Vickie Nickolls was working as a trend analyser for Lacoste when she fulfilled her lifelong dream of renovating her own family home. All those years spent perfecting the vision in her imagination paid off, because when Vickie uploaded a picture of her newly-renovated bathroom to Houzz—it quickly became one of the most-liked images on the platform!

Realising her love for design, and the fact she was pretty damn good at it, Vickie left her role at Lacoste to set up her design consultancy, Interior Therapy. She only had a makeshift portfolio but that didn't stop the commissions rolling in. In fact, 1 year in Vickie received the Best of Houzz Design award, and then again the next year—and again for 3 consecutive years after!

But for Vickie, design is about more than aesthetics and awards, it is about how her spaces make the client feel . "Interior Therapy" is a fitting title for the kind of dopamine-inducing clean lines and playful fabrics that define Vickie's work.

We spoke to Vickie about finding inspiration in unlikely places, the benefits of learning as you go and what it's like to see your toilet in a national newspaper!

Laying the foundations

I have always come from a creative background—materials and visuals have always interested me. I trained as a window dresser, but I never followed that path for various reasons and ended up in fashion—eventually a buyer. But the fundamentals of window dressing I still use in my job now: technical drawing, composition and choosing complementary colours.

The threads between fashion and interiors

Much of what I learned during my time in the fashion industry, I now use in my initial design process—like how colours work together in order to build a cohesive scheme and properties of materials. Staying on top of the new and up and coming trends for the season was, again, my job and in my work now it is about pulling out these elements and transferring them into a project.

At Lacoste, I was also heavily involved with branding and how our brand was perceived, that knowledge is now very useful for my own business—to ensure my social media platforms and website are all cohesive and on-brand.

I was starting a new career, one that was totally different to what I had done previously, and yet so many aspects crossed over. I had a good eye and knowledge of colour and materials through working in fashion. I often created mood boards for the design teams and had learnt a lot about placement, scale drawings and making things visually pleasing as a window dresser— all of this helped!

A childhood dream

It has always, weirdly, been my dream to buy a house and decorate it how I wanted. I always had clear ideas, so when we brought our first house we really put our stamp on it. Our second home was more of a project and I was on maternity leave at the time so really threw myself into it, learning so much along the way.

I just knew it was something I wanted to do full time or at least something that I could grow into a business.

Making dreams a reality

I enrolled in an online course with the British Academy of Interior Design whilst I was on my maternity leave and alongside this, I used my house and my friend's houses as my projects so that I could start to build a portfolio of my work and demonstrate my style. Once I had enough images, I set up my website, Instagram etc. and the rest is history!

I managed to get halfway through the course when work started to come in and I made the decision to work with actual clients rather than finish the course. There is a part of me that wishes I had finished the course but I learnt so much from being on-site. I have picked up smaller courses on specific areas throughout the past 8 years.

Hitting the heights of Houzz fame

When a bathroom I designed was showcased on Houzz's homepage, that was the starting point for me. It even got featured in the national paper! It was great press and still is. I got so much business via that image and still receive client questions about it! Or people send me images of their bathroom which they created to look the same—that's always nice to see!

Inspiration in unlikely places

I read a lot of magazines for inspiration, such as Living Etc and Elle Decor. I also refer to my bookshelves, I have lots of books on colour and how to use it, books on architecture and lighting. But I also find inspiration in travelling, visiting galleries and exhibitions and attending trade shows to gather knowledge of suppliers and build relationships with them.

You can literally gather inspiration from anywhere, usually unexpectedly. It may be the smallest detail that can somehow be transferred into a project or a colour combination you see on a different medium that can transfer into fabric choices or paint.

Colourful homes

Working closely with colour over the years has definitely made me more confident with bold colour choices and mixing patterns. I am very specific on using the correct colour and correct tone as, for me, it really does make all of the difference.

Obviously keeping an eye on colour trends is important but I ultimately I believe it's important to choose colours you like and make you happy, not just what is a current trend. The colour you choose for someone's home is so important and has to work with them as a homeowner and reflect their style too.

Modern medicine

I spent so much time thinking about the name as it had to be just right! Originally it was going to be 'House of Nickolls' then 'Graceful Home'—after my daughter, Grace. But then I Googled other meanings behind the word 'interior' and came across the idea of 'Interior Therapy'.

I do see my work as a form of therapy. My clients trust me to create a happy, functional and safe space for them—which can be amazing for their mindset.

Listening to our early adopter community

How can we spark creativity by helping you to make better sense of ideas you've already collected?
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Through countless interviews (we estimate we've had over 392!), our early adopter community made it crystal clear: colour is crucial to the workflow, yet often missing in tools they use. They want—perhaps even need—a way of working with colour that is intuitive, delightful and inspiring. Funded by a Future Fashion Factory grant, we embarked on an R&D project with Professor Stephen Westland and Dr Qianqian Pan of Leeds University. Our vision: make colour organisation, search and navigation better for the creative process.

Our immediate technical objective was to create a colour detection algorithm in Visualist that is accurate. "Accuracy" in this case means getting as close as possible to what a human would select as a colour palette. In particular, we needed to detect colours for the types of images that are most likely saved by our users. We streamlined our dataset to focus on 6 types of imagery:

• Full body
• Portrait
• Product
• Lifestyle
• Macro
• Abstract

Creating a more "accurate" colour detection tool would give us a foundation on which to build further features to execute our vision. We wanted to enable users to search with precision, help users to 'look' if they don't want to 'search', and let users see the links between everything in their library.

Building with your community isn't just user interviews and prototype testing

Our quest to develop our proprietary colour detection algorithm thus began...

... one that is accurate

... one that mimics the human eye (or brain)

... one that helps our community save time when creating

Our community of colour connoisseurs—designers and stylists, working in fashion, interiors, graphics—all have an eye for colour. We wondered: how could we utilise their collective colour knowledge (and intuition!) to help us to build, and improve, our colour detection algorithm?

The solution, conceived by our product designer, came up serendipitously during a Zoom conversation with our Leeds University collaborators. Enter Colour Swatch Fridays, an ongoing activity in which our community members sent us their colour palettes every week, based on images we've selected. We'd then compare these 'human swatches' against the 'AI swatches', and periodically tweak our algorithm to make it AHAP (as human as possible). Here's the catch: there was no fancy data collection site. Everything happened within Instagram.

Here’s our guide on finding ways to involve your community whilst building your product.

The dos and don'ts of involving your users

Asking your community for ongoing input isn't as daunting as you might think. If your early adopters know why something is fundamentally important to your product, they'll help. If the task appeals to their natural interests they'll be more likely to do it.

1. Meet them where they are

Where do your early adopters hang out? Are they on Slack, Reddit, Twitter or Instagram? For our community, Instagram was (is!) their natural habitat. Many are creative directors, interior designers, and personal stylists who are on Instagram to both enhance their personal branding and look for inspiration. So, we slid into their DMs. Every Friday for 13 weeks, we would send them a new message with their latest colour swatching tasks.

Think about where your users are and how you can meet them there. Choose the path of least resistance, always. Just because Slack is the "go-to" for many SaaS early communities doesn't mean it's the right place for you.

Tip: it helps to have already nurtured a 1:1 relationship. Our community knew us as people, not just a company—which brings us to the next point.

2. Introduce intimacy through voice

It's not just what you say, but how you say it. What that meant: it was important to be clear and concise, but it was even more important that our users knew whom they were doing this with. We were intentional early on about getting our community to feel like they knew us individually. That meant regular phone calls and DMs, which sparked familiarity, camaraderie, and also a sense that they were let in on what was happening behind the scenes.

We could have sent an email with clear instructions on what steps to take—but that wasn't us. For our instructions, I made a screen recording of myself demonstrating the colour swatch activity in Instagram whilst explaining what I was doing in a voiceover (even if I absolutely cringed when hearing it back). Colour Swatch Fridays were taking place when much of the world was in lockdown and introducing voice allowed me to not only make the instructions easy to understand, but also to feel more connected with our beta users. As a bonus, sending it as a voice note meant that we had to very concisely convey our instructions. This forces you to really distil down what the 'job to be done' is for the user, and not overwhelm them with the minutiae.

If you’re a brand that's building in public, don’t miss out on opportunities, big or small, that can strengthen your brand's personality or add a new dimension to who you are and what you're building. Find ways to communicate that reinforce your brand voice, be it product updates (check out Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri), behind-the-scenes content or an activity for your beta users.

3. Be consistent

Consistency creates rhythm. Rhythm establishes discipline, for us, and anticipation, by our users.

We sent our task out on Fridays and collected the results on Mondays. This worked for us because the responses could trickle in over the weekend, and users could colour swatch at whenever was convenient to them. We passed the results on to our Future Fashion Factory partners on Monday mornings and discussed the results on Tuesdays. Pick a schedule and stick to it. Let your community know what to expect. Give it a name like we did as it holds you accountable to stick to your schedule. Plus, Colour Swatch Fridays had a better ring to it than 'Weekly Colour Swatching'.

Consistency builds trust and shows respect for your community members' time.

4. ... but still provide novelty

We didn't send the same style of photo each week. We had 6 types of imagery we were testing, and so we mixed things up each time. Our community is one of aesthetes. Why not use the opportunity to delight them too?

We challenged them. Instead of just creating a colour palette, how about ranking them in terms of importance? We also intentionally chose some photos that we thought might be tricky to create a colour palette of five colours.

We surprised our community by using photos from their community in the activity.

Whilst consistency creates rhythm, it can also breed boredom or nonchalance. When an activity spans a longer time frame, think about how to maintain interest with little surprises—or challenges—every now and then.

5. Reward your community

Our early adopters were investing their time into our product. We needed to show our appreciation.

The major reward for our early adopters was in the future: a colour detection algorithm they could use seamlessly in their workflows. We weren't able to provide this straight away, as it took us six months to develop, test, iterate and launch. So, we decided to reward them by giving them unique merch designed by our team. We sent bundles of socks, pins and stickers that appealed to their creative identity.

6. Keep them in the loop

When building in and with the public, you want to be able to share the insights you're gathering in a way that's informative and fun.

We brainstormed ways to regularly share the results with our early adopters. We created mini-quizzes on Instagram stories and got them to guess which colour palettes were created by our AI and which ones were created by them (a Turing test, in technical parlance).

Think about ways you can show the results of your community's efforts. Share it with them at regular intervals. You may be surprised by what further dialogue it creates.

Tip: This is when good organisation helps. We stored all the results in our Google Drive, so we could easily pull the results for sharing.

7. Iterate

Designing community activities is no different to building a product. It’s important to test your assumptions and throw out anything that doesn't work.

We experimented with the time of day we sent out our message, the number of swatches we were getting our users to do, and even how we worded the instructions. The latter wasn't as crucial once our community got the hang of the task, but was particularly helpful for the new cohorts of 'colour swatchers' we roped in each week. In the beginning, our instructions were simple (or so we thought): create a colour palette from an image. We then tested a different set of instructions with another group: pick the dominant colours.

Continuously assess your process to find the most efficient way to build alongside your community, and remember not to get too attached to a particular way of doing things.

8. Keep it warm

Don’t treat building with your community activities as stand-alone events. Instead, think of it as part of a much bigger tapestry, interwoven with smaller and shorter types of engagement as well.

The nice thing about a weekly activity is that you’re slowly getting to know each member of the community. Each activity shared comes with a quick catch up message. You soon learn which weeks they were feeling productive, and which weeks simply sucked. You learnt which gigs they were going to and what their second or third jobs were like. An ongoing activity is a great jumping off-platform, so don't let these connections go cold. Whatever activity you design, remember to continue to check in and keep them onside.

9. Make it easy (and harmless) to say no

This sounds counter-intuitive, but quickly identify who's not interested (or not available) and let them opt out.

As the activity ran 13 weeks, we also collected data that could help us to see trends in one user's colour swatching activity across the weeks. But we also made it clear internally that this was a bonus, not a requirement. This meant that our fundamental research target of comparing human swatches vs AI swatches was never in jeopardy, even if we had dropouts along the way, as long as maintained our baseline target of the number of human swatches.

When involving the community in building, always be prepared that commitment levels can vary across the length of the experiment. It's thus important to mitigate any impact on your development objectives.

From a community perspective, figure out why someone's not interested, and weigh up the efficacy of re-engaging them in another activity. Was it the scope of the task or the timing? Or were they simply just not that into you?

10. Find ways for it to live on

What did your community like about the activity or process? Is there a thread that you can unravel that shows you new ways to keep them onboard with product building? Three things worked fundamentally well for us:

1. Quick: Thanks to Instagram, users could finish the task in minutes, not hours.
2. Fun: There was a light, gamified element to it.
3. Stimulating: But only just. It was thought-provoking, but not mentally taxing.

We parlayed these philosophies into our Instagram stories: polls and quizzes that appeal to the creative, that have them pause—just for a moment—to think about how they approach visuals.

What we'd do differently next time

Here are the things we'd do differently for our next community-building product activity:

1. Aim bigger. It was our first time involving the community, and so we started small: we only engaged with a handpicked group whom we thought were most likely to participate, and we tempered the request to a minimal amount. On hindsight, there was a lot of excitement from our users in being involved in Colour Swatch Fridays. We could have involved much more users, and (maybe!) asked them to do more watches each Friday.
2. Bring it to Reddit. We would have looked to Reddit to find our kindred community of colour lovers and introduced them to our mission. Who knows if we could have made a bigger impact, with more data collected and more early adopters? But we live and learn. Check out our newly launched subreddit here where we continue exploring the world of colour.

Conclusion

This was a surprisingly rewarding experiment for us. We started out with the objective of gaining data to build our colour detection algorithm. And we ended the process with a highly-engaged community who not only enjoy the rewards of what was built, but also experienced the inside track of co-building with us.

We received so much buy-in from our community during the 13 weeks.

When we told them that Colour Swatch Fridays were ending, it was a bittersweet moment.

But we were also delighted when our community began experiencing the auto-generated colour palettes on Visualist:

Here’s how you can start brainstorming ways to involve your community in unexpected avenues:

• What are your early adopters made up of: are they developers, designers, writers, photographers or fitness fanatics?
• What activities appeal to their natural interests?
• What data would enrich your product, making it even more efficient?

Once you’ve designed an activity, the rest is simple: meet them where they are, remove all barriers, reward them generously and treat it like a series of experiments to see what works. Good luck!

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To learn more about our Future Fashion Factory project, read Cherie's interview here.

As an event and wedding stylist, social media is your greatest tool. We hear a lot about how to craft an Instagram feed that stands out from the crowd and attracts real clients, but let's face it—Instagram is getting a little crowded in the wedding pros department! If you're an event and wedding stylist looking for an alternative to Instagram, it's time to think a little bit more outside the box: Reddit. Reddit? How does that relate to marketing for wedding planners? But this alternative social media platform is an underrated gem for conducting market research and generating new client leads.

What is Reddit, anyways?

For those unfamiliar with the site, Reddit is comprised almost entirely of user-generated content. Users can create posts with written content, links, or images and content is categorised into subreddits. Subreddits—your new marketing secret weapon.

How Reddit can help you as a wedding planner

Joining subreddits is a great way to connect with your ideal client. Where better to source feedback and new ideas than your precise target market? Think of it like you’re going undercover (without the need to be sneaky!) Typically these subreddits are filled with friendly and helpful individuals who can also offer sound advice. Don't spam pages with self-promotion but be upfront about your profession as an event and wedding stylist. Ask for opinions, collect feedback on new business ideas or assets, and offer advice to those asking for it—everyone appreciates the wise words of an expert.

How to find your wedding community on Reddit

Finding your respective community on Reddit is a lot easier than you think. The website’s interface is relatively easy to navigate. Start by searching for keywords related to your industry, for example, "wedding". You'll be met with a list of posts and communities containing that keyword. Spend some time browsing each subreddit to get a feel for the community. Before joining a subreddit, you should take a look at the number of active users and the frequency of posts published on it. Some subreddits have been idle for some time meaning the posts there are probably outdated, which is something to be wary of. However, there’s no harm in diving deeper into these subreddits as they could still be a goldmine of consumer feedback.

Best Subreddits for Event & Wedding Stylists

Feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin? We’ve got you covered! Here are five subreddits to use as a starting point...

• r/Wedding. One of the most active wedding-related subreddits. Users come here to share experiences, detail their plans, or ask questions.
• r/WeddingPlanning. Newly engaged couples visit this sub to seek advice from other members. As a professional, offering friendly advice to those who need it could open up lots of opportunities for new client relationships. You can also use common questions and answers to better inform the services you offer your clients.
• r/WeddingSolutions. Locations, catering, entertainment—this subreddit covers all the fundamentals of wedding planning. Read regularly to stay ahead of the game with what is trending.
• r/BudgetWeddings. Lots of clients want their dream wedding without breaking their budget, can you turn that dream into reality? Also, a treasure trove for budget-friendly planning ideas that you can relay to your clients.
• r/WeddingsUnder10k. This is another great community that shares money-saving tips for weddings–specifically under $10,000. Weddings don’t need to be costly for them to look good! You just need to know how to lay down the right cards, and this subreddit will show you how.

Curiosity fuels creativity. The side effects of curiosity, enhanced observation, deep thought and excessive questioning, are all building blocks for creative innovation—Einstein even credited his genius to "passionate curiosity". But the curious mind's incessant hunt for satisfaction has its dangers. Curiosity didn't kill the cat, information overload did. Excessive podcast plays and endless scrolls frustrate, confuse and ultimately take a toll on productivity. Newsletters are an antidote to infoxication. Delivered direct to your inbox and pre-filtered to ensure quality, newsletters allow creatives to spend less time searching and more time, well, creating. Feed a curious mind, without the junk, by subscribing to these newsletters...

Superorganizers

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Dan Shipper wanted to build a productivity software company and so to start, he created a newsletter. Turns out, that newsletter was a big success! Dan adjusted his focus and is now CEO of Every—a bundle of weekly writings from radical thinkers. Our favourite: Superorganizers.

Subject

A productivity power pack. Dan Shipper offers the inside scoop on "how smart people organise what they know" via interviews with some of the worlds most efficient minds.

From the archives

Simon Eskildsen is the definition of erudite. His awe-inspiring approach to learning will leave you with the urge to re-read everything you've ever read. But this time, read it like Simon!

The Art of Noticing

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Rob Walker wants to open your eyes to the benefits, but more so the joys, of observation. His newsletter is the addendum to his acclaimed book named, you guessed it, The Art of Noticing.

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"It's for people who want to stay interested in life." Lessons in appreciating the "overlooked and underrated". Monday evening sees the arrival of a 'prompt' in your inbox—an activity to trial in aid of improving the way you interact with the world.

From the archives

In a world where search engines have superseded conversation, Walker makes the outlandish suggestion that instead of 'Googling' you could try asking a human!‍

Creativerly

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Philipp Temmel—digital product designer by day, creative newsletter curator by night. Creativerly was born out of Phillip's generous desire to "share experiences and findings with fellow creative minds".

Subject

A comprehensive guide to building your productivity toolkit, accompanied by Phillip's insightful learnings from across design and tech. A real treasure trove for new-app fanatics.

From the archives

Slow and steady wins the race. Reclaim control with productivity tools that champion order and serenity.

Brain Food

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Spy turned Wall Street sweetheart (no, seriously), Shane Parrish. Shane takes the findings of doyens past and turns them into actionable insights for his readers. Unsurprisingly, his straight-talking approach quickly proved a hit with big-time financiers.

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Brain food supports a simple objective: "Go to bed smarter than when you woke up." Bite-size wisdom curated from great minds across eras and industries.

From the archives

Brain Food's teaser offers a definitive way to differentiate between intellect and wisdom: "The curse of knowledge is that it closes your mind to what you don’t know. Good judgment depends on having the skill— and the will— to open your mind."

Subscribing to this newsletter is a great way to start...

Dense Discovery

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Kai Brach launched his newsletter in 2015. A few re-brands later it has come to be known as Dense Discovery. When not busy compiling his weekly insights he advocates for sustainability and the protection of our natural world.

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Thought-provoking stimuli, need-to-know developments and interesting accessories—a help-sheet for the insatiably curious. A seasoned Dense Discovery reader is sure to make a great dinner party guest.

From the archives

After all this new knowledge acquisition, it may be useful to practice some humility. This thought-provoking edition explores how we measure intelligence and in doing so, questions humanities superiority complex.

Eager to subscribe? 5 Newsletters for Entrepreneurs

1. Superorganizer
2. Art of Noticing
3. Creativerly
   
4. Brain Food
5. Dense Discovery

I first heard the term 'creative compost heap' from Neil Gaiman during his Masterclass on writing fiction. He was discussing his creative process—how he comes up with story ideas, and what happens to The Ideas That Time Forgot. I loved it so much that I ran with it, and have been using it since—not just for writing, either, but for all of my creative pursuits.

The compost heap is where you throw your ideas—any and all of them. For me, it's mostly my notebook. I write down every idea that I have (I tend to have a different notebook for each project I'm working on), no matter how small, and I let them mulch down. I don't try to remember them, and I certainly don't try to use them all—I just leave them. Soon enough, they start to transform. They pop back into my mind, mixed and combined with all of the other ideas, to form something new, something innovative, something exciting. That's a creative compost heap.

How your 'creative compost heap' can boost your creativity

We know that memory is imperative to creativity and that taking notes helps us to remember—so what better way to develop our creativity than writing all of our ideas down (or, perhaps even better, doodling them). Using this method, we can recycle our ideas—no matter how significant—and use the discarded scraps to generate new ones.

Many creatives—authors especially—have little idea where their ideas come from (a common joke being 'the ideas shop'—if only), but many attribute their ideas to confluence—that is, two, previously unrelated ideas coming together. If that's the case, then we, attempting to up our creativity (and generate multitudes of ideas in the process), should deign to become veritable collectors of ideas—keeping them not in our active mind, but in our subconscious, where the waves of our imagination can allow them to clash and bump together, forming something new entirely. We just have to be patient.

The compost heap technique can be used by all creatives—writers and non-writers alike, and it can generate more than just creative writing ideas. For visual creatives, your compost heap could be a scrapbook—a collection of interesting ideas, doodles, shreds of materials, colours. You could even go digital, but that's a topic for another blog post.

Creating daily is a key part of creative life—and whilst having a daily sketchbook can put pressure on ourselves (a detriment to creativity), a compost heap is a wonderful place to sketch pressure-free, aiding your idea generation and visual confluence all the while.

How to build a compost heap

Whilst developing your creative compost heap is rather simple, like any creative habit, it can take some time to get accustomed to. The route that worked for me was keeping a notepad and pen on me at all times (I keep a notebook by my bed and a miniature one in my pocket!). Whenever I have an idea—no matter how small or inconsequential I think it is—I write it down.

Your notes don't have to be detailed or neat, either—the goal of the compost heap isn't to refer back to it but to provide a place to discard ideas so that they can exit from our active mind into our subconscious and mulch down into something new. Of course, if you're curious you can always have a look back—just be sure not to make a habit out of it!

Habits—creative habits, especially—can be difficult to start, let alone maintain. Here are our top tips to ensure that the process is as painless—and as sustainable—as possible. (Excuse the puns...)

Get a good compost bin

In our case, our compost bin is more of a notepad or sketchbook—but this advice still applies! Though it's not strictly necessary, it can definitely help—having a notepad and pen that feels nice to doodle in and write with encourages us to use it more, making our habit that much easier to develop.

Throw in everything you can—especially scraps

Perhaps the hardest part is remembering to throw in everything you can whilst the idea is still fresh. This includes quotes, half-finished sentences, inspiring images, news stories, paragraphs—anything you like!

Let the worms do their thing

A common adage in composting is 'let the worms work'—we want to do the same thing. Generating ideas using our compost heap is passive—it will happen without us thinking about it and aid us in coming up with more ideas in the long term. Attempting to force ideas out or put too much pressure on ourselves will hinder the process, and leave us frustrated and uninspired.

Avoid perfectionism

This is one of the pitfalls that I often stumble into. The idea of the compost heap isn't perfection (I'm not sure that compost can even be perfect), and the things we throw in there don't have to be ground-breaking (or, even, 'good'). The inverse of this is true, too: we don't want to be avoiding throwing ideas into the compost heap because we feel that they're too good. Whilst Stephen King famously doesn't keep a notebook (and believes that an idea, if good enough, will not be forgotten), we can't all be Stephen King—and we can all be susceptible to lapses in memory. So why not write every idea down? Some of them might be keepers.

The results

Ultimately, the goal of our compost heap is confluence—helping our ideas to bump into other ideas and create something great. Writing things down, drawing, and doodling is a passive technique to keep them in our heads for longer. Though we may use other techniques alongside it, in the end, every adept gardener (or creative) should have a compost heap—and, perhaps, one day, you'll wake up to find that your discarded scraps have turned into brown, earthy gold.

A regular feature in the pages of Vogue, Alice Wilkes designs weddings akin to those in fairytales. Alice marries seamless planning with boundary-pushing design to provide her clients with the big day they've always dreamed of. Alice's fantastical creations have also set the backdrop for industry events hosted by Maison Margiela, Pandora and Valentino.

Alice offers a "peak behind the curtain" of her process with the help of an infamous wedding day tradition...

Something Old

I am completely satisfied when I see the vision and the hard work from the last few years of planning come to life in real-time. It is great to see the delivery of the amazing designs we have been conceptualising from the start. I always find that taking some time to digest the day after, before moving on to the next project, is invaluable. It not only helps with the planning for the next wedding but is a great motivator for myself and my team.

Something New

I pride myself on being a flexible planner and for me, the most important element with new clients is understanding how they work and how much communication they require. I can then implement their preferences in an effective manner.

I start by asking my clients to send inspiration imagery to show designs they like via cuttings from magazines, Instagram and, of course, Pinterest. Each couple has their own way of archiving and storing their dream wedding so it’s up to me to draw that out of them. How much I encourage them really does depend on the client though.

I also need to understand how important the overall aesthetic and the details are to my couples—are they really invested in a beautiful photographer to capture the editorial shots? What’s important to them as a couple to ensure we’re a good fit?  Do they care about the detail? That’s what truly helps me to understand my couple.

Something Borrowed

As a wedding designer and given my passion for creativity, I draw inspiration from everywhere. From a film to a piece of music through to a place I’ve visited. Being inspired by the actual location and using the ingredients of the surroundings and weaving them into the actual wedding is a magical feeling.

As we move into 2023, we are noticing more and more couples focusing on dramatic and incredible table scaping. It’s all about the detail and ensuring elements such as layering, vibrant colours and bespoke touches are seen across the table. We are also noticing couples are far more concerned with ensuring their guests come away from their wedding feeling special and unique with couples looking at items such as hand-drawn table placing, handmade tapestries and artwork produced on the day.

Something Blue

The colour is the starting point for a client—what excites them? Most couples do have an idea of a certain hue they want to be seen at the wedding–it’s then about me ensuring they know that colour can and will dictate most of the other design elements.

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Visit Alice Wilkes' website here, or browse an archive of her work on Instagram.

Have you ever felt that you’re all out of ideas? Drained, tired, feeling like the inspiration just isn’t there? This can be a natural part of being a creative, and we’ve all experienced it from time to time. If it continues for long enough, though, it can become a problem—then, it transforms from a creative lull to something much more sinister: creative burnout.

Whilst burnout can affect all workers, it’s particularly prevalent for creatives. Luckily, there are measures we can take to prevent our creative thoughts from turning sour or running dry: self-care. We spoke to five incredible creatives: from designers to poets to CEOs, with a focus on their self-care routines and rituals. We’re here to share the tips, tricks, and strategies that keep their creativity on track.

The 3 signs of creative burnout

We all know the feeling of being in the ‘zone’ when our creative ideas are flooding out, seemingly endless—it’s even a proven scientific phenomenon. Some days, though, the creative ideas just don’t come, the inspiration isn’t there, and we take a rest. Creative burnout is when, for whatever reason, the flow of ideas grinds to a halt, and doesn’t return—despite our wishes. Suddenly, our torrent of creativity shuts off. It can cause a feeling of tiredness, exhaustion, or even frustration at ourselves—it’s as if we can’t “think straight”.

But how do we tell if this is a normal ‘rest phase’, or something bigger? Much like we all have our unique creative processes, the same is true for burnout—the signs, symptoms and experiences of each person are unique. Still, some signs are ubiquitous—and they’re more common than you may think:

• Self-doubt. As creatives, we all experience self-doubt—sometimes, even, the infamous imposter syndrome—but if this lingers, it can be a sure-fire sign that we're feeling fatigued. We could be questioning whether we’re really good enough, or comparing ourselves to our co-workers.
• Creative block. This one makes the self-doubt that worse—what could be more validating to our innermost doubts than feeling that we’re all out of ideas, too? Creative block is characterised as a period of drought in our creativity—the ideas just aren’t flowing, or at least, not as liberally as we’d like them to.
• Procrastination. We all procrastinate sometimes—but when we find ourselves doing it habitually, especially for tasks that we used to enjoy, that becomes a problem. And a tell-tale sign. How can we get our creative juices flowing again if we don’t feel motivated?

The 'what' and 'why' of self-care for creatives

What is self-care?

Self-care is the processes, routines and rituals we have in place to ensure that we maintain our personal health—or, as mental health advocate, CEO and ampersander Poppy Jaman OBE puts it, our ‘wellbeing toolkit'. It’s the weekly trips to the museum, the night-time mellow tunes, the early morning jog—anything that relaxes us, allows us to rewind, and take care of ourselves.

Why is self-care important?

Self-care has a multitude of benefits—including improved productivity and focus, reduced stress, and even improved physical health. Crucially, for creatives, these are all ways of freeing our minds and fostering creativity. It can prevent us from overworking ourselves, piling on too much stress in our daily lives, and stretching ourselves too thin—leaving no time for us.

Self-care tips from creatives, for creatives

The how of caring for ourselves can be easier than we think, and it doesn’t have to eat huge swaths out of our days. Learn how five fellow creatives recharge their creativity.

Recognise your stress signals

For Poppy Jaman OBE, the best self-care is proactive. She practises recognising her early warning signs—her ‘stress signals’—that indicate when it’s time to pull out the wellbeing toolkit. Your stress signatures are unique to you and they will typically be behavioural, emotional, and physical things. Those stress signals differ for everyone: it could be a lack of motivation or a feeling of irritability. It takes time to recognise these signals, but when that realisation comes, it pays dividends, providing us with an early-warning system for preventing burnout.

For Poppy, it's a physical symptom: jaw ache. When Poppy recognises those signs, she takes quick action to look after herself—her ‘care list’ includes yoga and cold-water swimming, the latter of which provides her with an energy boost that can last for days.

Aaina Sharma is another ampersander who uses stress signals to take note of her mental health. If Aaina is lacking inspiration—not feeling like taking pictures during her daily walk, or procrastinating during work—for multiple days in a row, she knows that something is wrong, and it's time for a break. Aaina explains, "Most days, I’ll make my to-do list and drop my son off at nursery in the morning. That walk is my indicator of whether or not I feel energised."

Practise mindfulness

Mindfulness—characterised as being fully present and aware of what’s happening around us—is a recurring theme when it comes to combatting burnout. Mindfulness can help us to keep in touch with our feelings, mental health and needs. Zaffrin O'Sullivan practises mindfulness through beekeeping—a practice that has taught her to remain in the moment, and learn to be still. "[The bees] taught me to stop and look at the flowers. They’ve taught me how to be still, how to hold this moment and be in a moment.

Block out time for yourself

It can be easy to get overwhelmed sometimes, and that’s a sure-fire way to start feeling burnt out. Ariel Norling prescribes setting designated times and days for tasks—not only for work but for self-love, too.

Having these set times not only makes Ariel more productive, but alleviates feelings of guilt on her off-days, and gives her permission to spend the day on herself. "Without any guardrails on that, I'd just feel that I should be writing and researching all the time. That guilt would really start to bring me down."

Spend time alone (or don’t!)

For Mona Arshi, having time to be alone is an important part of her wellness routine—giving her time to be comfortable in her own body and mind.

The opposite is true for Terumi Murao—for Terumi, the power of community is healing. "It’s very nurturing to spend time with people that make you feel good, that share values and that validate who you are."

Get physical

Exercise and eating well are huge parts of a self-care routine. For Sara Shah, dance is more than just a way of maintaining health and exercising—it helps her to feel rejuvenated and energised. At the end of a long day, she comes home to dance with her daughter, helping her to unwind and relax.

In Sara's words, "I think dance has healing powers. If I'm having a stressful day, I just put on my favourite song and dance in my living room with my daughter."

Try, test and explore

Ultimately, we don’t know what works for us until we’ve tried it. There are multitudes of different techniques to try—the ones that we’ve suggested are just a start. Whatever our methods are, though, taking time for ourselves is imperative to the creative process. It prevents creative burnout, helps to foster our best ideas and, most importantly, helps us to be our best selves. No matter how busy we are, we can all try to fit a bit of self-care into our schedules—and the results will pay dividends.

It's no secret: we love colour here at Visualist. And so does Stephen Westland. Steve is a big believer in the power of creativity. He's a drummer, writer, podcaster—and a colour scientist. Steve is Professor of Colour Science at the School of Design at the University of Leeds and has worked with companies like AkzoNobel (the owner of Dulux paint) and Colgate (the toothpaste company). His colour research spans many disciplines, from design and fashion to artificial intelligence and machine learning. In one recent article, Steve and his research fellow explored whether the colours in your home could make you happy. These days, Steve is also knee-deep in running his own startup, Colour Intelligence, which works with colour trend reporting in the fashion industry.

Our team had the golden opportunity to work with Steve and his PhD students to develop Visualist's proprietary colour detection algorithm, thanks to a Future Fashion Factory grant (more on this to come). After months of emails and video calls about K-means, Delta E (colour difference), and RGB codes, we caught up over email to chat about creativity and—of course—colour.

On specialising in colour research

I started with a degree in colour chemistry. Later, I moved into colour physics, colour engineering, colour neuroscience and colour design. For me, colour is such an inherently multi-disciplinary topic; people approach colour from all sorts of starting points but quickly realise that they need to stretch themselves beyond their starting point if they are to really understand colour.

On the intersection between science and art

More than half of my research is in the field of design. I really enjoy working at the interface between science and art or the interface between science and design because that is where you will find colour. The cross-disciplinary nature is the very thing that makes colour research so interesting. At my core, I am a scientist. However, how wonderful it is to work in a School of Design and be surrounded by creative people and the beautiful creative things that they produce.

On the 'colour' black

The question I get asked most often is: is black a colour? I have been engaging with the public for a very long time and I enjoy trying to answer questions that people have. In the 90s this was through something called FAQs; in the last couple of decades this was through blogs; and now, through podcasts. But the question about whether black is a colour keeps coming up.

So—is it? I define colour as a perception and I don't really discriminate between red, blue, white or black. So black is a colour; albeit one that has no chroma.

On dispelling colour myths

There is a long list of common misconceptions about colours. The big one is the idea that you can start with three colour primaries and mix them together to make all other colours. You cannot. You can make all hues but not all colours. Despite the fact that this has been known for at least 100 years, the misconception continues to be taught to pre-school children, to children at junior and secondary school, and even at universities. I am involved in a project called Colour Literacy to try to correct this.

On his favourite colour

I would say red's my favourite colour, though I also love pink and yellow. It’s quite unusual because if you ask people what their favourite colour is, the vast majority say a cool colour such as blue or green. However, I really like bright warm colours. The latest theory about colour preference is that people tend to like colours that remind them of things that they like. I am a huge supporter of Manchester United. Is that partly because they play in red? Or, do I like red so much because I like Manchester United? I don’t know.

On colourful socks

Before COVID, I used to mainly wear navy blue socks. But for some reason, I have started wearing really brightly coloured socks. My colourful socks are the most colourful thing in my home.

On his typical workday

I don’t do anywhere near as much teaching as people might think—I probably do less than one lecture a week. I mainly undertake research. I have a large number of PhD students in my group and I also have several research assistants working on industrially funded projects. It’s not uncommon for my day to consist of meetings from 9-5. These are meetings with PhD students, with the companies with whom we are working and with colleagues. However, the days I like best are when there is time for me to actually do some hands-on colour research. I really enjoy writing code. I enjoy it in the same way that, perhaps, other people might enjoy completing a crossword or a sudoku puzzle. It's challenging, but you know that all the solutions are there if you look hard enough.

The other thing worth noting is that colour affects so many industries that you never know when the next opportunity is going to come along; this could be an enquiry from a design company, a food manufacturer, a fashion company, an automotive company or even a tech startup. I like that unpredictability.

On winding down

Because teaching doesn’t really dominate my day-to-day job, the end of the semester or the non-teaching time (such as the summer) is not really very different to me than the teaching period. But I try to do other recreational things as often as I can. In addition to my drumming and writing, I play chess pretty much every day and I love watching movies or, more recently, the big Netflix shows such as Squid Games and The Queen’s Gambit.

On working with Visualist

The ideas I have about colour are somewhat disruptive. Although I do work with some very large companies, I was very excited to have the opportunity to work with Visualist because, from the first moment, I realised you shared my passion for colour and had aspirations to do things differently in a way that can bring about real change. I find working with smaller startups to be particularly exciting because you often have the drive and agility to make things happen.

On running a startup

Surprisingly, being an academic is not totally unlike running a small company, so it’s not as big a step as you might think. As an academic, I have a small team of staff I employ. I need to worry about how to ensure I obtain new research contracts to continue their employment in the future. I need to think about how to attract and retain talented staff. I need to worry about all of the things I need to pay the University for in order to carry out my research and keep things going. However, there are things I would like to do, to ensure that the ideas that I have generate the maximum impact, that don’t easily fit into the framework of how a university works. That is why I formed Colour Intelligence earlier this year. It’s not the first time I have run a small company. I also ran a colour company from about 1994 to 2006.

On drumming

In my spare time, I am a drummer in a covers band. We play a range of music from the 60s right up to stuff which is in the charts now. I guess being a professor is quite an intellectual process and then drumming is almost the opposite. Drummers are often the butt of jokes within a band. The drummer is often thought to be the stupid one; when the rest of the band are talking about which key they should play the next track in, the drummer is just thinking about what to have for dinner tomorrow. But it is the physical act of playing the drums that gives me the greatest pleasure. It couldn’t be more different to my day job.

On writing fiction

I also love writing fiction and I have published a number of books, mainly consisting of flash fiction (which is the idea of writing a story in a relatively few words). The older I become, the more important it is to me to be creative. I think it's about attitude, to be honest. Over the years, I have become more interested in my creative side and more confident in exploring it. Activities such as writing fiction or designing book covers are things I didn't think I would be any good at when I was younger. But now I have the confidence to try at least. For me, creativity is about expressing your personality. In science, the idea is that when you analyse data it shouldn't really matter who does the analysis—the outcome should be the same. But for some other activities, the outcome depends entirely on the person doing it.

On the colour of creativity

Purple.

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Edith Head once said, "You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it." If only it were that simple! Unfortunately, building a career in fashion is a little more complicated than slipping on your favourite outfit and strutting right on into Vogue's head office.

Although, that does sound like something Stephanie Irwin might try! Stephanie Irwin is a product designer at Farfetch and attributes her fashion career to the times she has edged out of her comfort zone and looked at things from a different perspective. Stephanie joined Visualist for a chat about her own progression in the fashion industry, and the advice she'd give those hoping to do the same.

Develop a creative identity

We're not talking about devising a one-word moniker for you to go by or trademarking a shade of red. A creative identity is a consistent sense of self, evident throughout your work. Begin defining your style by answering these questions:

• How is this me?
• What do I like visually (colours, textures, era)?
• What am I trying to communicate?
• How do I want to be perceived?

In the fashion world, you'll be inundated with new influences, new ideas and new working styles. Be attentive and ready to learn, but be sure to put your own stamp on things. Stephanie has spent years refining her tastes and preferences, but the process is infinite. Here's how to get started:

• Immerse yourself in culture and the arts. Drink up as much as you can to accrue a broad bank of references and interests.
• Ask critical questions about what you're consuming. It's all well and good saying 'I like that', but always ask yourself why. How can your conclusions inform your own work?
• Know what you stand for. Think about your core values and create work that honours those. Everything you create can be interpreted as a statement.

Individuality is your asset. Authenticity and originality in your work will serve you well.

Cast your net wide

It is easy to become obsessed with the glamour of the industry but the fashion industry is far more multi-faceted than the front-row of stylists, editors and designers. Explore the many roles on offer in the industry and pinpoint where you may excel. You can be an iOS engineer at a fashion company, a user researcher, or someone who writes copy for e-commerce and product descriptions.

Stephanie reflects on the two-step process that helped her find her place in the industry: first, find out what you're good at. Make a list of areas you excel in and special skills you possess, cross-check them with people you're close to—they may have new ideas to add. Once you're confident in your strengths, seize opportunities that allow you to combine those talents with your passion for fashion. Search for companies where your interests and assets can intersect. Connect with them on LinkedIn. Attend events, courses, engage in conversations—be open-minded and explore lots of different avenues.

Stephanie is more than familiar with the anxieties of not knowing your place in the industry. "I always knew I wanted to work in the industry, but I had this frustration because I felt like I could never find my place." However, Stephanie is now thankful for the time spent exploring her options. Entry level roles in fashion are becoming broader, demanding an increasingly varied skillset and extensive knowledge of the industry as a whole—the more experience, the better.

Optimise your internships

Fashion internships are a case of trial and, quite possibly, error. Use them to gain insight, network and trial areas of interest. Stephanie explains, "The purpose of an internship is to see if it's a job that you'd absolutely hate." After interning, always reflect on your experience:

• What did you like/dislike? Make sure you distinguish between the role itself and the working environment.
• Where did you excel? Acknowledge what you did well—how can you capitalise on these strengths? Identify areas that require improvement—how can you improve? Think online courses, extended reading etc.
• What else would you like to try? Were there areas you dabbled in but would like to explore further? Did you notice a branch of the company that you'd be interested in learning more about?

If you're trying to break into fashion, internships may seem like the holy grail. But we encourage you to know your worth and approach with caution. As Stephanie astutely notes, it costs you money to work for free. One of Stephanie's side projects, 'Your Fashion Career', is a platform dedicated to empowering interns and creating conversations surrounding the controversial 'unpaid internship'. Stephanie's thoughts: "People should pay you for your time. That's my controversial hot take!"

All that said, internships are not the be-all and end-all these days. Create your own opportunities for learning and networking. Whether it's a podcast, blog or Twitter account, build your own platform to demonstrate your personality and passion.

You are more than your CV

Sure, a killer portfolio will put you in the race, but it won't carry you over the finish line. Employers need to know that you're their type off paper too. Stephanie's trick for standing out from the crowd? Tell a good story. "Go to art galleries, theatres and busy cafes. Go to events and start a conversation with the person next to you. I know it's scary and awkward but that's where you find your stories." Practical experience is essential, but character speaks volumes. You want to build a biography that cannot be summed up in bullet points.

Don't count yourself out of an opportunity because you lack experience. Focus on what you as an individual can bring to the table. Often young people, especially women, shy away from opportunities because they don't check every single requirement listed on the job description. But Stephanie has a solution. "When I doubt myself or wonder whether to apply for something that is perhaps a stretch of my capabilities, I think: What would I do if I were a man? Usually, I end up applying."

Learn to love networking

"I was told by someone in my life that I would never get a job as 'I didn't know anyone'. It was disheartening but I thought, well, how can I change that?" Stephanie acknowledges that we may not all have industry connections, but is quick to clarify that that doesn't mean the door is completely closed.

Many of Stephanie's greatest career moves have arisen from cold emails, she has always operated on the 'don't ask, don't get' philosophy.Thankfully, it is easier than ever to contact industry insiders but, unfortunately, that probably means your contact has an inbox inundated with similar requests. Stephanie shares her tips on crafting a cold email that won't end up in the bin...

To whom it may concern

• Address them personally. Greet them by name. Do not send the same email to everyone in the office.
• Don't be generic. What did you think about their most recent project? Do you have a shared interest? Reference it. Prove you have done your research and make it clear this is not a copy-and-paste job.
• Choose wisely. Stephanie advises looking for someone who is high up enough to have influence, but also low down enough to actually reply!

Do

• Go with intent. A clear call to action is a must. Be upfront with what you're asking for.
• Keep it clean. Format your email well: use bullet points, clear spacing and appropriate paragraphing. Make it nice to look at and easy to read.
• Remember you're asking for a favour. Be polite, respectful and make your request as convenient for them as possible.

Do not

• Feign humility. Now is not the time for modesty! You need to prove your worth, explain why they should take you seriously and how you/your service will benefit them.
• Leave them guessing. Ensure these questions are answered: Who are you? Why are you contacting them? Why should they bother listening?

Keep in touch

• Build a relationship. Follow them and their work and engage with conversations they may start online.
• Share your work. Let them know how you are progressing, inform them of upcoming projects, invite them to events, remind them that you are driven and engaged.

The bottom line

Turns out, it's not what you know or whom you know! It is what you want to achieve, how you present yourself, what you have done and who knows you. Lay strong foundations for your career in the fashion industry with a good work ethic, genuine passion and confident demeanour.

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Find and connect with Stephanie Irwin on Instagram and LinkedIn

Here at Visualist, we use lo-fi to re-energise, increase focus and remind ourselves of all the internal tools that enhance our creative flow. Lo-fi music is proven to aid focus and enhance creativity, making it the perfect soundtrack to your creative work. Tune in for an insight into our favourite lo-fi creators and curators.‍

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Garbeo by Made in M

Made in M spent a day intentionally lost in Berlin, trying out his friend's new film camera. The resulting, rambling footage inspired the transportive sounds that came to be known as 'Garbeo'—a colloquial Spanish term referring to a short stroll.

Why we listen

With sounds of city life playfully littered between rambling keys and bluesy trumpets, Garbeo is an invitation into an undiscovered city. You're escorted down forgotten alleys and through bustling market crowds. Before you know it, you're laughing and drinking with the locals in a shabby backstreet bar.

Listen out for

Olhos. The perfect soundtrack to a wandering mind.

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Today Feels Like Everyday by Mama Aiuto

Ongoing isolation may have left you struggling to pinpoint when—or where—one day ended and another began. For those feeling drained and disorientated, Mama Aiuto provides a gentle, fleeting reminder of the beauty in the mundane.

Why we listen

Steady beats and familiar rhythms somehow combine with an impalpable twist. We tune in to shake up our perspective, put on our rose-tinted glasses and remind ourselves of all the little things that bring us joy.

Listen out for

Lax Incense. An opportunity to reflect on micro-pleasures present in everyday life, such as the sweet smell of incense.

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Ghosts Of The Floating World by Kalaido

Kalaido narrates a tale of spirits, divine beings and faraway lands, reminiscent of your favourite bedtime story.

Why we listen

Hypnotic melodies, juxtaposed with omnidirectional cosmic chimes, help our imaginations run wild. Think unexplained oddities in unexplored lands. Ever wondered what a lucid dream feels like? This might come close.

Listen out for

One Summer Afternoon. Spritely and enchanting sounds to appease the child at heart.

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Wild Mint Infusion curated by Visualist

The Visualist team concocted this herbal remedy to cure creative stagnation. Akin to the sharp awakening of an extra-strong mint!

Why we listen

We may be biased, but this skilful blend of restorative soul, infused with funky jazz, is guaranteed to keep you on your toes. This mix is pumped through the office as a mid-week refresher or called upon in times of inspiration drought. This is Team V's tried and tested pick-me-up!

Listen out for

Most Really Pretty Girls Have Really Ugly Feet. We cannot confirm or deny this strange theory, but regardless this tune is sure to bring your ideas to life.

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Falling by Kudasaibeats

A sincere recount of falling in and out of love... Join Kudasai on the all too familiar rollercoaster. Warning: may cause tears.

Why we listen

Heavy bass lines mirror fluttering hearts and leave us thinking of them—and all their charming imperfections.  At Visualist, we believe that whatever you're working on, it should come from the heart.

Listen out for

'A Night Together'. Lose yourself in memory and channel those messy emotions into your work.