Bourne jewellery-maker Nic Willet launches new workshops from Wake House
A jewellery-maker is on a mission to unlock people’s creativity by sharing her skills at a series of workshops.
Nic Willet enjoyed a colourful and varied career before relocating to Bourne and taking a leap of faith by launching her own business.
She studied as a mature student in Brighton, graduating as a prop-maker for film, television and theatre.
Among her early jobs Nic worked at the Madame Tussauds studio in London, inserting eyes and teeth into celebrities of the time. Model Elle Macpherson, singer Stevie Wonder and actor Christopher Reeve were among those to receive their pearly whites from Nic and her colleagues.
She later joined Robert Allsopp and Associates – one of the leading props and costume creators in the entertainment industry - before making another career change to join the RSPB as a fundraising and project manager.
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Working away from the entertainment industry gave Nic the freedom to follow her own creative interests rather than making the items she was told to. Her skills for jewellery-making blossomed and after years of selling to friends and family, she finally decided to start a business and run workshops to teach others.
Nic said: “It took a big leap of faith. I’d been making jewellery as a hobby but realised what I really loved was showing other people how to do it. Part of it was also about having the opportunity to meet people.”
Nic moved to Bourne eight years ago after meeting her partner online. She has been running workshops from glass artist Claire Hart’s studio in Northorpe but was keen to find her own space.
She is now adding the finishing touches to her new workshop at Wake House in Bourne and will start running workshops from there next week.
Nic said: “When I moved to Bourne I could see there was a very creative community in the area. It took a little longer than I hoped to open my own workshop but in the meantime I have had fantastic support from Claire Hart and Tracy Chamberlain from Glazed Expressions in Thurlby.
“I run silver jewellery workshops for beginners and most people who come along are keen crafters who want to try something different that they can’t do from home.
“It’s a very mindful activity that demands your full attention and I’ve found it is a fantastic way of clearing your head. I love it when people tell me how chilled they feel at the end of my jewellery making sessions, and we have fun too.”
Nic’s classes vary from a three-hour evening session making stacking rings to one-day workshops or six-week courses. Each is limited to four people and she already has bookings confirmed until the summer.
Nic is often joined in the workshop by her dog, Eva. Although she is a Cypriot mixed breed and not officially a Kokoni dog, Eva partly inspired the business name of Kokoni Creative Workshops. The other inspiration was Nic’s mum who she lost to cancer. With kokoni thought to come from the word kokona, meaning daughter, Nic’s mum is never far from her thoughts.
“She would have loved these workshops and she’d have been here everyday,” said Nic. “I’m doing all of this with her in mind.”
Dates for Nic’s workshops are listed at www.facebook.com/nicwillettdesign and her website www.nicwillet.com or you can sign up to receive a newsletter at tinyurl.com/Kokoni-newsletter
She added: “Wake House is the perfect venue for my workshops. I think what I’m providing aligns really well with the various arts and therapy practitioners in the building. The staff and trustees have been amazingly supportive plus it’s a great community to get involved with and I can’t thank them enough.”
