When I look at Create & Bloom Crafts today, I see a creative business filled with colour, products, workshops and people who have become part of its story. But it didn’t begin with a grand plan or a pile of money. It began with £150 in my pocket, a very sad heartbreak behind me, numerous shoutouts for help within my community and a decision about what I wanted my life to become.
I had reached a crossroads. I could carry on along a familiar path, or I could keep doing the thing I loved: creating. I wanted to build a brand that felt like me, shaped by my own ideas and my belief in the comfort and possibility that creativity can bring. I chose to begin, even though I couldn’t see exactly where the road would lead.
The people who leave, and the people who find you
Building a business through difficult seasons can change your relationships. I lost friendships along the way. Some relationships ended, too. That hurt, and I won’t pretend it didn’t. But new friendships grew in their place: people who believed in me, encouraged me and cheered me on from the sidelines, often when I most needed it.
I’ve learned that you don’t have to build everything alone. Support doesn’t always arrive loudly. Sometimes it’s a message, an order, a kind word, or someone reminding you that your work matters. I carry those moments with me.
Creativity has always been about people
Before this business, I worked in the NHS. My dissertation explored how creativity could support people experiencing loneliness or who were at risk of repeated hospital admissions. I believed then, and still believe now, that art can give people a way to connect, express themselves and step away from the weight of everyday life for a little while.
I used to think: if I could bring art and craft therapy to people in the Cotswolds, that’s what I would do. Create & Bloom has grown into a business selling products and supplies, but the heart of that idea is still here. I meet and interact with people who are unwell or vulnerable, and I see how much pouring art can offer as a moment of escape, focus and joy. It is never just about what’s in the parcel; it’s about what someone might feel able to make with it.
Freedom through art on Tuesdays
That is why my Tuesday art classes matter so much to me. They offer a little freedom from the pressures and routines of everyday life: time to experiment with colour, make something with your hands and share the room with other people. You don’t need experience or a perfect result. You just need the space to begin. Those moments of creativity and connection bring me back to the reason I started Create & Bloom.
Recognition is lovely. Purpose is what stays.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to have my work recognised, from my NHS roles to being named an Inspiring Practitioner of Gloucestershire 2020. In 2023, I was honoured to receive the North Cotswold Small Business Award through Concierge Medical. I’m proud of those achievements, and grateful to everyone who helped me reach them.
One of the things that still baffles me as a woman in business is the assumption that success means reaching millions. I know people often say it with encouragement, and I don’t mean this critically, but that view can miss what running a business actually involves, and what success needs to look like for the person behind it. I simply don’t measure success by how enormous a business becomes.
Especially in the current economic climate, I believe slow, steady growth is more valuable than chasing big money quickly. I want to build a business that can last, not one that expands so fast it becomes difficult to sustain. To me, success is finding that sweet spot: enough reliable work to support me and my family, and enough breathing room to keep the business enjoyable, personal and creative. I don’t need more work just for the sake of having more.
The challenge now is choosing a pace
Today, Create & Bloom is busy and ready for its next chapter. People say, “Grow it, Lou. Grow it.” I understand why, the business has healthy numbers, and there is room to do more. But I’m not trying to increase turnover at any cost. My aim is to find that point where there is enough meaningful work for me and my family, without letting the business take over the life I built it to support.
I’m a mum, and my children won’t be this age again. I want to be there for the ordinary moments, not only the big ones. I want to keep making art myself, keep talking to the people who find comfort and confidence through creativity, and keep enjoying the business I worked so hard to build.
I’m not holding back because I lack ambition. I’m being thoughtful about what ambition looks like for me. I want to keep making art, keep connecting with the people who find comfort and confidence through creativity, and keep being present while my children are young. There may be plenty of time to grow in the years ahead. For now, I’m choosing a steady, sustainable pace that lets me be a business owner and, most importantly, a mum.
A different way to measure success
For anyone starting a creative business with very little, or wondering whether they should grow faster, I hope you remember this, you are allowed to build something that fits your values and your life. Slow growth is still growth. Sustainable is still ambitious. You do not have to copy somebody else’s version of success.
For me, success is making something I love, helping people find colour and creativity when they need it, giving back quietly where I can, and still having time to be present with my family. I’m proud of what I’ve built with £150, a lot of determination and the support of people who believed in me.
Create & Bloom is still growing. I’m simply choosing to grow it in a way that lets me remain part of the life I’m building it for.