Founder of Inkygoodness – a global community focused on connecting, inspiring and developing artists and creative businesses, Birmingham-based creative consultant Lisa Hassell is passionate about supporting and developing emerging illustrators.
Lisa originally started Inkygoodness as a side project with fellow illustrator Michelle Turton over ten years ago, organising group exhibitions and events for illustrators to showcase their work. A key moment was an exhibition in 2010 held in Brick Lane in London around the theme of play, which invited emerging talent from across the UK & Europe to exhibit alongside established artists such as McBess and Good Wives and Warriors. On the back of the press coverage from this event they were invited to curate an exhibition at Pictoplasma Character Design Festival in Berlin, which gained them more exposure and industry recognition, and the opportunity to report on the festival for Digital Arts magazine. This led to her becoming a leading contributor to leading design publications including Computer Arts and Creative Review. She’s also contributed to design books, ‘Becoming a Successful Graphic Designer’ (Bloomsbury 2017) and ‘Design{h}ers’ (Victionary, 2019).
Following the birth her son in 2012, and a return to Birmingham after several years living in Bristol, she took the reins and relaunched Inkygoodness as an online platform. Interviewing artists and illustrators for a new online blog, alongside working as a freelance arts journalist she set up her own illustration agency, ‘WE ARE GOODNESS’, in 2014 which she ran for five years. She also established and ran the first Glug Birmingham events, which helped cultivate a local creative network in the Midlands.
More recently, Lisa’s industry experience and passion for illustration and design inspired a new direction with Inkygoodness; launching mentorship and group coaching, and masterclasses for new, emerging and established illustrators. As she tells us: ‘I realised I had this incredible opportunity to pivot the business and build on my 10+ years experience as an illustration agent, creative consultant and curator. All this insight, information and a network of industry connections at my fingertips – I was in position to help artists grow their careers.’ This summer she’s also launching an inspirational new online membership community – The I.G Collective – ‘inviting artists and illustrators across the globe to come together for online events, exhibitions, courses, mentoring and much more…’
We talked to Lisa to find about more about her career journey from launching and running a successful creative business alongside solo parenting, and adapting priorities during the pandemic.
Let’s start at the beginning… how did you first become interested in working in the creative industry?
I was creative and artistic from a young age, and spent a lot of time as a child drawing and painting. I excelled in creative subjects at school and loved art in particular. After my A-Levels I enrolled in an Art Foundation where I was taught by some brilliant lecturers and it changed my perspective entirely. We were encouraged to work with a broad range of materials and I made quite experimental work – huge paintings and sculptural pieces.
I took a year out to travel before starting University, initially enrolling in Fine Art before transferring over to Illustration, where I graduated with a 1st at University of Portsmouth. When I returned home I suddenly had the pressure from my parents to ‘go and get a proper job’ and ended up taking a marketing assistant role, even though I wanted to be an artist. I really struggled working in an office environment, and after a few months I quit, and moved to London for a year to study a Masters degree at Camberwell School of Art before leaving half way through and relocating to Bristol. Before long I landed a part time job at a publishing company, connected with a few other artists and started drawing and painting again. Over time I got more involved with the local creative community and loved being part of it. Inkygoodness was born about a year later.
Can you tell us a bit about your career path of how you got to where you are now?
When I arrived in Bristol I was lucky to meet other artists and creatives fairly early on, and gradually tapped into the local creative scene, visiting friends at their art studios and getting involved with smaller events. I reconnected with Michelle and we started chatting about doing something together. We were both in a similar situation; working full time jobs and trying to figure things out and needing a reason to show our work – and after doing a small show just the two of us, the seed was planted to do a group show in Bristol.
We invited around 15 people for that first group show, which led to a larger group show in Birmingham a few months later. We had such a positive experience, and had more and more artists wanting to get involved – so we stepped it up a gear and curated an exhibition in London inspired by the theme of Play. We ran a call for submissions, alongside inviting artists we loved to get involved.
This event turned out to be quite a pivotal moment – the opening night happened to coincide with First Thursdays, so there were a lot of other exhibition openings on the same night – and that meant a lot of free beer, a lot of buzz – and a lot of people! We had an incredible turn out, sold almost every piece of work on the walls and picked up some fantastic press in design magazines, which was huge for us at the time. We designed bright pink branded lanyards for our artists to wear on the opening night which made it feel special.
Pictoplasma Character Walk in Berlin followed in April 2011, with an exhibition of hand painted ‘Character Totems’ by our favourite artists. Michelle and I were still in full time employment at this time, working in marketing roles and living in different cities, and starting a business was the furthest from our minds – yet I could feel in my gut there was huge potential for Inkygoodness. I loved connecting with other artists and the sense of community the shows created – everyone loved being involved.
Fast forward 18 months and I was living back Birmingham, working part time as a design writer and juggling life as a single parent. Life had changed unrecognisably, but with all this extra time on my hands I started to invest more energy into our online platform, creating new content, interviewing artists and designers and becoming more active on social.
Our website hits rose dramatically and clients began to get in touch interested in collaborations, and within two years I launched an illustration agency; WE ARE GOODNESS working with clients such as Google Play and The New York Times.
Around this time I was also approached by Glug Events, and I launched the Birmingham chapter in 2014, cementing my passion for running events. We curated regular design talks for the next couple of years, inviting people from the creative industry to tell their stories. We met a few clients through these events too. It was a crazy time but I loved every minute of it.
How have you grown over time and developed personally throughout your career?
Absolutely. I’ve worked in so many different jobs – not all of them in the creative industry, and without a doubt these experiences shape the person you become. I’ve never been afraid to quit or leave situations that felt uncomfortable or misaligned with my values, and there were times when I lacked the confidence to assert myself. Working in-house never suited me, but self employment comes with it’s own set of challenges – it’s not all smooth sailing.
Back in 2018 when my business partner became ill, we made the decision to close the agency and the sudden loss of income was a very real worry. In hindsight I should have given myself some time to figure out my next steps and grieve the loss of the business, but instead I panicked and took a full time job at a design consultancy with a 2 hour commute. It was a terrible decision. I struggled with stress, anxiety and guilt all the time and I didn’t get the support I needed. It wasn’t a complete surprise when they let me go less than six months later – I wasn’t in a good place – but the way it was handled really knocked my confidence and made me question myself.
Over the months that followed I threw myself back into freelance writing – Computer Arts magazine were incredibly supportive and gave me a lot of work – and then of course Covid happened and everything changed again. I was suddenly out of work and it was quite daunting. Meanwhile I had kept Inkygoodness running in the background, mostly on Instagram and I started to get DM’s from artists and illustrators who needed extra support, advice and mentoring. Before long I began to offer online Portfolio Crits – which quickly sold out, and a couple of these sessions led to working with artists 1:1.
Around this time I enrolled in a group coaching programme aimed at female entrepreneurs, which completely transformed my self confidence, belief systems and money mindset. I instinctively gravitated towards this online community because I wanted to connect with like-minded women who were also running their own businesses, but more than that I also wanted to learn, and get advice and support – and it was a real turning point for me reigniting a renewed sense of purpose within me.
I realised I had this incredible opportunity to pivot the business and build on my 10+ years experience as an illustration agent, creative consultant and curator. All this insight, information and a network of industry connections at my fingertips – I was in position to help artists grow their careers – yet it had never occurred to me to build a business around my expertise and become the face of the company. It was a lightbulb moment.
What do you enjoy most about being a creative business owner?
I’m at a very interesting point now. Whilst Inkygoodness has been in existence for over 10 years, it was only 18 months ago when I finally registered as a limited company, and even at that point I didn’t have a solid business plan – just a gut feeling. I had to put my trust in Universe that this would become clear in time. I look back now and can’t believe how much I’ve achieved, both personally and professionally.
For me, having the freedom and flexibility to work the way I want to work has been pivotal for my mental and emotional well being. I have flourished over the last six months.
I enjoy the mix of coaching and group programmes I run; I have met some incredible women through these courses and the conversations I’ve had continue to inspire me every day. Ultimately my business is fuelled by my drive and passion. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
If you could go back to the beginning and start your career again what would tell your younger self?
There will always be people out there that just don’t understand what it means to be self employed, the sacrifices you need to make, and that the working day doesn’t always fit within a traditional 9-5 structure. Sometimes the work just isn’t done – but I don’t apologise for working late or working a weekend anymore. I love what I do. So I think worrying less about what people think is important.
Whilst I don’t have regrets per se – every experience I’ve had has taught me something valuable – but I do wish I’d taken the leap to work for myself much earlier. I think if I’d met the right people at the right time; found a business partner and just done it way back then, things could be very different now – yet at the same time I do believe a lot of things in life happen for a reason. Even at my lowest ebb If I hadn’t experienced that level of fear and failure in my life; if I hadn’t experienced what it was like to be broke; to loose my confidence and build it back up again time after time; I wouldn’t be who I am now.
I’m very good at what I do because I am relatable, and people naturally open up to me. I understand and emphasise with people. I instinctively identify with their struggles and challenges because I have been through it myself; I know how it feels.
I get very invested in everyone I work with because I want them to succeed, and I feel very proud of the community I have built over the last year – it’s one of the main reasons why I am launching a new membership collective, because I have seen first hand how powerful it can be to belong to a group of likeminded people. It lifts you up when you’re struggling, and everyone celebrates each other’s wins too. There is magic in that.
Has being a creative person influenced you as a mum?
I’d say it’s more the other way round, that being a mother has influenced my career – certainly in the choices that I have made in recent years. I realised pretty quickly after my in-house role disaster that I’m just not cut out to work for a company that doesn’t align with my values; and truthfully I like being in the driving seat.
As a single mum I also need flexibility, and in my experience it’s just not that easy to negotiate flexible working arrangements without feeling like they’re doing you a massive favour. Who needs that guilt?
Being self employed is simply easier – and more lucrative. I can work evenings and weekends when it suits me, and I can take an afternoon off mid-week if I want to. My son is 9 years old now and I feel so damn lucky that we are so close. We’ve got a brilliant relationship and it’s largely because I work for myself and love what I do; and because I am in charge of my own schedule I don’t suffer with as much anxiety anymore; I can be fully present – I do the school run. Running a business is not without challenges but life feels calmer and more balanced now.
Interestingly my parents are business owners and so were my grandparents. We’re a close family. I think you could say being my own boss is written into my DNA!
Do you have any words of advice for women considering a career in design today?
It’s not specific to design, but I think all women should invest time and money in their physical, and mental wellbeing and emotional growth – and by that I mean exercise regularly, eat well, get enough sleep, pay attention to your emotions – slow down when you need to and surround yourself with women who are a few steps ahead of you. Talk to them, invite them out for lunch (offer to pay!) and over time build your network. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
The people you surround yourself with can have such a profound impact on your success – you need people who can listen and understand, and give you a boost when you need it. The ones who prop you up when you feel like quitting, support you when you need advice and celebrate your wins are the ones to hold onto. (pull out quote)
Limit the time you spend on social media – especially platforms like Instagram and Facebook where there is a trend for oversharing. Instagram has been an incredible tool and played a pivotal role in growing our community, but I am consciously reducing the amount of time I am on it these days. It can really mess with your mental wellbeing when you start the doom scroll and compare yourself to your peers. Truthfully you will always feel like you’re a step behind, no matter how much success you have. It takes a strong will, determination and focus to build a career in this industry – laying the foundations and getting into healthy habits is crucial. Perspective and context is everything.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
I turn 40 in December which is a bit of a milestone, so I am focusing on ticking off some major career and personal goals – I’ve got a financial target in mind, and also want to get my driving licence and buy my first car before the end of the year. I’ve also started painting again in recent weeks – purely as a creative outlet for myself – but who knows where that could lead! I’d love to write a book at some point too – and travel more.
Beyond that, setting up a studio space, employing a small team, and running regular in-person events are all hopes for the future; alongside curating an annual exhibition for artists and illustrators which is definitely on the cards. I love living in Birmingham, it’s such a vibrant city and I look forward to developing professional opportunities for local creatives to get involved with Inkygoodness in future.
We’re also launching our new online membership community – Inkygoodness Collective – this Summer, inviting artists and illustrators across the globe to come together for online events, exhibitions, courses, mentoring and much more. Over the last six months I have run several coaching programmes and courses, launched our IGTV channel; interviewing people from the creative industry every week, so the membership is a way to add even more value to our community. We’ve got a new website underway and big plans for 2022/2023. There is huge potential to grow the collective into something really special and I can’t wait to open our doors!