Meet the Maker: JoSara Designs
Mosaic artist JoSara is a wildlife enthusiast, who started making mosaic bird baths because she couldn’t find anything on the market that she liked enough to buy. She now creates art for the garden that bring gardeners joy while also encouraging wildlife into your garden and helping the creatures who call it home. We talked to Jo about her inspirations and her own postage-stamp sized wildlife garden…
Can you introduce yourself and describe what you do?
Hi, I’m Jo, and I make mosaics. My shop tagline is, ‘art for you, your garden and its wildlife’, which pretty much describes what I’m trying to achieve with my JoSara brand.
I’ve always been interested in colour and design – when I was about four, after doing an afternoon of colouring at nursery, the teacher said I had a good eye for colour.
Have you always been creative?
I remember my mum telling me that when I was about four, after doing an afternoon of colouring at nursery, the teacher said I had a good eye for colour. At school I always enjoyed art and technical drawing lessons the most (along with PE). I was sent to an interior design company for my school work experience, so I think I people have always seen me as creative. I’ve always been interested in colour and design, although I didn’t moved into that area of work until I started JoSara.
I made myself a bird bath because I couldn’t find one that I liked for my own garden. Then I thought, if I’m struggling to find a good bird bath, maybe other people are…
How did you start making bird baths?
I made myself a bird bath because I couldn’t find one that I liked for my own garden. It’s quite common for me to know what I want but not be able to find the right design, or colour, in the shops. So, if I can, I end up getting the materials and making it myself. I had seen a plastic mosaic-effect bird bath on my search but the design wasn’t great, so I thought why don’t I just make myself a real mosaic one? That went well. So I made my mum one for a present. Then I thought, if I’m struggling to find a good bird bath, maybe other people are. As I’d been wanting to start a new line of work, that’s when I looked into selling online and came across Folksy (and it’s invaluable forum which was a god send when I was starting out) and opened up a shop.
Had you worked with mosaic before that?
No. I got a book, read a bit on the internet, bought the materials and dived in.
Sometimes I’ll throw all my mosaic tiles on to a table and create a colour palette from those.
How do your designs develop?
I’m very interested in making mosaic look a bit different, and giving it the effect of other materials. So I start with an idea that I want to make a fabric-look mosaic, or a decorated ceramic look, or a naturalistic look. The actual designs can come from having a play with cutting tiles into different shapes, which then remind me of something like a particular flower’s petal shape or a feature of an animal or insect, or sometimes I just create a shape that would work well in a geometric design.
I play with cutting tiles into different shapes, which then remind me of something like a particular flower’s petal shape or a feature of an animal or insect.
I’ve got a pot with one tile colour of all the ranges that I use, and sometimes I’ll throw them on to a table and create a colour palette from a selection of those tiles. That palette then reminds me of a style, a decade or a design from a certain part of the world – and that’s how a design starts. Or, sometimes I see a picture on the internet or something on TV that strikes me as interesting, and I’ll try and adapt that. The inspiration available is endless nowadays.
Having the original idea, then working out a way to translate that to a mosaic design with the effect I want is very satisfying.
One of my most popular designs, the hedgehog, started when I saw a RSPB Facebook post saying hedgehog numbers were dropping drastically, so I wanted to add some water dishes to my wildlife range to encourage people to leave water out for hedgehogs, which is really important for them. I realised the flower petals on a design I already made could be adapted to look like hedgehog spines, so I designed a face to go with them and the hedgehog was born.
One of my most popular designs, the hedgehog, started when I saw a RSPB Facebook post saying hedgehog numbers were dropping drastically, so I wanted to add some water dishes to my wildlife range to encourage people to leave water out for hedgehogs.
What’s your favourite part of the creative process?
The designing stage is definitely the best bit. Having the original idea, then working out a way to translate that to a mosaic design with the effect I want is very satisfying.
What’s your own garden like?
I’m a keen wildlife gardener, and I like to make different areas to suit different wildlife, while making a ‘nice looking’ practical garden for us too. I have a postage stamp of a garden but I’ve tried to pack in everything a larger garden might have, so there’s a tiny vegetable patch, a small patio with container fruit, including dwarf fruit trees all with wildlife-friendly blossom, a mini pond, a woodland area in the shady corner, a small flower border with bee and butterfly-friendly plants, a couple of bird boxes, a selection of bird feeders, a toad house and a few solitary bee houses too.
The idea behind my wildlife mosaic pieces is that although they are practical for wildlife, you can enjoy their beauty too.
It’s a real-life version of the TV ad for getting nature into the garden – ‘build it and they will come’ – and I’ve found you can do that without it looking like an overgrown mess. That’s the idea behind my wildlife mosaic pieces too – that although they are practical for wildlife, you can enjoy their beauty.
My tagline is, ‘art for you, your garden and its wildlife’, which pretty much describes what I’m trying to achieve with my JoSara brand.
Can you describe your workspace?
My workspace is a drop-leaf table in the corner of a room, surrounded by drawers, shelving units and cardboard boxes holding all my tools, tiles, grout bags, bases, files for paperwork, stationery, printer, laptop, bubble wrap, packaging, and all the other stuff you need when you run a small business from home!
Being able to create every day, rather than just when there’s time after a day at work or at the weekend, is fantastic and helps keep the ideas flowing.
What’s the best thing about being creative for a living?
Being able to create every day, rather than just when there’s time after a day at work or at the weekend, is fantastic and helps keep the ideas flowing. But I would say the best bit is when someone likes something you’ve made enough to buy it for themselves or give it as a gift – the satisfaction I get from that is probably the best thing. Also, I know that with a lot of my items, they’ll get extra enjoyment from the wildlife it will bring to their garden, and that wildlife will benefit from it being there too.
I had never worked with mosaic before, so I got a book, read a bit on the internet, bought the materials and dived in.
What would you say to someone thinking about selling their work?
Do some research before you start. If you’ve got a niche product, that’s great. If you’re going into an area that’s got a lot of competition, work out what makes your items unique so you’ll stand out from the crowd. Looking at all the top-selling makers on Folksy, I could recognise their items without seeing their name attached to them because they have a unique style – this means they will have a loyal customer base who likes that style too and who will watch out for new products.
If you’re thinking about selling your craft, do some research before you start. Work out what makes your items unique so you’ll stand out from the crowd.
Think carefully about your business name too. You don’t want something too general that could be confused with other sellers, especially sellers selling the same as you. Using your own name in some form seems to be very popular among the makers, and many people who have done that have gone on to become very successful sellers. Check your business name is available on social media and as a domain name because you might want to get your own website eventually. There’s loads of information around on the internet about how to go about selling your work, and the Folksy Forum is a great place to ask questions if you get stuck on anything, so take advantage of the advice from those who have made a success of it. And good luck!
