Meet Kate Marsden, the writer and designer who gave up a career at a law firm to pursue her creative passions, and won at it. We spoke to her about her rollercoaster journey
In one sentence who is Kate Marsden…
I’m a textile designer, illustrator, blogger, writer, teacher and undoubtably lots of other things I always forget to mention too!
What are your personal interests? Did they all start from childhood or have they evolved with time?
As a child, I loved fashion and drawing as well as dance and music. I think the things I’m interested in now stem from that. Fashion took me to Art college, but I’ve ended up focusing on textile design and illustration, the dance has turned into a passion for the gym (I’m counting the days to it reopening) and the love for music hasn’t changed much since my teens.
Have you influenced your family members to adopt to any of these interests as well? If so, which one? And how?
My 10 year old son really enjoys art (we’ve been so creative during lockdown it’s been great fun) and he’s also a drummer. He more or less shares my taste in music at the moment, but I doubt I’ll be lucky enough for that to last!
What was your first job? What lessons did you pick from it that you still swear by?
My very first job was a Saturday job at Clarks Shoes in Lincoln. I think the main thing I learnt was to avoid children’s kicking feet! However my first full time, long term job was working in the city of London as an office junior at a law firm (the same firm I stayed at for 15 years in a wide variety of roles). I learnt so much from the time I spent there – a belief that if I really want to achieve something I can, but also a much thicker skin (still not thick enough to deal with all the rejection that comes with the territory as a freelancer though…).
Did you have a plan B?
No, I’ve never had a plan B. I do have a willingness to pivot or change though – nothing is set in stone.
You have worked in law, administration, marketing and now fashion and textile design, at what point in your life, did you find your purpose?
Relatively recently. I’ve been self-employed since 2014 and I started my business with my first blog 10 years ago this year, but it’s probably only been in the last couple of years that I’ve started to feel really settled with it. I’ve always known that I wanted to do something similar to what I do now but circumstances, finances and of course the advent of the internet all played a huge part. If I’d walked out of college in 1996 and tried to start the business I have now it wouldn’t have been possible. I’ve also picked up so many other life skills on the way which have had an impact on my plans and what I’ve actually ended up doing (which isn’t designing all day!).
What was it like working for a Law firm for that long period of time?
To be honest, I think I became quite institutionalized. The pay was pretty good which made it harder to leave, but as the years passed I became more and more dissatisfied and realized I had to make the change. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of good times there and I learnt a huge amount, as well as making life long friends.
You worked in Marketing as well, how was that?
I was in the marketing department of the same law firm for the last few years I worked there. This suited me more and involved lots of travel, which was great. We were marketing a law firm so a completely different kettle of fish to what I’m doing now, but there are lots of similarities, especially when it comes to the importance of branding.
Everyone is told to find their purpose, what’s your definition of purpose? How did you rediscover it?
Purpose is whatever you’re meant to do. I think I’ve been lucky in that I’ve always known roughly what sort of thing I wanted to do and I know that not everyone does, or ever discovers it. I tend to tell people to think about what they’d do if time and money didn’t matter, and then work back from that. It wasn’t so much a case of rediscovering it for me as being brave enough to pursue it.
You started MadebyMrsM with just £100. What exactly did you do with it?
I ordered my first batch of fabric – it was really expensive (I hadn’t done my research at that stage). I made some cushions with it and set up my first online store.
What was your biggest fear starting out?
That it’d be a complete disaster and I’d end up having to try and crawl back to my old job with my tail between my legs. I was desperate to avoid having to go back to work in the City, so I worked much longer hours than I had there – for years this was what kept me going.
You swear by the belief that “if you give up, failure is guaranteed”. Is there a point in your professional life when you chose to give up or almost gave up? What did you or didn’t you do?
I’ve come close to giving up so many times! In my old job I did give up in the end, and that was when I realized I’d reached the point where I had to leave. Nowadays I tend to feel like giving up on a pretty regular basis – this usually means that I either need a bit of a break (I tend to work to some extent 7 days a week) or something hasn’t worked out and so it’s time to make some changes. Provided I remember that feeling means I need to stop and think, rather than actually give up, it ultimately turns out to be alright.
You had a great 2020, your business grew stronger amidst a pandemic.. Share traits business owners need to have in order to see success during challenging times.
Definitely a willingness to pivot and change. All of my events and workshops were cancelled, at the very start of the first lockdown I really thought that would be it for my business. But once I pulled myself together and figured out ways around it I did have a good year. Not everything I tried worked, but you keep plugging away until you find the things that do. We all had to do that last year to a certain extent – sink or swim.
How, in your opinion, can one live authentically?
By being true to yourself and your beliefs, whatever they may be. If something you’re doing or working on jars with you, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.
What’s your ordinary day like? How do you plan for it?
I really can’t remember! At this moment I’m approaching the end of what is hopefully the last week of home schooling – in the last year my “ordinary day” is far from ordinary! It’s basically firefighting.
Pre-pandemic (and hopefully post) the timings of my day tended to vary but would always involve the gym and lots of admin work. I like to get the boring stuff out of the way in the morning so I can design or work on commissions in the afternoon, and then focus on marketing in the evening. I’d also go to meetings or research trips into London and I really hope to get back to this soon, as well as start using the new printmaking studio I’ve just become a member of.
What is your greatest achievement?
This is a really hard question. Probably the fact that I’m still doing this after all these years. In all honesty my aim was always to be successful enough that I could keep doing it.
Work – life balance. How do you do it?
Not very well. As I work at home (and did pre-pandemic too) the lines blur all the time. I don’t really take time off as such as my studio is always there. It’s not uncommon for me to just pop in to pack up an order at 11pm, or to end up spending a whole Sunday at my desk, when it wasn’t my intention. I need to get a lot better at this, but it’s definitely worsened in the last year. It’ll be a bit better once my gym reopens!
In your opinion, can a woman have it all?
From my experience, I’d say no. I’d love to be able to say yes, but the only way to do so is to run yourself ragged or to deal with a lot of guilt (as a parent if nothing else). Loosing that ingrained desire to try to have it all has made a real difference to me – I always felt like a failure because I didn’t, and that’s not healthy for anyone. That’s not to say that I don’t always push myself to be better though, because I do.
Who inspires you the most? Why?
Not one individual. I’d say a combination of the wonderful creative, inspiring friends I have who I’ve met along this journey over the past 10 years. I do look to certain artists and designers who are hugely successful and influential, and wish I could be more like them. But comparison isn’t healthy, especially as what you see is never the whole story.
In your professional and personal life, how have you developed relationships that are dependable?
Trial and error, and social media! It’s impossible to know when you first meet people. I’ve been very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many people who I can support and who support me – it’s taken time.
You have recorded great success through social media. How can one position themselves for growth and success using social media?
The key is consistency. Turning up and showing that you’re reliable and a real person. Being the same person on all of the platforms you use. Sharing your personality but being professional at the same time.
It takes work and time, things don’t happen overnight and you need to stick with it, but it’s definitely worth the effort.
Many women worry about how to balance presence on social media and privacy of their personal lives. What’s your advice on this?
Don’t share anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. Don’t share personal details which could put you in a position where you could be unsafe. I don’t share photos of my son on my public accounts, only with my friends on Facebook. There are plenty of parts of your personality that you can safely share so that people can get to know you, without you having to give too much away.
Do you feel like a stellar woman?
At the moment, no – I feel very tired! This is a difficult question. I think as British women, society tends to bring us up to put ourselves down, and to underplay our achievements – this is very hard to break away from, but I do try and have got much better and stronger as I’ve got older.
Is there anything to add to make you feel more like a stellar woman?
It’s loosing that nagging doubt that you’re not good enough, and back to keeping on going when you feel like giving up.
What are your tips for being a Stellar woman?
Learning to sing your own praises, even if it’s only to yourself to begin with. Keep a note of all the positive feedback and reviews you get. Write down your successes so you can see them on the page and know them to be true. The more you see what you can and have achieved, the stronger you will be and the better you will feel.
To learn more about Kate’s work visit her website www.madebymrsm.co.uk