Its been a busy couple of months...

For those who don't know, I run SAINTABLETT pretty much solo (with some valuable support from friends and family when required) and until now I have been juggling it alongside self employment and / or normal (horrible) employment. I have managed to create and drop 3 full collections, as well as run a pop up while juggling this and all of my other non-work responsibilities. 

I am not a good employee. I am a good worker, I am good at my job(s) - but I am a terrible employee. I want to do what I want to do, quite simply. I like to do things that have a beginning a middle and an end. When I found myself sitting in my fifth hour-long meeting about the placement of brand-spanking-new socks within a well known shoe retail store I knew it was time to say fuck it, and go all in. 

I left, I packed it all in. Job security, holiday, expenses, car allowance, sick pay (although, to be fair, this was already basically nothing), free lunches, teams calls, zoom calls, google calls, calls about calls. All gone. Fuck it. 

So, what now.

Alongside SAINTABLETT I've been a freelance stylist for many years. I found myself styling shoots at MOSS, one of the few jobs I did actually like for the most part, mainly because I worked with fantastic people (big shout out Erdin, Dandy, Robbi, Arron and many more). I love styling. Shoots can be really big, expensive and high pressure, and the stylist makes or breaks the whole thing. It is very fun. 

So, me and Lewis Gant, my collaborator and friend, threw caution to the wind and opened TOASTHAUS STUDIOS - a photography studio based right here in Norwich. We had been throwing the idea around, and with an influx of client work coming our way, and with me finding myself without a 'real job', it was the right time.

Set in a converted church, brought to life with blood (mostly mine) sweat (both of ours) and tears (again, mine) - we made it happen. We have been incredibly busy, and we are also open for hire, which has been a joy to invite other creatives into our space. This also acts as a home for SAINTABLETT. Believe it or not, before now, most of the stock was hidden throughout my home, mostly in my daughters wardrobe (she insists she was fine with this, and often helps me pack orders). Now we have a home, somewhere to thrive and create. 

And, above all else, I work for myself. 

This week, I was offered some freelance work. I accepted. Then it turned out they wanted to me travel to a training session, stay the night, and then return home. 2 full days of work and travel. They wanted to pay LESS than one agreed day rate for this. 

I told them they can lose my number. 

I can do that now. 

And in part, I can do that because of everyone who backs the brand. So, thank you. Even when its hard, or hopeless, or disappointing, I am doing what I love. Not sure how many people can say that, especially people having 5 meetings a week about socks. 

- ASA