A conversation about the importance, the joys and the perils of working alone. 

We continue our series on creativity, entrepreneurship and mental health. Creativity and entrepreneurship are adventures, magnificent ones which bring people alive, show them what they are capable off and offer a real thrill and sense of purpose and fulfilment. But there are also real challenges, bumps in the road and tough times. One of these is working alone. Some months ago when I asked about the challenges you experienced in the life of a creative entrepreneur, loneliness was a common answer. Whether you truly do work alone in your studio or are the leader of a team of whatever size, the topic came up again and again.

This episide is a conversation with a wordsmith I hugely admire. Nancy Nicholson is a weaver and textile artist. She is a designer and maker of rugs, wall hangings and textiles. She would, I think, have had a great deal to discuss with Jim Ede of Kettle’s Yard. Forms, many circular, a palate informed by sheep’s fleeces and the natural world. A confidence of style. A belief in quiet beauty. She offers collections and works on bespoke commissions. She has collaborated with the likes of Christopher Farr and always offers up something unexpected.  

Nancy is that rare thing. She is unhurried. She seems to have found immunity from the rush and addiction to ‘the next thing’, from the need for speed. She reads and reads and reads and thinks and thinks and thinks. I imagine her be the sort of person who reads poems and reads them more than once. This is not to suggest inaction. Nancy produces beautiful work that finds itself in the most magical of spaces. She personifies the idea of being considered. Perhaps this is the loom itself. Perhaps it is her character. Perhaps both. But in all of it she is a celebration of the importance of working alone and embracing the independence of creative work. Not for all days, for all seasons but it is certainly valuable and part of the joy of deep work and creative breakthrough. But also it can tip from alone to lonely. And Nancy and I will explore that too.

Nancy Nicholson: www.nancynicholsonstudios.com