Sheep Dip with Raising the Baa
Discover how to keep your team engaged, happy, connected and productive - with and without the help of sheep.
Building the best team in your field.
Sheep Dip with Raising the Baa
Pick Your Own - with Emma of Emma Kirkham Glass
What struck ewe most from this episode - and why?
Today's guest is the hugely talented Emma Kirkham who wears two hats - a career as a glass artist as well as a wonderfully empathic HeartHealer.
As with Vanessa our last guest, Emma rather fell into artistry with glass by experimenting at college with some broken glass she found! More of which Emma explains in our conversation.
Find out also exactly what happens in one of Emma's glass workshops which we're delighted to know can take place on the farm alongside our signature sheep-herding activity.
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Whilst hundreds of companies have brought their teams to a farm to herd sheep with us at Raising the Baa, we know that the field-based exercises are not for everyone.
So we've raised our own 'baa' and created Pick Your Own. A bespoke collection of sustainable and meaningful activities to bring teams together in the countryside - just perfect for everyone's wellbeing.
Thank ewe for tuning in :-)
Pick Your Own brochure - download here
Click here to book in an Exploratory Call with Caroline
Connect with the speakers via LinkedIn:
Emma Kirkham - founder of Emma Kirkham Glass
Caroline Palmer - Top Dog and co-founder, Raising the Baa
What are your main team challenges and desires? Maybe we can help?
Book in a 15-minute Exploratory Call now and let's see.
.Hey, Emma, how are you today?
Emma:Hey Caroline. Thank you so much. I'm doing really well. Glad to be here.
Caroline:Now we've got thunder and lightening. I've Pouring rain but we're going to crack on. I hope we get to the end of this before all the wires come down. Anyway. So Emma, for the purposes of our listeners, tell us a little about who Emma is and how you got to be where you are today. Really just
Emma:Well, I'll keep it as brief as possible So for 30 years I was a glass artist creating fused glass and blown glass pieces. I trained at university to do that, ran my own business, held workshops, doing glass making, blowing and fused glass. In 2020 when we all had that. moment in time where we couldn't do anything. I then started helping other handmade artists and craft and product based businesses create more leads and sales using Facebook and Facebook events. During that time, one of the things that I really recognised that was keeping people in a place where they didn't necessarily want to be and were stopping them go forward in their business, create more sales, work together in teams, was the fact, it wasn't just mindset, it was so much deeper. They weren't connecting to each other, they weren't being visible, they weren't saying what they needed to say. They weren't communicating either with their family or their friends. So I went down the route of how can I help these people more? How can I help them get the best out of what they're doing, their businesses? And so I trained in hypnotherapy and heart healing. So that then led me to doing more work, which was combining the glasswork and the hypnotherapy and healing side of things. So that brought the two businesses together into doing what I do today, and that is helping businesses and teams and leaders come together and create spaces that are not just creative, but therapeutic and healing all at the same time.
Caroline:it's such a unique offering, which is you know why we love having you as part of our Pick Your Own collection. Because everybody says to us, oh my God, it is so unique what you do with the sheep herding, which. I'm guessing it pretty much is, but I think you've got an even greater niche with what you do, the combination of the two. [Yeah. Yeah]. I think that's great. That's an exciting combination, I think. When people come to you, what do they actually get involved? What do they get their hands dirty doing?.
Emma:So they get their hands dirty. Not really dirty because glass is quite clean, but they get that chance to reconnect. So it is all about connecting to being creative. Creative in the way that they communicate with themselves, as in, how their self-talk is, but also creative in the way that they express themselves and then connect to each other. And so by coming together and using glass as the kind of the binder, the medium that brings it all together, it has that way of in quietening people down. They start to then focus on the present moment, what's going on, and they start being honest with themselves first and foremost, and then with others in the team without that barrier of what is somebody else going to say to me? Because we often work and communicate better when we're side by side rather than front on eye to eye contact. And it helps people feel calmer, clearer, and then get that better connection for that communication that they need within their team setting. And it can even lead to better relationships at home because they understand a better way of communicating from a more open place.
Caroline:it's really intriguing. What is it about glass? Because you've clearly been involved with glass for a long time. What is it about glass that really fascinated you in the first place and what led you to, really have your career based on glass?
Emma:Okay, so if we rewind to 1992 when I was at art college. Glass came to me accidentally. I literally was in the ceramic studio and I just, wanted to create something. And I created these molds and I thought, you know what? I'm going to smash up some wine bottles and, I'm going to do recycling. So I smashed up all these wine bottles, I'll whack them into a kiln. Turned it up. To be honest, I thought I created the bloody wheel because, I'd melted all these bottles together and I made these forms of art, and because I'd done that, I then started to look at how can I take this further? Then in that research I found out there was places where you could go and you could study, but what I found was I was getting involved in a very heavily male dominated industry. Glass making wasn't for women really. So I was going into a space of, okay, how can I do something that not every single woman gets the opportunity to do? it was fascinating because you didn't see women glassblowers. There were few and far between. I think the first Glassblowers came about in the seventies and eighties who were female, so I wasn't that far behind them. And it was like I want to see this, I want to embark on something that not every woman has the opportunity to do. And so that was the interest for me in Glass. The other interest was cut Crystal. Most people know Cut Crystal. They've seen cut Crystal or they've even owned a piece of cut crystal or family members have gifted them some kind of cut crystal. But I saw when I was coming into the glass design that again, it was starting to fizzle out. It was starting to die out and something called studio glass, which is what I was part of was starting to take over and I wanted to be part of that, something new. And I wanted to also understand why Crystal was not fashionable anymore. So I've always been fascinated. One, because it's an amazing medium. You have to master self-control. You have to work with your breath. You are working in incredibly hot environment. You have to have immense resilience. But the beauty of what you can create, when you keep going, you don't give up. It really is a testament to how we all are in life. We keep going. We are resilient. And we get beautiful results when we do. So that's why I love working with glass.
Caroline:Yeah, I can see that. so when you run a workshop with a business And because you do go into the premises sometimes, don't you? How does that all work because you said, it needs to be really hot environment, or do you do, aspects of it, you, that you take it so far and then...
Emma:So what I do when I take my work to corporate, we are working with something we call fused glass. So we're working with glass sheets. Window glass, if you like, for want of a better term, because everybody recognizes what a sheet of window glass looks like cut down into smaller pieces. And then using that, those smaller sheets of glass, the teams are then asked to create something w ithin that setting using variety of glass, copper inclusions, aluminum, copper, things like that to create a piece that resonates with them. Obviously, dependent on what kind of workshop the team wants to create, depends on how we do it, but The main focal point is using a fused glass. And that looks like taking in sheets of glass, which are cold. Creating something on the initial sheet, sandwiching it within another sheet, so it's like creating a sandwich. And then say, we're going to put it into the toasty, which is the kiln, to warm it up and fuse it all together and make a nice sandwich toasty. And then they fuse that, and that sandwich toast is around 800 degrees. So it's quite hot and it's all fused together quite nicely. And then they get that beautiful, toasty back and it's a piece of glass that they can obviously keep and that's encapsulated what they wanted to create in the workshop in that piece of glass.
Caroline:And so they're working together on one big piece, or is it individual pieces?
Emma:It's really dependent on what the leader of the team requires. Obviously under discussion we can choose if it's a group piece, that would hang together as one specific piece of art within say, a foyer or something, or whether they want them to create it as a reminder of that day for each team member to take home. Yeah. I guess because with so many sort of
Caroline:remote based teams now that's possibly more likely, isn't it? It's a shame because I love the idea of a collective piece of art and that being in the office, but there again, as you say, just totally depends on the company and their Work pattern right now, doesn't it?
Emma:And what their main aim is from the workshop itself, as to whether they want it as a collective piece or to be given as an individual reminder.
Caroline:Exactly. Yeah. And they can choose the theme, they can decide what it is they're either trying to make a picture of it or it could be completely abstract?
Emma:absolutely. I've done so many different ones. One that springs to mind is a values based one. So they worked on their own personal values, but they came together as a complete picture, if that makes sense. So it really is dependent on what they want to emphasize from the session itself and what they want it to be led with.
Caroline:And what sort of comments have you had back? Can you think of some perhaps some feedback that you've been given, takeaways that you've been given by some of those delegates?
Emma:Yeah, most people say I'm not going to be any good at this. I'm not creative. So that is the normal first thing that I hear. But actually I love the feedback because it's absolutely, the stunned amazement of being that's what something they created. And a lot of people can't believe the freedom that it's brought them to be able to express what they needed to. And also just being able to have conversations. A nd one of the things that I've had people say is it's the connection and conversations that made the whole experience so valuable for them because they get to do it in a way that they wouldn't if they were just sat round a room together, having a meeting with a clipboard and a pen.
Caroline:Yeah, that's actually generally quite a theme from nearly all the activities that we've got within Pick Your Own. I think it is this notion just creating that environment whereby, as you say you're side by side and/or you are totally ensconced in something which takes you away from all the normal kind of parameters that you're having to work within. So it just makes people more natural, I think.
Emma:Yeah. And it's, that kind of coming together as a team at the same time. honestly so mindful because you are not thinking about what you normally would be when you are in a work setting.
Caroline:Totally. Yeah, totally. And that's exactly what we're about. We've always been about just get people away from their normal environment, whatever that work space is these days. But normally it involves a screen like we're using today. But it's four walls, it's indoors, and I know yours is indoors, but it's still going to be a very different space, isn't it? The atmosphere is going to be very different. Incidentally what sort of space can you work within? Literally dependent on the number of people is dependent on the amount of chairs and kind of small table space needed. So it is not an excessive amount of space. because obviously we are not running around, a space where there's a desk and a chair for people to work at. Obviously, people can get up and move around. They can go and look at what each other's doing. It's not like we're in a classroom and you mustn't move, but it isn't a huge amount of space that's needed to be able to do this. What I like about it is we're on farms primarily. Now, these vary between quite sophisticated diversified farms, which now operate, conferences and weddings down to literally a field with a sort of hay barn in the corner. I think, correct me if I'm wrong, that you could operate in either of those environments. Is that correct?
Emma:Absolutely. Absolutely. They can sit on the hay bales and have a, I dunno, an apple crate or something to lean on, it's literally where there's a will, there's a way. Yeah. It really is.
Caroline:Yeah, exactly. So the toasters, as you call them, are they do they need power? Do they need electric power or is it battery?
Emma:No, because what happens is everything is created there on site and I take it away with me and I fuse it in my toaster. So my kiln is at my premises and everything's done there. So each piece is labeled. it's given its own space in the kiln so that I know whose is whose.. And then when it comes out and it's repackaged up, it gets sent off and delivered. Everybody gets their individual piece. Or if it needs me to go in and install, obviously that's extra, but then I can install or help install the piece, or people can feel free to bring in somebody outside or do it themselves, whichever. But everything in terms of the toasting and the kiln work and firing the kiln, that's what I do on my premises. So there's nothing to worry about in that side of things.
Caroline:Now you are based in the Midlands, broadly speaking, Staffordshire. Yeah. So what's the kind of radius that you go to?
Emma:So depending on obviously what people need, I'm quite open to traveling, staying the night before delivering the workshop. That's okay. So the length and breadth of England also up into Scotland if necessary. So yeah, I'm quite prepared to, to travel
Caroline:Because the pieces afterwards, as you say, are either carefully, presumably packaged and sent off. Or if you're doing an installation, then you would go to their offices and obviously that would be down to them to manage that afterwards, wouldn't it?
Emma:Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So if I was going to install at a later date that's a discussion to have after the workshop as to how they want to have it hung,
Caroline:Do they need to decide on whether they're going to do an individual piece or a team piece before the event? Or do they make the decision once they're with you?
Emma:We can actually literally decide on the day. what I find is perhaps the leader or the person who's organizing it might have an idea, but as soon as everybody comes together, we'll soon get an idea of whether that's actually going to be the right way to move things forward.
Caroline:And that's really important, isn't it? It's the team's decision. It's not the leaders or the organizers. It has to come from the team themselves, which I love.
Emma:because quite often what happens is they want to have a team piece that could be displayed, but the delegates actually want the piece to go home because they want to be able to tell all about it and family and friends can't see in that office.
Caroline:Yeah. And it's the story behind it, doesn't it? It means That word will travel further. Yeah. Could they ever do both or would it be a time restraint?
Emma:Yeah. It's possible. But a lot longer would be needed. that would probably be at least an all day workshop, potentially going into another day. But obviously it can be, anything can be done.
Caroline:Sure. Okay. But generally speaking, talking of timing, what would a workshop be in terms of duration?
Emma:To do one of the fused workshops? We're talking around three hours. Okay to do that. And I do like to have time for q and a as well, so that people have got time to settle in so that we've got some understanding and give them a good length of time to actually get to play with what they're working with. Because that's the important part it's the play.
Caroline:Yeah. And numbers wise, we deal with as most listeners will, I think will know now we deal with teams of anywhere between 10 and about 30, 32. Is that the same sort of range for you?
Emma:Yeah, I can accommodate that. It can be larger, but I would bring another trained person with me who's also a fused glass artist, and has the awareness of the glass to help just for facilitation purposes so people have a better experience.
Caroline:So we are particularly passionate about the sustainability of our activity, not just in terms of the perhaps the traditional sense of the word sustainability, but the fact that the the results last, there's a lasting effect. So I guess the original meaning of the word sustainable. Are there any aspects of your business that you're particularly proud of in relation to sustainability?
Emma:actually a lot of the work I do for these particular workshops is using thrown away window glass. So glaziers would perhaps skip it and I'd be like, let's not skip that. Let's take it away. So I take away what they've skipped. I do pay for it even though they skip it. So it is, in that sense, it's recycled. It's been given a new life in a different way. So it's upcycled recycling. It's been taken from the skip. And it gets used for these workshops. a friend of mine runs a business using frames from pictures. So she'll go to charity shops and buy all the old picture frames, and she literally keeps the frame and the back, but throws away the glass. So I take the glass and use the glass. So again, it's keeping that similar theme of what, what was going to be thrown away or skipped. I'm taking that glass and I'm using it and giving it a new life.
Caroline:Oh, that's lovely, isn't it? I must admit. When you're clearing out your attic and you find those pictures that you think, oh, what am I going to do with that? And you do wonder what to do with the glass. It does go into recycling, I'm guessing, but I think some glass can't be recycled. Is that right?
Emma:what you can't do is mix different types of glass. So for instance, you wouldn't be able to mix your milk bottles with your, framed glass with your wine glasses. because it's all, got different properties. And when you mix them all together, what will happen is you'll get a sludgy colour. And when you try and do something with it, when it's cooled down, it all start to crack And it'll end up exploding. So you can't recycle everything and fuse everything together.
Caroline:And I've seen the very colourful creations that your people create. What what makes the colour then?.
Emma:So that colour is actually bought in because I can't colour the glass myself because it's using different oxides like copper, ruby, gold, things like that. It's to get the different colours in there. So that is actually bought in from a glass manufacturer who creates the colours. And then what you can choose from is kind of frit, which is like tiny particles of glass, like sugar granules. Then we use something called eggshell, which is what it says. It's like the thickness of eggshell. So it's really fine and it can be crushed up. And then we've got chips of glass, which are like tinier chunks of glass. So you've got all those different kinds. And then powders, which is the thickness of a talcum powder. So all of those in different colours. I would bring those with me alongside, like I say, copper foils aluminum foils, brass, things like that can be used as well.
Caroline:This is where we need a video podcast, not an audio one, because I'm sure you'd be showing all these. I've seen them, but people can go to your website and that will be in the show notes for anybody that wants to see some of your creations. So that's fantastic. Okay. Listen, Emma, it's been lovely to speak with you, and I've got images of some really colourful glass creations that are going to be made by our delegates. I'm really excited to be running workshops with you and I want to do it myself too.
Emma:Yeah, fantastic. Maybe you should do that. No, it's been lovely speaking to you, Caroline. Thank you for inviting me on and really looking forward to working with you and your delegates too.
Caroline:Thanks so much. Have a good day. Bye for now.
Emma:You too. Bye bye.