt” face, here Photography Credit: Al Overdrive

Hi Mike, can you introduce yourself to my readers?

Hello my name is Michael Harris I am a 25 year old Tattooer, husband-to-be and father to one amazing daughter. I have been tattooing for coming up to 5 years and I work at Churchyard Tattoo Studio in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

How and why did you get into tattooing?

I’ve been very much surrounded heavily by tattooed people since I was young. I was skateboarding at around 13 and going to hardcore punk shows around the same age. Both seem to be full of tattooed people so I was inspired by them for a long time. I’ve also been drawing all my life. Tattooing seems to be the only art form I can relate to.

What is it about tattooing that you love so much?

Just being able to do my own art everyday is amazing. I’m one of the few lucky people that make money from art. I love art in general anyway so there are a lot of reasons I love it.

Is tattooing a difficult industry to get into and do you have any advice for anyone wanting to do the same?

Nowadays it is ridiculously hard to get into. More and more people are tattooing badly from home and more and more people are becoming tattooers. I believe the only real advice I’d have is to hone your drawing skills and be the best at it you can be. If you cant draw really really well then there’s no point trying. Also remember its not about money in this industry!

Who are your biggest inspirations – within the tattooing community as well as outside it?

Tattooers like Tim Hendricks, Kyle Walker and Chad Koeplinger. In terms of other inspiration I’ve always been a massive Francis Bacon fan. Also Picasso and Van Gogh. I get a lot of inspiration from my daughter Evie and my partner. They are the reason I live and I love them so much.

Continue reading

Husband & Wife Teams and How to Make them Work

in Green Room | Written by

Last week I received the following email from Green Room reader Kristi,

“I would love to see a post about husband & wife teams (or working with your spouse/partner etc) but in a super honest way. I feel like all the husband & wife teams out there only talk about the good and not the real challenges.

I myself have always hated the phrase ‘husband & wife team’ because it makes it sound like we were matching jogging suits and finish each other’s sentences. When that is totally not us. We are more likely to argue about the shot one of us missed or the one of us choosing too many of our own photos etc. Please can you help?!

P.S Viva la Rock n Roll Bride!

Well Kristi that’s what I’m here for – and we all know I’m going to be as super honest as possible! As one half of an accidental husband & wife team (the initial plan for Rock n Roll Bride was never for us to work together) there have been a lot of steep learning curves that we’ve had to navigate along the way. We’ve had to make changes to how we live and work, mostly without any forward planning (I’m sure ‘proper’ business people are shuddering right now) but I do think we have somehow made it work. Like with anything business-related I think it’s very easy to look at other husband & wife combos and think they’ve got it made, when of course, deep down, we all know they’re only sharing the good stuff and keeping the real nitty gritty and blazing rows under wraps. It’s certainly not all high fives and long lunches in our house, but there are a few conscious decisions and changes that we’ve made along the way, all of which have made a huge difference to our work/life balance.

Be honest with each other, don’t be afraid to hurt the other person’s feelings but be respectful

This is a toughy because on one side you love this person more than life itself, but on the other they drive you crazy! And well all know this isn’t limited to the business side of a relationship either… Gareth & I aren’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination and we of course still have disagreements about the blog. However like in any relatiopnship (intimate or working) one of the fundamentals of making it work is communication, and when you are both lovers and business partners this is even more paramount.

Luckily we’ve always spent a lot of time together (before Rock n Roll Bride I worked night shifts at the shopping channel and Gareth ran his own IT business from home) so it’s never really been strange for us to be in each other’s pockets all hours of the day. However just being together is a very different matter to having to work together, and having to make decisions as one. Of course when it comes to disagreements each of us always thinks we’re the one in the right so how do we get to that happy place of being adult enough to listen to each others view point as well as getting our own ideas across?

I stole this quote from my new favourite book (seriously, have you bought it yet? It’s bloody brilliant!)

“If there is any one secret to success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own” – Henry Ford

Yes you have to be honest, but you also have to be respectful of the other person’s feelings. Instead of trying to push what you want onto the other person, approach the conversation in a way which encourages them to see your point of view as well as mentally preparing yourself to see theirs. It is only when you find this happy medium that you can respectfully make decisions together. For example (and yes this is another example stolen from Carnegie) if you had a child that started smoking, instead of scolding, preaching to them of the heath dangers and telling them to stop doing it because YOU said so, you might instead give reasons to stop that they can relate to i.e. if they continued to smoke they would never make the football team/boys wouldn’t want to kiss them/they would smell. There is no point preaching to someone about the dangers of smoking if they don’t themselves see a reason to change. In a nutshell you can’t force anyone to change their mind if your reasoning for them to do so is because of how it affects you (or the things you value), you would be better to put an opinion across in a way that taps into their sensibilities.

Have difficult discussions

This follows on from my previous point, but you really do have to address those niggling annoyances in order to move on and progress (in an honest, open but respectful way). Full disclosure: I don’t always get this right.

Continue reading

The Green Eyed Plateau-Puss // How to Overcome Inertia and Jealousy: A Guest Post by Amma of Beyond Beyond

in Green Room, Guest Posts | Written by

Hi, my name is Amma and I would like to confess that sometimes I have green eyes.  Yes, I know that biological anomaly that I, as a child of African parents could have emerald green peepers – but I’m talking about professional jealously and how you get over it.

As, some of you may or may not know – I still have a day job; as day jobs go mine is not half bad and given the state of female unemployment at present; I certainly know which side my bread is buttered; so I am more than happy to plod along – albeit sometimes sulkily as a 5-9er until I hit my professional tipping point.

Now, without getting into the nitty-gritty of it all – I had some personal stuff going on that really meant that despite streaking the sky like a comet when I first began my foray into business.  I got forced to slow down, in fact not just slow down – I had to hit the brakes and I experienced a mega slide into a career plateau.  Although, work requests and projects were coming in thick and fast, there was no way that I could take it on, and circumstance meant that ‘my stuff’, blogging, and the day became an all encompassing festival of woe.

Of course when you are feeling sorry for yourself – you can guarantee that one old friend who is going to show up to complete the guest list at your pity party is jealousy.  When you are going through crap, nothing warms your soul more than seeing your luminaries doing well.

You all started at the same time and you start saying to yourself when you see a write up, or a feature on a blog ‘That should be me!’, ‘I want to be at home with my cat acting as a foot warmer’, ‘I wish I could go to said party or event at midday, I don’t wanna work!’

Well, sorry kids – the bad news is that you have to build a bridge and get over it!  So, here are my top 5 tips for overcoming your jealousy and the dreaded career plateau.

The grass isn’t always greener, it is frequently covered in pesticides

The security of a day job means that I get a chance to be lazy.  If I waste my time at work; I am wasting my employer’s time. Those 4 hours spent playing bejewelled before getting on with my blog posts is all kinds of awesome!   However, being full time means that you have to be mega disciplined as freelancing means fluctuations in income.

In the space of a month, you might go from being the Louis Vuitton Don – to a Kafkaesque existence where subsist on cold baked beans eaten out of a tin by candlelight to save on the leccy.  In other words, working for yourself means you might on occasion vacillate between the abject joy of achievement (not to mention filthy lucre) and the terror of failure, worrying about where the money is coming from.

You also live in a land where holidays don’t really exist.  Trust me, while it may look glamorous – the hermit who lives in a hole in Blackheath has a more active social life than most freelancers.

Quit the navel gazing and do something

Anytime, I find myself wondering what other people are doing I pinch myself and look at what I’m doing.  ‘What is that Amma? Are you looking at lolcats or playing digital dress up on ASOS?’

Continue reading