How did I come up with the name?

One of the main criteria of the training course was to research textures to be captured in the clay. I didn’t realise how absorbed I could be in the textures and shapes found in nature and what better place to be in the UK than Fowey, on the east coast of Cornwall. Some of the most intricate details of totally inspiring forms of nature, sea urchin shells, weathered pebbles, leaves, bark and loads, loads more made distinctive impressions in the clay…. a light bulb moment…the name of my business was found and the direction of the company was set.

When Edward was a baby I had his fingerprint put into fine silver and felt at the time that it was an amazing process. So, on the realisation that I could capture more than a fingerprint, the most unique impressions ever created,
I was totally enthused to transform them into possessions that could be treasured forever.

In the narrow lanes of Fowey we stumbled across a beautiful Fine Arts and Crafts Gallery called Cry of The Gulls which displayed the most wonderful contemporary pieces from local designers such as Poppy Treffry and artists. I spent hours over wet and windy days browsing the gallery absorbing the atmosphere and dreaming that one day I too would be supplying hand crafted, contemporary pieces of jewellery to establishments like this….very exciting!
On our return home, a wee bit wet under the collar from the wonderful British Summer, I set straight about writing my business plan and sourcing tools and materials.

Well Distinctive Impressions is Finally Up and Running!!

I can finally say that my website is up and running...it's an amazing feeling to actually see all the hard work of writing and creating the site live on the internet and it is all mine!!

I thought I would just write a bit about how Distinctive Impressions came into being.....In April 2007 my beautiful son, Edward, was born and my world changed.Before he arrived I was so excited about the prospect of becoming a Mum and having a year to nurture this little being in readiness for adventures in the big wide world. But it wasn't quite that simple for me, unfortunately I happened to be one of the people consumed with Post Natal Depression and I had a lot of re-thinking to do....who am I? What am I? What do I enjoy? What do I want from life?

In May 2008 one of my questions was answered for me, I was made redundant. I now had the opportunity to find a career that would fit perfectly into my new life as a mum. I looked at my skill base and the elements of my previous job roles that I had enjoyed the most. My background is Product Management and Marketing, which actually requires a huge amount of creativity. I was like a pig in the proverbial mud puddle when I was in the thick of researching the latest trends in home and fashion, working out how I could bring them to market and then having a big influence on the design content. This realisation answered another one of my questions…What do I enjoy…. I enjoy (actually love) being creative. With a little bit of time on my hands I started to look into the world of arts and crafts to see if there was anything that might interest me, when I stumbled across Precious Metal Clay (PMC). I started to research into the subject and decided that I wanted to have a go. I found a training course at The Mid-Cornwall School of Jewellery, which ran over one weekend and managed to fit it into the middle of our first family camping trip. I had a fantastic time and earned myself a Grade 1 qualification in Precious Metal Clay Foundation Skills. I learnt all about the process of working with PMC, which started the creative wheels turning and left me totally inspired by the opportunities ahead.



Tune in again soon to find out how Distinctive Impressions evolved and some of the thinking behind the company…..