Pleased to meet you. Interview #4 Debbie Greenaway

1. Please tell us your name, business name & where are you based?
Hello. My name is Deb and my business name is ‘From The Imagination Of Ladysnail’. I have recently moved from my hometown of Huddersfield to Coventry and i've previously lived in Manchester and Preston.

2. What do you create and how would you describe your style?

My work starts out in my sketchbook. It can be a random and repetitive drawing that leads to certain doodles standing out which I then screen-print on to paper/fabric or anything else printable. There is a style there but it is hard for me describe it without rambling on. I would say it is quite a laid back, fun and simplistic narrative style.

3. How did you get into making and do you make a living out of your creations?
My Grandma used to sit and make things with me but my recent making came about as a result of experimenting throughout college and university, especially with printmaking. Unfortunately, I do not make a living out of my work, it ticks over enough for me to be able to pay for materials, any running costs and do the tax return. It would be fantastic if I could earn/take a wage from it to live on. Since moving and having a bit of time off to settle in, I am now looking for full or part time work in order to help pay the rent and bills.

4. What is your favourite piece of work or a favourite project you have worked on?
Its very difficult to pick one, but off the top of my head I like the swimming fish. They are an on-going small project that I paint from time to time and each little fish is one of a kind so each painting is also one of a kind. They started out in 2007 for a university project to illustrate a book cover for Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea and I started to wonder what a robot fish would look like. My friend Tom was telling me about people he worked with and I drew these fish talking to each other with regular blue fish throughout my sketchbook instead of working on the book cover. Sherbet lemon and little purple fishes, swimming or talking to each other soon joined the robot and blue fish. I am in the middle of trying to design a new fish to join the clan.

5. If you could achieve any business goal with your work no matter how fantastical what would you most like to do?
Oh – it is hard to think. Overall, it would be incredible if someone could give/buy me a shop with a screen-printing room/teaching space and big walls for little exhibitions. It would be nice to share the shop and its space with other creative people.

6. Do you have any tips for others who want to set up a creative crafty business?
I am not sure what to advise but whilst at university, I started with a blog that showed people what I was working on. I would also suggest joining twitter, Flickr, Etsy or Folksy. Also have your own website and make sure everything can be linked together. The internet is growing all the time but you do have to be careful.

HMRC run free workshops for the self-employed about keeping accounts, filing a tax return etc and you can find help through Business Link or the Prince’s Trust. There are many handmade markets which you can find out about through sites and forums. Visit them first if you can & they’re regular events. Cut stall costs by sharing with a friend or having a smaller table/half a stall to start with to see how it goes. Theres a wealth of information out there - helpful organisations, forums, books and what not. It is just a case of starting, being prepared for ups and downs, taking chances, taking advice on board and doing what you think is best.

Quick fire round. Just for fun please pick 1 answer from each of the following. If you don’t fancy either just choose the one you most prefer:

1. Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash
Johny Cash. I’ve a bit of Johnny Cash on my music list and Ring of Fire was one of my Grandad’s songs he liked to play on the jukebox.

2. Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia
Harry Potter. Easy answer there.

3. For meat eaters - Lasagna or Moussaka
Both! **Thats cheating Deb ;-)**

4. Knit or sew
Sew.

5. Pen or pencil
Pencil.

6. Cut or paste
Cut and paste.

7. Mug or Cup
Mug. A mug of tea with hobnobs.

8. Half full or half empty

Half empty as then I can have a full ‘un!

9. Mac or PC
PC. I can manage my friend’s iPad but I would struggle with a Mac as I was taught how to use a PC.

10. Amy Butler or Cath Kidston
If I could, a bit of both but I like to rummage for old/vintage fabric at jumbles sales or in charity shops and do swaps with friends.

To find out more about this lovely, crazy doodle girl & her fab work visit her site:
www.debbiegreenaway.com and/or the imagination of ladysnail blog.
You can purchase her makes on Etsy or Folksy and catch up with the latest news from the Ladysnail camp on Twitter and Flickr:

Thanks Deb for taking part and good luck in your work!