Here is the first in my new series of interviews, bringing you inside the world of some of my favourite creatives. I'm excited for you to meet my biz work bestie and super talented artist, Becki Lambert!
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your businesses and how they came to be...
Hello! I’m Becki, I am a double business owner from Southampton, running an Illustration business and a Mobile Pottery Painting business!
My illustration business is BeckiLamby, it’s a place of puns, dad jokes and super cute cartoons! I have a love for keeping things eco friendly with almost all products made from recycled materials or sourced responsibly. BeckiLamby was my first business and I started it officially in 2018 after enjoying drawing for years, I thought I’d give selling my doodles a shot!
My second business is a local Pottery Painting business in Southampton called PaintPott. I provide high quality rental kits, delivered to your home or party, perfect for a creative bit of fun with friends and family! I started this business because of my love of Pottery Painting and the need to share it with more people, this business baby started in the doomed year of 2020 so we’re still getting started!
How would you describe your style and your products and services?
My style for BeckiLamby is quirky cute cartoonery, if that’s a style haha! Basically bringing bright and colourful cartoons to life with puns and dad jokes to cheer people up on gloomy days!
Tell us a little about your Eco Friendly Pledge and how it’s important to you.
Being Eco Friendly has always been important to me, since I can remember. I always said if I ran my own business I’d ensure it was run in a sustainable way and here I am! I never want to take anything from our beautiful home and it’s important to me that my products make it easier for customers to live life more sustainably. So I merge my cute designs with high quality products for the best of both worlds!
My dream for PaintPott sustainability wise, is to get an electric car for deliveries and a solar panel powered studio, to really complete the sustainability pledge in that business too!
Who or what have been the most important influences on your creative life and career?
I grew up drawing cartoons I’d see on TV, like Homer Simpson, Garfield, Top Cat and Disney movie characters. So for sure those were my biggest influences. I’d also say that my parents always let me try absolutely everything I wanted to (I quit a lot of the times haha) so it made me realise I can do whatever made me happy and whatever I set my mind to! I also had little jobs in the school holidays when I was young, so the work ethic was always there too.
How do you start your design process and where do you get your inspiration?
I’ll hear a joke or pun and often a cartoon idea will come to mind! Or I’ll have a general theme, research some jokes or puns or just general cuteness and bring it to life with one of my typical Lamby style cartoons!
What do you enjoy most about your work?
For Lamby, I enjoy drawing the most, creating silly doodle to make people smile! I can while away the hours by drawing, it really is still fun for me even though I’ve made it my job.
For PaintPott it has to be seeing all the wildly different painted pottery we get back from each party! No item is ever the same, so seeing them before and after the Kiln pops the colour is still super magical for me.
What’s happening in your studio today?
Today, I actually had a rest day! Well ok that’s a bit of a lie, I did my day job (yes I still have that so I’m working 3 jobs as I’m crazy), I set up some Facebook ads for PaintPott and sorted out some emails. But for me, that’s a day off haha!
Could you let us peek at your workspace?
Of course, this is it on a typical day so naturally there’s some mess.
Do you have a best seller or favourite to make?
My best seller of all time I believe is my Pink Confetti Washi Tape, but my favourite to make is probably my little ceramic Sneks! They’re super cute and fun to make, as I get to combine my businesses of clay, pottery painting and Lamby cuteness.
What do you listen to/watch when you’re working?
While I’m doing admin, I’ll switch between playing Harry Styles, Imagine Dragons, Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, depends on my mood! But when I’m drawing, it’s Netflix shows all the way! I often rewatch things like Friends, Schitts Creek and Gilmore Girls, so I have background noise but won’t miss anything important while I’m doodling away!
And what’s your favourite snack or treat when you’re hard at it in the studio?
Has to be a Vegan Chai Latte with either a flapjack snack bar or chocolate chip biscuits!
Do you have a motto or favourite quote for inspiration?
Me and my friend tell each other “It will be fine, even if it’s not fine” basically if you did it or doing it, you’re already doing better than you thought so keep going :)
What do you like to do when you’re not being a superstar businesswoman?
Now that’s tough, because I turned my hobbies into businesses like a silly person haha! I watch TV and movies with Luke, try to get my hamster Bear to love me, raise caterpillars into moths, look after my friend's dog Ella and drink lots of Starbucks!
What have been the greatest challenges for Becki Lamby and Paint Pott so far?
Well considering my launch date for PaintPott was originally in March 2020, it was definitely the pandemic and the fact I was in the highest vulnerability group so was unable to even think about leaving the house. After that it’s just been getting the business seen locally and shared, it’s a lot harder than I thought on a local level!
For Lamby, it would have to be the highs and lows of sales, I never know when they’re gonna come and I’d really love to be able to quit my day job doing these two full time.
What is it about Becki Lamby Art and Paint Pott that you are most proud of?
For Lamby, it would have to be how far my drawing has come since I started! It has improved so much and with each drawing I get prouder of my work. I’ve even been able to start painting freehand without the digital undo, which means my hand steadiness and trust in my ability has really grown.
For PaintPott it would be when I get big bookings or people say how much they’ve enjoyed their time painting because of how the business is run. That really makes me realise I can do this and it’s a good business to be proud of!
What myth would you like to bust about running a creative business?
It’s certainly not all fun and games or easy to grow! It takes hours and hours of work, more than a full time job or evenings, weekends and lunch breaks to do every single aspect. Such as admin, finance and marketing, creating is probably 20% of it!
What tip or truth would you tell yourself at the beginning of this journey if you could go back and give past-Becki a heads up?
Hmmm. Probably that it’s ok to take days off, treat yourself and not think about the business 24/7, it really took me longer than I’d care to admit to realise that it doesn’t have to be watched all the time!
What are you looking forward to next?
For PaintPott I’m excited for the summer, I’ve got a few fairs booked in where people can sit for half hour and paint something small! I can’t wait for that, I believe it really will help get the business out there more and meet new people who wouldn’t have seen us otherwise!
For Lamby, it’s my 2nd anniversary on Patreon in June so definitely celebrating that throughout the month!
Where would you like to be in 10 years?
Running both businesses full time, with PaintPott spread out across the south and not just in Southampton. A little shop opened for Lamby with comfy chairs to sit and do work and a room in the back for people to rent for pottery parties, open mic nights and fellow small business workshops.
How can we find out more about you?
Head to www.beckilamby.com for all things Lamby, my shop and blogs (which I should start writing again). I also have a Patreon of cute cartoon fun so head to www.patreon.com/beckilamby for a dose of that! Most of the Lamby pun fun happens on my Instagram or TikTok @beckilamby so drop me a follow!
For PaintPott, if you’re local to Southampton check us out at www.paintpott.co.uk, we hold workshops as well as renting out kits so maybe I’ll see you there.
Photographs: Becki Lambert & Wild Kind Photography.
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