Member Article

Executive pottery is no gamble for Lorna

A Northumberland woman who left the bustling world of corporate advertising has set up her own business facilitating pottery painting to community groups, local businesses and the corporate world itself.

Lorna Watkinson from Warkworth took her redundancy after working for 17 years for Procter and Gamble in the media-advertising department. Since becoming a Mum she had found working in a highly charged executive position increasingly unrewarding and was looking for a more fulfilling way to support her family that would also allow her to better manage the balancing act of motherhood and career.

After researching ideas on the Internet, Lorna decided that a mobile pottery painting studio was an ideal business to replace her corporate life. She underwent intensive training and the result was Rainbow Pottery Painting, a mobile pottery studio that goes where ever her customers need her.

Lorna believes that her business isn’t just about creating a nice piece of pottery; she also believes it is a very rewarding way of boosting your sense of well-being in the company of friends or colleagues.

“My sessions are much more than simply decorating a piece of pottery,” she said. “Although I do children’s activities, my passion is to encourage adults to give this a try as it is such an enjoyable activity. At first it can be daunting for individuals to start their design however it is usually at this point that I see the experience bond a group together as they encourage and motivate each other to be creative. The result is both relaxing and therapeutic as it provides a positive sense of well-being as strangers are given the opportunity to become friends and friends find time to appreciate one another.” Lorna’s calm approach and range of tips and techniques gives everyone the opportunity to create a piece of functional art to be proud of.

A typical session will see participants painting their own designs on unglazed pottery such as plates, mugs or even teapots. After the session, Lorna takes the work home where she glazes them in her kiln before returning them to the group a few days later.

Already, the business is attracting attention from local community groups, care homes and small businesses and Lorna’s next strategic plan for the business is to use her previous experience and new found skills to return to the corporate world.

“ I’ve done some market research and I can see pottery painting being a great team building activity for any firm as part of their away day team development sessions, “said Lorna. “ There are so many benefits to taking part as each activity gives participants the chance to plan their painting, share the experience, review success and work together as a team. It’s also a lot of fun and you get to take home your own personal piece of pottery too.”

Rainbow Pottery Painting can be found at http://www.rainbowpotterypainting.co.uk

Photo shows Lorna (in red standing) with participants at a session in Warkworth

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Keith Newman .