INSPIRE: The Road Less Travelled...Carol Dilley

This week, we meet Carol Dilley, the lovely lass behind Dilley Crafts. Carol turned her hand to many things, from the service industry to nursing to IT, before finding her niche in ceramics, fused glass work and papercraft.

Give a brief description of your career path up until now.

Before endeavouring on my creative path, my career path took many turns. Initially, from school, I trained and qualified in Hotel Management but after a number of successful years, became disillusioned with the long hours for little reward. I had always enjoyed the customer facing aspect of the job so switched my skills to Nursing. I spent 12 very happy years within this discipline working hard and eventually managed to secure a University place to embark on a medical degree to become a practitioner. It is at this point, as I was poised to undertake my next big career step, that my life changed direction in an unexpected way. After 15 years, I was suddenly faced with becoming a single parent with 2 young children to look after. My studies towards a medical qualification had now become not viable, and I additionally had to leave the job I had so enjoyed, to seek a position with better remuneration which would allow me to support my family. Finally, for the last 6 years, I ended up working for a large IT company, which provided me with both the financial security and flexibility of hours that I needed to enable me to cope with young children on my own.

What prompted you to pursue a creative career? 

A protracted period of illness and major surgery in 2010, allowed me to an extended time of reflection and contemplation of where my career path had taken me and what future possibilities might be available. The recovery time was both long and slow and I had little else I could to do but think in this period. My mind often wandered back to my love of creative art as I had been creating and selling my work for 11 years, and the more I thought about it the more it made sense and the decision to pursue a creative career was galvanised.

What was the most difficult thing about this decision? And what was the easiest?

Initially I had reservations. One of the most difficult parts of making a decision like this is having the courage in your own convictions. Often when embarking on a new career there are so many unknowns that it sometimes seems an insurmountable problem and the easy path is to go back to what you already know. The easiest and the best bit of the decision by far, was of course, handing in my notice to my previous employer and joyfully telling everyone I knew that I was about to start my journey on my long awaited new career path.

How supportive of your decision were your family, friends and (former) colleagues?

From my earliest beginnings, my colleagues were amazing. Most of them had previously appreciated the creative side of my talents and personality and indeed had become the foundation of my customer base. Many of my close colleagues recommended my work to their friends and family and I enjoyed an increasing demand for my work. My family and friends were also highly supportive of my continuing endeavours and decision to adopt a creative career. I can clearly recall one wonderful comment made to me, as I proffered the idea of my new chosen career, “You are wasted at that company”. Encouraging words, that summed up what many people had said over the preceding years.

How has perusing a creative career been compared with your previous career? What are the challenges, and what are the highlights?

My creative career compared with my previous career is fantastic for one reason alone; I am my own boss! I have often heard self employed colleagues proclaim that they would never return to company employment, and I can now truly appreciate why. Time is my own to manage. It is challenging as you have to be disciplined and focused on your deliveries, but the rewards of self achievement cannot be underestimated. It is true that distractions can easily turn you away from your work. No one will stop you from saying “I can’t be bothered to do anything today” but on the other hand there is also pleasure in losing track of time when you are having so much fun creating something special, and working unhindered, late into the night. The highlights so far are having a few shops that have started to take my work and are selling it well. This fact has represented a massive boost to my confidence and commitment to my decision. The acceptance of my work by my clients has reinforced my belief that I do create work which others seem to like and has made my career choice all the more the 'right one'. Also of equal ranking, is the fantastic fan-base that I have amassed on Facebook and the sales made both there and on Folksy. I also enjoy all the appreciative and positive comments that I get every time I post pictures of my latest creations on line.

Have you any regrets about choosing a creative career?

I have no regrets whatsoever about my decision, my life is so much happier, stress free, fulfilled. It has to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.

What has been the best thing about your decision to pursue a creative career?

The best thing has to be the change to the stress levels. I am so much more relaxed, happy and content. Things that were always such a chore such as housework, shopping etc no longer seem so as time is my own to manage. I no longer worry about time so much. My clock watching days are no more. Also the best thing is seeing other people enjoy what you are passionate about and I get such a buzz when I sell something that I have spent a long time creating and when that buyer sends you pictures of it in their home, I get such a sense of pride that they are loving something as much as I did in creating it.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone considering taking up a creative career, what would that be?

My advice would be to expect rejections. Not everyone will like your work or want to buy it or sell it on your behalf. But whilst bearing this in mind, you must also be confident in your product and be prepared to 'cold call' to many establishments to build your customer base. Stay disciplined, and above all, believe in yourself.

What are your plans for the future?

My plans for the future are to expand my range of creations, continue to learn new skills and techniques, and find more outlets to sell my products. Additionally, I will endeavour to expand my fan base on both Facebook and folksy and launch my own web site later this year. I have signed up for some craft fairs in the late autumn and I am looking forward to exhibiting my work at a local annual arts trail next spring. I intend to enjoy what I am passionate about, and aim for continued future success.

You can see more of Carol's work on her Facebook page and her Folksy shop.