An insight into collaboration with Pelican House X Shrimps. Why collaborate? How can we make it an enjoyable and effective process? How do we know whether it has 'worked' or not? Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me, Calandre Orton. In a world where technology shouts and AI feels mystifying, hopeful and threatening all at once, I find myself drawn ever more to understanding the human mind. In particular, how and why the human mind creates. Today we a...
Jun 26, 2025•51 min
A conversation with Xanthe Ross, chef, supper club host and food writer. We discuss the value and importance of being a beginner. Welcome to Up With the Lark, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs, hosted by me, Calandre Orton. This podcast captures conversations built on curiosity, optimism, and the nitty-gritty detail of what it actually takes to build a career, a business, an enterprise, or a charity in the arts or creative industries today. This is a topic I believe to be an essential tool in...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 8 min
A conversation about Indian design, style and approach to retail with Gabby Deeming founder of Daydress. A few years ago, I had a conversation with Taymoor Atigetchi, founder of Papier, about the impact of his Iranian roots on the way that he does business. That train of thought stayed with me and stayed with me to the point of preoccupation. And so now, here is the third in our series of interviews with entrepreneurs working in and influenced by a variety of countries and cultures. And so today...
May 14, 2025•1 hr 2 min
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 exp...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 18 min
A conversation with Cath Kidston MBE about her new brand, C. Atherley, and the longevity of her creative and commercial success. Most, many or all of us will have interacted with Cath Kidston's products, story and style at some point. It is certainly a story of creativity, of joy, of home, of both a fresh approach and a sense of nostalgia; it is a jewel in the crown of British design. It’s one that expands across the decades, across the globe, across changing styles and trends, across different ...
Feb 26, 2025•57 min
A conversation with Victoria Barker, founder of Studio Faeger, on finding and nurturing your creative identity. The internal life of creative entrepreneurs fascinates me and it is my view that the mental health of this extra ordinary group of people warrants greater discussion. What makes a person create? What makes them keep creating? What part do persistence, patience and pauses play? How do you experience the ‘aloneness’ of it? How do you handle failure and disappointment? What impact does le...
Feb 19, 2025•58 min
A discussion with eyewear designer and founder of Soho Bespoke, on the relationship of form and function. A few weeks ago, I stood in a spectacles shop trying on new frames. I found myself selecting a simple gold-rimmed wire pair. And in the mirror, I was reminded—which, I'll admit, took me by surprise—of four-year-old Calandre wearing something very similar, thanks to the design decisions of the NHS. And so today's conversation is perfectly timed. It is one about the relationship between form, ...
Jan 30, 2025•57 min
A conversation about the influence of Japanese design, business, retail and gardens on Jake Hobson, founder of Niwaki. A few years ago, I had a conversation with Taymoor Atigetchi, founder of Papier, about the impact of his Iranian roots on the way that he does business. That train of thought stayed with me and stayed with me to the point of preoccupation. And so now, here is the second in our series of interviews with entrepreneurs working in and influenced by a variety of countries and culture...
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 3 min
The last decade has seen a great deal of change around the interrelationship of digital and bricks and mortar across the creative industries. Disciples of each approach are plentiful but for most, it’s all about the hybrid. It’s about acquiring, delighting and retaining customers in both formats. It is frankly acrobatic to keep both elements flourishing. One of the tools in this hybrid toolbox is the Pop Up. And that is what we are going to be exploring in this episode with Rachel Carvell-Speddi...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Today we will be speaking with Sam Paget Steavenson, co-founder of Botivo. This British non-alcoholic botanical aperitivo has joy, playfulness and vivacity in abundance across flavour, brand and approach to doing business. This is accompanied by a determination, an attention to detail and a focus that means the commercial side is thriving, the company is a certified BCorp and they have been in receipt of some serious funding to make expansion possible. This is, simply, a modern day case study of...
Oct 24, 2024•52 min
In this episode, we are exploring the alchemy, the mystery and the magic of partnerships. For me it is such an intriguing element of creativity and of entrepreneurship. How do they work? Is it about divide and conquer? is it about contrast, connection and friendship? How are decisions made and conflicts resolved? How can you nurture and enliven them in the long term? How do they impact creativity? Can they be more profitable? Faster moving? More impactful? We are very lucky that in this episode ...
Oct 10, 2024•50 min
In this episode I speak with Pip Durell founder of With Nothing Underneath to explore having singular focus at your business grows, how to lead, the reality of what it takes and how to celebrate the journey . Start ups are exciting and much discussed but there is something particularly intriguing about those companies that make it to adolescence. You realise what really matters, you start to understand yourself better, you analyse what ‘works’ more effectively, your team becomes increasingly ess...
May 22, 2024•51 min
Gemma Moulton is the founder of East London Cloth. Gemma has crafted a visual narrative, a sensibility, a place and space all of her very own. It is both timeless and of the moment. It draws intelligently and interestingly on the past. The business has evolved quickly from making curtains, to café curtains by post and now as a fabric house of its very own. East London Cloth has made the old, new. Time. The Right Time. Good Timing. The Right Moment. The Passage Of Time. The Right Age. Time is mon...
May 16, 2024•59 min
We ask Ben Watkinson, Creative Director of GF Smith, about the power of paper, the work of a paper merchant, resilience, innovation, company culture, longevity and what the next one hundred years might bring. When I begin work with a new client, their specific understanding of success is a vital first step. Often I find myself ushering people towards adding ‘longevity’ to the list. In an era where everything seems to happen ever faster, comparison is rife and the state of the world makes it hard...
May 01, 2024•54 min
If curiosity is your north star, you will enjoy this. How does being self-taught impact the life of a creative entrepreneur? Those who live a life of creativity are often driven by something quite simple - curiosity, wonder and questioning. There is an innate desire to want to understand something, to work something out, to communicate and to explore. For some, this takes them on a path to art school, to foundation degrees, exams, tests, the affirmation of professors and educators. For others, t...
Apr 10, 2024•55 min
How to ignite original thinking to action and how to keep that independence of thought at the heart of all you do as your businees grows. I think that we would all liked to be described as original. I think we also like to think that our designs, branding, website, shop or investment strategy meet that threshold too. But it is a high one. There are certainly those who veer away from the herd, who shake off what is expected and forge their own path, laying brick by brick by brick. These people im...
Mar 27, 2024•53 min
How do we tune into clients? How can we read them quickly? How can we take feedback well? How can we be collaborative? How can we help them tell their story? I always enjoy the dedications and acknowledgements in books. Such hidden treasures. Recently, I had the pleasure of wolfing down Thomas Heatherwick’s latest book ‘Humanise – a Maker’s Guide To Building Our World’. It is a point of view. A statement of intent. Perhaps, a manifesto. I have re-read it a few times, it is a spine broken, weight...
Mar 13, 2024•55 min
A conversation about how the Swedes do business with textile designer, Cathy Nordstrom. A few years ago, I had a conversation with Taymoor Atigetchi, founder of Papier about the impact of his Iranian roots on the way that he does business. That train of thought stayed with me. And stayed with me. And stayed with me to the point of preoccupation.And so now, a series of interviews with entrepreneurs across a variety of countries and cultures. I want to look beyond the accepted clichés and celebrat...
Jan 25, 2024•53 min
Welcome to Up With the Lark And – a podcast for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me, Calandre Orton. It seems to me that there are two key factors in the running of a great business. Consistency and Change. Together. Blended. Balanced. Connected. And as we usher in a New Year, change is on our minds. What goals have you set for yourself this year? Perhaps a change of product or service, perhaps a change of location, of stockists, of supplier, of marketing strategy? Some are tweaks. Some are seis...
Jan 11, 2024•52 min
Welcome to Up With the Lark And – a podcast for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me, Calandre Orton. One of the areas of creative business that intrigues me most is how creatives work together. How do great partnerships, collaborations, commissions, pairs and teams work? How do we know if an endeavour will be challenging, stretching, engaging, enriching, effective, adventurous? How can we all understand ourselves better in order to work well with others? Does there need to be a commonality of ou...
Dec 13, 2023•33 min
It seems to me that the mix of work rest and play has gone awry. Many of us find ourselves far from a good blend, mix or combinations of these three critical factors in any creative business. Work has long been worshipped. Being oh so very busy, burning the candle at both ends and the midnight oil, the 5am club, all nights have all been badges of honour. Slowly, though, rest has found its way like the first crocus, into entrepenurial consideration. Even if just as a means to an end. Mindfulness,...
Aug 30, 2023•44 min
It seems to me that the mix of work rest and play has gone awry. Many of us find ourselves far from a good blend, mix or combinations of these three critical factors in any creative business. Work has long been worshipped. Being oh so very busy, burning the candle at both ends and the midnight oil, the 5am club, all nights have all been badges of honour. Slowly, though, rest has found its way like the first crocus, into entrepenurial consideration. Even if just as a means to an end. Mindfulness,...
Aug 23, 2023•53 min
It seems to me that the mix of work rest and play has gone awry. Many of us find ourselves far from a good blend, mix or combinations of these three critical factors in any creative business. Work has long been worshipped. Being oh so very busy, burning the candle at both ends and the midnight oil, the 5am club, all nights have all been badges of honour. Slowly, though, rest has found its way like the first crocus, into entrepenurial consideration. Even if just as a means to an end. Mindfulness,...
Aug 16, 2023•53 min
It seems to me that the mix of work rest and play has gone awry. Many of us find ourselves far from a good blend, mix or combinations of these three critical factors in any creative business. Work has long been worshipped. Being oh so very busy, burning the candle at both ends and the midnight oil, the 5am club, all nights have all been badges of honour. Slowly, though, rest has found its way like the first crocus, into entrepenurial consideration. Even if just as a means to an end. Mindfulness,...
Aug 09, 2023•41 min
It seems to me that the mix of work rest and play has gone awry. Many of us find ourselves far from a good blend, mix or combinations of these three critical factors in any creative business. Work has long been worshipped. Being oh so very busy, burning the candle at both ends and the midnight oil, the 5am club, all nights have all been badges of honour. Slowly, though, rest has found its way like the first crocus, into entrepenurial consideration. Even if just as a means to an end. Mindfulness,...
Aug 02, 2023•43 min
In this episode we are joined by Jess Wheeler. Jess is a designer and artist based in North Wales. She works across a variety of disciplines from set to homeware design and her cross disciplinary approach has a unified, nostalgic, nature driven narrative. I greatly admire not just the pieces that Jess creates but also her route and methods. In fact a bronze rhubarb from her collection was the first purchase I made for my own studio before I even had a desk. She seems to have an unquenchable thir...
Apr 19, 2023•45 min
It is too easy to throw up our hands in despair at the state of the world. And yet there are many of you acting to make a change. Not only that, you are doing it ever so stylishly. Each of you should be applauded. For quite some time, I have wanted to adjust the format of the podcast. To mix in with the one to one interviews, some more ‘round the table’ discussions. I want to hear different views and outlooks, about contrasting ideas and a breadth of industries. I am delighted that this is the f...
Mar 29, 2023•1 hr 2 min
There is an audible sigh of exhaustion, of weariness, of disturbed momentum, of deep uncertainty. So in this collection of conversations, we are going to discuss ideas, approaches and temperaments that could act as an antidote for those of us working in the arts and creative industries. If you have found yourself retreating, becoming overly cautious or risk averse, then this is the episode for you. Francesca Strange, founder of The Proof, is brutally honest about running a business and taking ca...
Feb 28, 2023•55 min
It is true that many enterprises begin with someone unable to find what they are looking for, so they make it themselves and Nights By Wilder is a delightful example of this. It was born out of founder Elizabeth’s stylish eye for nightwear for her children. Stylish is quite the word here, Nights By Wilder is highly memorable from its fabrics and silhouettes to its charm and its whimsy. Children’s attire is a crowded & noisy marketplace so it’s no mean feet to find yourself distinctive, celeb...
Feb 14, 2023•47 min
Welcome to the latest episode of Up With The Lark And. In this latest collection of conversations, I hope to offer some small antidote to the pervasive sense of weariness, exhaustion and uncertainty. My guests offer attitudes, approaches and temperaments that I hope should offer ideas, energy and confidence. Our guest is Julian Parmiter, one of the founders of Create Academy. Create Academy offers online learning across interior design, floristry, food, drink and craft. It is warm, embracing, jo...
Dec 19, 2022•52 min
