Interview with Charlotte and Ollie of Creators Cabinet
Creators Cabinet by duo Charlotte and Ollie was conceived from a love of materials and process, and the endless possibilities that come with sharing creative skills. We spoke to them about their journey, favourite materials and what we can expect from them in the coming months.
How did you start your journey towards establishing Creators Cabinet?
Back in 2019, we began clearing out an old barn with the vision of creating a studio space to host creative workshops and a hub for local creatives to meet while learning a new skill.
Our plans for the barn had been put on hold when the first lockdown hit. During this time, we were both out of work as the events and film industry weren’t in action... so we decided to continue to build our business in the digital world instead.
The solution to this was our craft toolkits that could be posted out to people. When they’re ready to get making, they join an online workshop. We began testing different materials and thinking up workshops that anyone could do from the comfort of their home. Seeing the boom in people of all ages engaging in crafts was incredibly encouraging as we spent all hours designing workshops, sourcing eco friendly materials and building the brand.
What are your favourite materials to work with?
We love working with practical and tactile materials. Within Ollie’s work in the film industry, he’s learned how to use lots of different materials and techniques to create a certain look and feel. For our workshops we wanted to incorporate some of these industrial materials, but add a craft inspired homely twist to them. We’re always taking pictures of random materials we see when we’re travelling and we use these as inspiration for our toolkits.
Do you have a favourite artwork you’ve made to date?
Favourite... well, it’s got to be clear resin spray cans that we made for an art auction which a production was putting on to raise money for a local school. We wanted to create something vibrant and long standing with materials that we could find around the workshop. This process of casting and creating a marbling effect inspired our ‘Cast & Curious’ toolkit. However, as with each of the materials used in our toolkits, we wanted to make sure the resin was eco-friendly so we use a water based resin, Jesomite, instead.
What's your next project, what’s in the works?
We have so many ideas bouncing around, every few months we sit and plan what our focus for the coming months is going to be. One that we’d love to create next is a wicker stool workshop. You’d receive the materials flat packed (like an Ikea delivery) and in the online workshop we’d teach you how to build the frame and weave the colourful base together. The goal would be to inspire people to think about how things are made, gain the confidence to do it themselves and realise it is not as hard as it may seem.
What do you do in your spare time?
When we’re not working our day jobs we can mostly be found developing our toolkits and hosting events. We are fortunate enough to live in the countryside so have lots of beautiful walks on our doorstep that we enjoy with our terrier, Finn.
We’re super close to London too so if we’re craving city life we’ll go urban exploring with our friends and find a great cafe, market or exhibition.
Charlotte also dedicates some of her spare time to Ok Mentor, a free training and mentorship programme for young women looking to break into creative industries.