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Rebecca Killen | Episode 480
Rebecca Killen, a graduate of Belfast School of Art, is a ceramic designer-maker living and working in County Down, N. Ireland. With a love of curating collections of complementary objects, Rebecca aims to create ceramic products that can evoke memories, a sense of nostalgia or serve as decorative pieces in the home to be used and treasured for years to come. Our bottles, dishes and vessels are made in small batches using the slip casting technique.
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When you started your business did you have a treasure trove put away for your expenses or or were you going by a wing and a prayer?
No, I definitely did not have a massive amount of cash just to spend on my business, but what I did apply for, which was really good, was from a funding program that is part of the arts council here in Northern Ireland. So I applied for some money to buy a kiln. So I guess in a way I did have a bit of cash behind me but that was just to buy my kiln.
When you look at how many resources you had from the arts council, how much of that was the reason you could go as appose to how much of it was just you hustling and working hard to make things happen?
I think if even if I hadn’t have gotten that money I would be doing what I am doing. I have been really determined to do this and to make this work from college. So even if I had not have had that money I would have found a way to buy a kiln or to rent kiln space. I think it is all about hard work isn’t it? You can’t really rely on other people to help you set up, it has to be your own graft.
How much is being in a small town a disadvantage to growing a business?
I wouldn’t say it is a disadvantage. In today’s society we have the internet, we have social media. We are really not that far away from anybody if you think about it like that. I like working in a small town, you get know people around you, I am accessible for people that live around me to come and visit the studio. But also on social media I try to share as much of the studio and what I am making with people all around the world. I also have an etsy shop so that allows me to send pieces all around the world. So I don’t think it’s a disadvantage. I think it is a nice thing to live and work in a small town. We have the internet so we can reach anywhere.
How critical is being online for the success of your business?
I think it’s massively important. If I want to buy something or find information about a particular product or for gifts, I look on Instagram. I look and see what people around me are making. So I think it’s really, really important to have an online presence. And not just social media, I think it is important to have a website but at the same time I think it is nice to have presence in stores as well. Especially with ceramics, people want to look at your work and pick it up and feel it and look all around it. So I think it is nice to have the pieces not only online but also in the physical stores.
When you make an Instagram post, how much time do you put into the actual description or the first comment that goes on underneath there?
Well I don’t think I spend an awful lot of time doing it. I just try to think of something relevant that goes along with the image and probably refers to something I am doing that day. So I feel like it is fairly natural and represents what I am doing that day in the studio or a particular product I am trying to push. Or if I have just dropped off work to a different shop I will chat about that. So I don’t tend to spend a lot of time trying to think of captions because any time I am on my phone or on social media I am not making so that is where I really try to invest a lot of time is actually in the studio making work.
Who are your pottery heroes?
I will go with a couple of local pottery heroes because I am all about the local and supporting out makers here. When I was in college I looked up to Derek Wilson, Adam Free, and Steven Farnen. They were potters who were a few years ahead of me on the road but make absolutely incredible work. All there work is very different but it is all beautiful. They demonstrated how to create a sustainable business in clay and that is exactly what I wanted to do. So they were amazing inspirations for me and still are.
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Instagram: @rebeccakillenceramics__