I’m thrilled to have just started Series 2 of my Live Your Own Way Podcast. For the first episode I chat with Graphic Artist and Founder of her own accessories and homeware brand – Emma J Shipley.

You may well have seen Emma’s designs either online on her own store or in one of the many stores who stock her brand. The artwork is so distinctive, so that was definitely a talking point as I wanted to know how she developed her signature mythical and colourful style.

It was a great chat and we covered her time at the Royal College of Art including how she came to win the John Lewis Award for Emerging Talent while studying amongst a handful of other accolades.

Stockists and collaborations over the last few years include Liberty, Anthropologie, Clarke & Clarke, Aesop and a fascinating one with Disney and Star Wars.

Her designs are timeless. An example of this is the Audubon print with an intricate hand-drawn scene of fantastical birds inspired by the works of John James Audubon.

I love how Emma works the colours together so that the different collections work still perfectly together. They work in rooms with rich colours but also white walls or anywhere in between.

As a textile lover and maker of things, the range of fabrics are really appealing and made with cotton and velvet which are both lovely to work with.

There are so many beautiful accessories on her website, she has everything covered – the scented candles in bona china pots, wallpaper, tableware, cards and also the most stunning art prints – we go in to detail about the silk Constellation print and the inspiration behind it.

It was interesting talking about her use of colour within the Scarves too; which are her favourite hues to use – and we discovered a mutual love on one particular colour…

Really, it was so inspiring to discuss see what someone can achieve with a combination of talent, focus  and a seriously good eye for colour – and all with self deprecation !

Times are obviously unusual at the moment so Emma offered some helpful advice for anyone studying in the creative field right now – which will be very useful here at home for my daughter too who is set for the world of art.

Here is my Podcast page where you can catch up on Series 1 if you’d like to. I hope you enjoy it as much I enjoyed making it. Do subscribe if you would like to hear more. I have a great interview lined up for next week too – about one of my most favourite ever subjects.

You can also subscribe to my newsletters here. I update every now and then with news.

Images Copyright: Ben Broomfield.