Starting a New Business Venture

We've all got dreams and goals, no matter how different they are. We all have so many different things that make us happy and make us feel content. Some of us may plan these things with to-do lists, little sticky notes, making mental notes, and even crossing these things off. But how many of you actually complete the tasks you've always wanted to do? Maybe some things you can't complete, if they are long term goals, maybe they could take months, even years to build up.

Isn't it such a scary thought? To go after something you've always dreamt off and wanted, yet knowing that you could simply fail and lose it all. Maybe you feel as if not going after it will be better, as you won't be defeated and be disappointed. Thing is, if you don't ever go after your dreams you'll never really know. And those hopeful dreams will gradually turn into doubts and regrets and you wondering about what you could have done better, more of or just simply DONE.

After finishing university there were so many things that I wanted to do, but I just didn't really know what direction to go in, what to do first, or what I'd really love to do and enjoy. So I procrastinated for a really long time. I carried on with my day job and being completely unhappy every single day. I thought about all the things I could do and what would make me happy. Yet I did not do anything about it for a really long time. I guess I had the same worries so many other young people have. Money and finance, failure, not being fully clued up, getting stuck, feeling alone, there's just SO many things to think about.

And then one day I just decided to go for it and dive into the deep end. I didn't really have much to lose and if I was already completely unhappy there was no point carrying on the same way. So I put more time into designing and planning a collection. I sat for hours sometimes just procrastinating and planning, feeling lost. Yet every single time I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere, I was moving one step forward. I was definitely the most nervous and worried I'd ever been, yet I was so excited for this scary, unknown venture that was giving me butterflies.

I read a pile of books on branding, building a collection, and starting a business. I searched for suppliers and decided what products I wanted to get made with my designs. I got clued up on how to build my own website and planned how I wanted it to look. There was so much planning to do, so many decisions to make, and of course I'm still making them as I go along. I spent most of my time trying to get one step further, and by doing so I realised that sometimes the place you think you want to get to isn't actually where you want to be. But the more you research and the more chances you take, the more you will discover about what is the best route to take.

Once I'd completed some of the things I was previously scared of, I realised that I felt so much better. That it wasn't actually as nerve wracking as I thought it would be. And I realised that I had learnt something completely new and grown as a person. I've come to realise more of my strengths and weaknesses, I've found out how I work best and what I actually like doing, and what I despise but I am actually quite good at. I've still got SUCH a long way to do, SO much more to learn and SO many goals I've not yet achieved.

But if you've been thinking about doing something you've always dreamt off but you're not so sure, just take a chance and just go for it! Of course there will be things that will get in your way and obstacles that you've not expected. But if you don't atleast try you'll never really know what you're capable of. There's so much help out there you've just got to look for it and ask for help as you go along. Maybe you don't see it know but you'll learn so much about yourself and even if the end goal changes, or you don't get there, you will definitely get something positive out of it! xo

Colourful Patterned Mugs

Hi guys! Hope everyone is having a great week so far! I've started off the week by being super busy on my laptop.. lots of new products have been photographed and a thousand emails have been sent! I've added me printed mugs to my Etsy shop now which you can view here. I've had these for a while now but I guess I was just being lazy and not photographing them. I think I wasn't really sure how I wanted them to be photographed and whether I wanted squeaky clean images or detailed ones.

But I finally have the four designs available on Etsy. So if you're looking for a girly birthday gift, housewarming present or even just a small treat for yourself, these would brighten up your kitchen (or your desk)! And of course there is still 10% off all products with the code TREAT10 at checkout. If you're tempted to make a purchase then you can visit my Etsy shop on www.sukisaburdesigns.etsy.com to read the products' information and shipping info! I have left a few photos for you all to see the range of designs. xo

The 'Enchanted Darkness' Scarf

Happy Friday Everyone! Hope you've all had a great week and have got something exciting planned for the weekend. I'm going to see Breakfast at Tiffany's in theatre tomorrow, which Pixie Lott is starring in. (And if she's anything like she is during her concerts she will be totally amazing!) Well anyway whether you're a creative soul or not, or maybe you sometimes like to see how designers/makers start a piece of art, I've got a lil surprise for you.

Over a year ago I started my first few paintings based on the sealife collection which you can now view on my website sukisabur.co.uk. At the time I was kind of going along with my sketches and very first ideas and didn't really have a complete idea of what the collection would include. I didn't even have a title! But whilst I was designing and painting I was documenting my progress with each new design. As I'm kind of awkward and like to do things the hard way by drawing everything to scale and painting it by hand rather than using technology that would be much more efficient, it takes me a couple of weeks to finish a painting. (Baring in mind that I still have the editing to do on the final design which can take up to another week.)

So I thought it was time I revealed my first ever scarf for the 'Underwater Escapade' collection! Yes I finally thought of a name for my second collection. Even though I've currently decided that this one won't be getting made as a final product as I felt that the colours weren't quite suited to the rest of the collection and I wanted to refine my designs, I still wanted to share my progress and show how it all began.

I wrote a similar post back in January about the third scarf in the collection, 'Storm in the Sea' which you can read here. I hope you enjoy looking through the pictures and let me know if you have any questions. Happy weekend! xo

Announcement!

Hey guys. Hope you've all had a great weekend. I've had a very busy and productive past couple of days. I have finally opened up an Etsy shop. This was something I had wanted to do for such a long time, but something I just never got round to. A few of my limited edition art prints are available here. Although if there is another illustration you fancy on my website sukisabur.co.uk you can email me sukisabur@hotmail.com or drop me a message and I can get it made in the required size.

I have also added some plain greeting cards which come in a pack of 3 and feature a selection of my illustrations. You can view my shop here. These would be perfect for your little girl's bedroom or in your corridor. As art that adds a girly touch to your home, no matter what age, I'm sure you will know atleast one lovely lady in your life who will love this!

The 'Storm in the Sea' Scarf

Happy Friday! As much as I enjoy working for myself it does get very tiring at times as I find it hard to switch off and I'm constantly thinking of new ideas or my mental to-do list, (whenever I'm not writing in my notebook). But it's so important to have breaks and enjoy the time off, so I hope you've all got some exciting plans for the weekend.

So as you may or may not know that I've been working on a new collection of silk scarves which I am now sampling. It's taken such a long time to finish designing the collection and at times I felt like I was going crazy and that I'd never get finished. But I've been documenting all the little things and each step that I've taken. And I thought it would be a good idea to now reveal my designs in the process.

So I know that a lot of print designers do their sketches without colour and then have them digitally manipulated , so placing them at the right scale and size and then adding the colour, which is probably so much more convenient rather than making the exact shade that you've imagined and making sure you've got enough of that colour, as it's impossible to get that exact colour again! And there's so many designers who specialise in printed scarves with each one having their own unique style. But I guess I'm kind of awkward like that and just prefer to do all the designing and painting by hand. I just feel as if I can't really imagine a finished design when I'm working on a screen, whereas drawing everything to scale helps me visualise the finished scarf and how it will be worn.

So anyway I thought about showing everyone my work in progress; when I'm in the middle of painting or mixing a colour; or adding the detail once it's all painted. I decided to start with the third scarf in the 'Underwater Escapade' Collection. This one is called 'Storm in the Sea' and it's a mixture of lots of designs I drew from my research. The idea is all in the name, and I basically wanted to throw in all my small doodles to create a square that was covered with different colours and artwork. I wanted to use a variation of bright colours and have a subtle background in contrast. And even though this was quite a risk to take as I wasn't sure how it would turn out, I'm loving the final outcome.

Below I've added a few photos of the design whilst I was still working on it, so you can see how I do my designing. I hope you all enjoy reading this post, xo

All designs Copyright ©Suki Sabur 2016. All rights reserved.

My Insta-Diary

Birthday cake for breakfast anyone? Since my birthday I've been binging on lots of sugary things, especially as January is a very popular month for birthdays in the family. My breakfast normally consists of anything chocolatey and a strong coffee. I've just recently discovered flavoured syrups for my coffee and they are so amazing for the cold, frosty mornings when you just want to stay in bed all day. I'm in love with a gingerbread flavoured syrup which I've been adding to my morning coffee errryday!

Since Christmas my days have been occupied with me coming up with new designs, sampling products, ordering stock and prepping for the next few months. I've got some exciting things coming up which you guys will find out about nearer to the time. Even my Instagram has been fairly quiet-can you believe it?! So here's a few snaps that I've posted so far this month. I'm loving my plate which you can buy from Art Rookie here. xo

Liberty 'Wall of Wishes'

Happy Saturday Everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely weekend so far. So during my trip to London in the holidays, there was one thing I was SO excited to go and do. I'd seen this on Liberty's Instagram previously and I couldn't wait til I had my chance to go and put up my very own wish.

Yes I'm talking about the amazing 'Wall of Wishes' they've put up in aid of charity, where you can donate any amount you wish and then use one of the tags to write a wish and hang it up with the rest of them. I have to say it does look beautiful with all the tags hanging together, and I know it's not the same thing but it did remind me of Paris' Love Lock Bridge.

So I made my way into Liberty's and onto the second floor, went over to the checkout to donate, and I was then told to go over to the 'Wall of Wishes' and I could grab a tag and write my message. But when we got closer we noticed that the table was empty. We walked back to the lovely gentleman who had served us and were then told that they had run out of the tags, and as it was a Monday and the Head Office is closed, they were unfortunately unable to put out more tags.

I was then kindly told to scribble my name and address down on a piece of paper and that a tag would be posted to me so I could still write my wish. After 12 days of expecting it to arrive in the post I'm guessing it's been misplaced, which is completely understandable with the busy rush of the sales! Sadly I've seen that it's now been taken down and they will announce a winner on the 29th of January.

So as I was unfortunately unable to write my very own wish on the wall, I decided that I would write a post about it instead. This year I am launching my very own label of luxury silk scarves and pocket squares. If you've read my previous post you might have visited my website that launched this week, where you can view my designs and see the collections. My wish for the Liberty 'Wall of Wishes' would most definitely have mentioned the fact that I've always dreamed of my scarves being in the Liberty Scarf Hall one day.

Every time I pop into Liberty's I head straight for the scarf hall so I can admire all those beautiful, unique designs by some amazing and VERY talented designers. My wish would be to have my very own silk scarves hanging up there with the rest of them, and maybe one day there will be people like me who will go into the store just to admire those mesmerising pieces of silk, wool or any other fabrics that scarves have been made of. I might even be so lucky to have people not only love the designs, but love them enough that they hate to part with it and just have to buy a piece.

Hoping that my scarves do get noticed, and I'm hoping that this year will be even more exciting than I imagine! If you haven't seen my collection of the 'Underwater Escapade' you can view my website here, or go onto sukisabur.co.uk. xo

My Website Launches Today!

I'm hoping this year will be an exciting one! I've got so many amazing things planned and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens. Some of you may or may not know that it's my birthday today, and I'm not normally one to celebrate or do anything special as I've never really believed that it matters. But this year I wanted it to be memorable in terms of my designs and my business.

Over the holidays I've been working extra hard on my website and trying to get the majority of it done. I can't believe that I've actually finally designed my very own website showcasing my collections of scarves and illustrations all by myself! Of course I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of a few lovely (and VERY clever) people. It's safe to say that I've still got so much work to do, and I'll be launching my shop in the coming months which I'm very excited about.

But for now I am pleased to share my website with you lovely lot. If you've read any of my previous posts you might have seen a few snaps of my designs and my style of work. You can now view a full collection of my designs on sukisabur.co.uk. And if you're reading my blog for the first time, thank you so much for taking the time out to read this post. I hope you love my new website and I would definitely appreciate any feedback on anything I could improve and add.

If you know anyone who would like any of the products in my Society6 shop or who would love to purchase a unique hand-drawn silk scarf in the near future then be sure to share this with them. xo

sukisabur.co.uk