鈥淭he creative adult is the child that survived.鈥�
It鈥檚 a quote from Picasso, and one of Emilie Otto鈥檚 favourites. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all so creative and fearless when we鈥檙e younger,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut that gets almost squished out of us when we go to uni or start our first jobs.鈥� Emilie speaks from personal experience. She loved art in high school, but then the time came when she had to choose what she wanted to do with her life. She landed in business school and a sales and marketing career, and didn鈥檛 do anything creative for a long time.
When she did eventually dabble back in the arts, 鈥渋t was a slippery, slippery slope鈥�, she says, and it soon became her passion to help others unlock their creativity too. So, a few years ago, Emilie started running watercolour workshops for the Perth-based House of Hobby.听
Then, in July 2020, she got the opportunity to take the reins.
Doing what she loves
听Buying a business that makes its money from groups might seem risky in the middle of a global pandemic, but Emilie could see the long-term value in what House of Hobby has to offer.听In her experience, giving people a fun, safe, supportive space to play around and get creative can be incredibly cathartic and reinvigorating for everyone involved.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been told 鈥楧on鈥檛 chase the profit, just go after it because you love it鈥�,鈥� Emilie says. 鈥淪o, when the offer came across my desk, I was like: Yes, of course I鈥檒l buy this business! I don鈥檛 even know where it鈥檚 going to be in a couple of months, but it鈥檚 an exciting opportunity. 鈥淚 was so passionate about helping people get creative, and to do that on a larger scale than what I was already doing was very, very exciting.鈥�
Cheers to that idea
听When Emilie first started working for House of Hobby, it was a mobile operation. Since taking over, she鈥檚 invested in creative equipment and set up a permanent studio, where she hosts workshops on everything from creating your own pet portraits, to loom-weaving, modern calligraphy, making resin coasters, pottery and sewing. It鈥檚 all very crafty and DIY, and perfect for anyone wanting a friendly, low-stakes introduction to a new skill.听
鈥淭he whole team at House of Hobby loves to make sure everyone鈥檚 comfortable, even if they are going really out of their comfort zone to try something new,鈥� Emilie says. 鈥淥ur job is to make them feel as supported as possible in this environment where they might be really extending themselves.鈥�
One thing that helps people relax is having something to sip on, so there are workshops that pair pottery with wine, abstract painting with prosecco, and candle-making with mimosas. Emilie finds including booze in the event title really 鈥渢akes the edge off鈥� for people. 鈥淓ven though people don鈥檛 usually drink heaps at our workshops, we find it just makes being creative more approachable,鈥� she says.
鈥淢ost of the people that come to our workshops are very much like: 鈥極h, I could never be creative鈥� or 鈥業 don鈥檛 consider myself very crafty鈥�, and they find it scary. Whereas I feel like what we provide is that safe space, so they can come, be creative, and if maybe that鈥檚 not working out for them, at least they can have a few drinks and a bit of fun with it, and enjoy catching up with friends.鈥�
Lessons learnt along the way
Emilie鈥檚 business, sales and marketing background gave her an excellent foundation for House of Hobby, but it鈥檚 still been quite a learning curve. Here she passes on some of her top takeaways.听
1. The rule of three
听Sometimes the first few events or workshops have low turnout, but that doesn鈥檛 mean the idea isn’t a good one.
鈥淓specially for people first starting out, or even when trying to introduce a new workshop, more often than not the first one is never going to be popular,鈥� Emilie says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always hard to try and convince people that it鈥檚 a good time when maybe they haven鈥檛 seen that social proof, so I always tell people it鈥檚 a rule of three: give new workshops three go鈥檚.鈥�
2. Picture perfect
听The event picture needs to sum up exactly what people will get out of attending, but what they want to see will depend on the target market.
鈥�In the early days I used to do photos of people enjoying themselves at the workshops, but especially when it comes to creativity, people just want to see what they鈥檙e going to get and what they鈥檙e going to learn,鈥� Emilie says.
听Now, she mostly uses things people have made in previous workshops. 鈥淚f I know it might end up being a popular one, I鈥檒l get a photographer to come into maybe the first or the second workshop to make sure we鈥檝e got some nice images to use,鈥� she says.
3. Plan way (way) ahead
听Supply chain delays mean you need to be organised well in advance.
鈥淕et stuff earlier rather than later, because the last thing you want is to be unprepared for an event,鈥� Emilie says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more stress than it鈥檚 worth.鈥�
听4. Sustainability is an increasing concern
听Consumers are definitely becoming more eco-aware.
鈥淲e try and use local products, and we recycle all our own clay, and I think that鈥檚 a big trend that people appreciate,鈥� Emilie says. 鈥淚f we are using too much plastic, people call us out 鈥� so if you can make eco-conscious decisions, I think that will go a long way for you.鈥�
听5. A ticketing platform that鈥檚 part of the team
听Emilie loves that 91制片厂 is free, easy to use and allows her to manage all her tickets from one place.
鈥淚 very much consider 91制片厂 part of the team,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good just to have the platform there to support what we want to do 鈥� I know that everything鈥檚 going to be organised, and I can schedule emails to make sure the communication is nice and clear. Especially for smaller events or maybe people new to events, it鈥檚 really strong on the SEO front. So if you want to be popping up first on Google, 91制片厂鈥檚 definitely going to help you get there.鈥�
The joys of giving back
Emilie loves that her business helps people tap back into that creativity. And finds it particularly rewarding when a workshop has a profound impact on someone struggling with mental health issues. 鈥淲e had this lady, and I鈥檒l never forget her,鈥� Emilie says. 鈥淪he was ex-military and she had some injuries, and she told one of the girls: 鈥楾hank you so much. This is actually the first time I鈥檝e left the house in the longest time, and you guys have been so supportive.鈥�
The other thing that pumps her up is being able to employ and support other local creatives. After all, she favours collaboration over competition, and believes that when one person in a community does well, it lifts the others up too.
Interested in attending a workshop? Follow House of Hobby on 91制片厂 to be alerted when new events are added.
Feeling inspired by Emilie鈥檚 story? Start planning your next event here.
