ruth Crothers

We got the pleasure to do an interview with Ruth Crothers, who is a participant in our Dig Deep Program. We explored why she wanted to take part in the Dig Deep Program, her new business and how she has found building her business.

Can you introduce yourself - your name and what you do? 

My name is Ruth Crothers, I am an artist, textile designer and screen-printer.  I breathe colour and create vibrant hand-painted artworks for paper and textile applications. 

Why did you want to take part in the Dig Deep Programme? 

I wanted to take part to have more support in starting my business, where I use my  personal projects to create new products which I can sell online. I’ve been working in the creative industries for a couple of years now and it’s been really fun. I generally work on commissions for brands, businesses and private clients, however, it has been my ambition to set up my own small business for what seems like forever. I hope developing my own business might offer me some more creative freedom. The support from taking part in this course will hopefully give me the courage to take action, in fact, it already is! 

What is the new business that you have been developing? 

I want to develop new products which are in line with who I am and I hope that people will like them. I am an artist through and through. Painting and focusing on my own projects, where I can call the shots, brings me so much mental clarity and joy and this makes me feel completely at ease. If there was a way to do this always and make a living from it then why wouldn’t I take that chance?

I want to create a sustainable lifestyle for myself more than anything and I want to feel content (this doesn’t necessarily equate to complacency). I couldn’t survive without expressing myself creatively and I feel I have a lot to say. Perhaps that seems quite selfish but realistically we can’t help other people until we help ourselves.

What has been your biggest hurdle since you started your business? 

One of my biggest hurdles probably still to overcome is knowing when to say no. I’m still learning and it is difficult because for the most part I am an optimist and I am open-minded and flexible. I am a yes person but there is a fine line to constantly evaluate and negotiate. Sometimes I need to be stronger at trusting my intuition.

How do you see your business developing in the future? 

I want to create more textile-based work, screen printing fabrics, even hand embroidery,  this is where my skills are and what I specialized in. It would be nice to earn enough so I can survive comfortably. I’m not particularly driven by money but I recognize it has its advantages of course. The lifestyle I aspire to have is really quite modest but I guess having my business finances in place would allow me to work on bigger, more ambitious projects as well as invest in more training and equipment which would, in turn, help my creativity thrive. 

What misconceptions did you have about starting your own business? 

I guess I’m learning to dismantle misconceptions about business owners, who they are,  what they look like, how often they actually work etc. To be honest these ridiculous preconceived ideas are so silly and they aren’t really important. They don’t matter... if you are running a business the main thing to remember is probably that you just have to make it work for you. Also sometimes you have to reach for the opportunities you want, they won’t always come to you! 

What have you learnt about yourself since starting the programme? 

 The course has been so useful as we get to do weekly exercises which have proved so insightful. I really enjoy them because they are often quite surprising and manage to quite simply unlock my mind and make me realise things I never would have thought of or considered before.

Some things I may have felt or had an inkling about before but the process of working through them and simply writing them down has been really powerful.  It’s been very consolidating. All the reflecting has made me feel positive about where I’m at and where I’m headed. I’ve learnt a lot, I’m still very much at the beginning but I’m making headway. It’s exciting. 

What/who influences/motivates you? 

The more I paint, the more I want to paint, it’s bliss which is 100% addictive. I am obsessed with colour and patterns, I love hunting for inspiration (also addictive), it’s everywhere you just have to be receptive to it. Inspiration can take me to museums around the country and various exhibitions.

I love reading books about Art and Design, different magazines. I  collect postcards, cutouts etc. and I love charity shops. I use Instagram and Pinterest also, I  know this is often frowned upon but I completely disagree. It’s a really useful tool when used correctly which involves constantly categorising and editing out the noise that comes with it. It’s also completely of our time so it seems really ridiculous to discredit it and ignore it.

This year I’ve been trying to walk more to the studio and to my work. I’m currently teaching part-time at the university. On my walks I’m trying to be more mindful and notice my surroundings, mainly sights and sounds, it definitely takes practice. Having my phone or camera handy always helps. Friends and family also always inspire and influence me too, where would we be without them?!

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far since starting your business? 

Lately, I have actually been able to move out of my parent’s house and support myself which has been exciting. Having my own space has already made me more focused and productive and I always knew this would be the case. I lived at home for a long time after Uni for many reasons. There have been many baby, gradual steps. It has been long, at times difficult and very slow. To get to this point and move out was a really big step for me and it has given me a big boost… I’m not ashamed to say that I’m patting myself on the back about it. I have built a lot of resilience and I guess moving suggests to me that I must be doing something right and things are headed in the right direction. It certainly feels like they are anyhow.

What have you learnt about your business in the last 3 months? 

It’s challenging, it takes time, energy and effort to constantly show up but truthfully I  couldn’t have it any other way! 

What things are you going to implement in your business in 2021? 

Getting systems fully in place, particularly with financing and also establishing more regular routines and habits. These might be setting myself creative challenges and also being more consistent with posting online content. I am currently developing my new logo and planning for the impending overhaul of my website. I’m on it. 

What advice would you give your younger self? 

Have confidence and be yourself. Always.

Where can people find you online?

IG: @ruth_prints 

Website: www.ruthprints.com