“Despite the recession, after a few months and a lot of hard work, I was travelling all over London working as a photographer. I found Etsy a year or so later and decided to open my own shop to sell a few prints. Then, after I borrowed a friend’s sewing machine in 2010 I started making Good Will Bunting. I loved it so much that I decided to develop a range and add it to my shop. This step allowed me to combine the two things that I was enjoying most, photography and crafting, and the foundations of my business and (unbeknown to me at the time) my book, The Crafter’s Guide to Taking Good Photos were set.”

 

 

As a child, Heidi was allowed to try just about anything she was interested in including the camera, the sewing machine and the kitchen. Her interests have extended from these formative experiences to take her in the multiple directions she’s heading at the moment. “I now work on so many different projects at once that sometimes I’m not sure where to start. I think the common thread to it all (photography, picture research and crafting) is organisation, preparedness and high standards. If I’m not working to all of those three I feel unsettled.”

 

 

Despite all the ‘can-do’ attitude, and the wonderful results (a book, for goodness sakes!), Heidi still says her biggest single obstacle is self-doubt. “What has helped me to feel better about this in a professional sense was something that Damien Lovegrove said in a London workshop that I attended. His advice was ‘you’re only ever as good as your last shoot and if I ever look back on my work after twelve months and don’t recognise my progress, that’s when I’ll stop.‘ It really spoke to me. The advice helped me to learn that looking back and feeling slightly uncomfortable with your previous work is actually a good sign. It’s a sign of growth.”

 

 

Photography has not been without its bad experiences, including having a shoot with paying customers that didn’t want to be there. “It was only one or two people out of a large group, but they were rude and mean. They refused to take direction or participate at all past a certain point. I tried everything I could to keep smiling, do a good job and focus on the people who at least seemed happy that I was there and just get through it but afterwards I felt awful, had a cry and wished I’d never taken on the booking. Later on I just accepted that we really can’t win them all, no matter how hard we try.”

She also has a science degree and has worked in sales and events. “For many years I wanted to be a food technologist or nutritionist and work in the food industry. I was very proud to be a food tech tutor in senior high school, and meeting Pamela Clark on work-experience at the Australian Women’s Weekly Test Kitchen blew my mind – she signed my Children’s Birthday Cake Book! When it came down to the crunch, though, I simply didn’t have the skills in chemistry. I tried courses and tutors and maybe I could have winged it but I let it go. (To compensate, I try to spend a lot of time in the kitchen!)”

 

 

Actually, Heidi’s kitchen currently doubles as her workspace. “Will and I are renovating what will be my studio and, frustratingly, it’s taking a lot longer than I anticipated. Our spare bedrooms are quite small (and set up for guests and storage in lieu of the completed studio!) so, in the meantime, the kitchen is my office.” And it seems the battle for space is a big one – she also admits that “My love for kitchen gadgets knows no boundaries and I have a thing for tiny little handmade creamers/jugs.” I’d guess that kitchen is quite the full and busy place to be!

Now back in Australia after several wonderful years travelling and photographing abroad, her home in Newcastle has become her retreat. “My favourite thing about our house is its sense of peace and general cosiness. I like to think that it was waiting for us.”

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You can find Heidi in lots of places, including her own website, heidiadnum.com, her blog, heidiadnum.blogspot.com and at goodwillbunting.com.