Well, that was fun!

If you joined us on Clarity Social TV on Friday, you’ll have seen something a little different from us — our brand new brush pots and pen pots. And my word, what a response! A complete sell-out… just like that. Thank you.

Clarity Merch!! Who’d have thunk it…

But what I really want to share with you today isn’t just what we launched — it’s how it came to life.

Because, as always here at Clarity, it started with a kernel of an idea. A simple thought:
Wouldn’t it be lovely to have something beautiful — and practical — to keep our new Stamp Pen Pro tools in?

From there, it gathers momentum.

Dave is usually the next port of call. He’s the one who takes that idea and asks, “Right… how do we actually make this work?” Sublimation machinery. We needed the machinery, the ink, the transfer kits, the presses for the different size pots and mugs – the whole kit n caboodle. Week later – we’re in business.

Next question. Where are we going to actually do the job? We need a light, spacious room with plenty of counter space and shelves. Dave and I share a front office at Clarity. Said office was ideal, so we had a clear out, “vacated”, and voila! Our new Clarity Sublimation Station! Love that!!

Next? Pot blanks. There is no way on Gods earth I was going to be able to churn out ceramic pots on my pottery wheel at home, so we needed to buy in the blanks.

Over to Dave again. He sourced the pots from two UK based suppliers, bought some samples, so we could make sure they were what we (the royal we) wanted). Checked that we all loved the quality, that they were exactly the right height and shape, then placed orders. Always best to have more than one source nowadays.

Then came the creative side.
We tried various designs and fonts, used up a fair few blanks testing and figuring things out. It’s what you do. We call all of this phase R&D. Research & Development. This took a while. It’s magic at Clarity. We just know when we hit the sweet spot – and we weren’t quite there. It has to be just right, and until it is, we just keep going.

Then Lisa suggested we use an abstract alcohol ink artwork of mine as a backdrop, which always sits in the studio at the back.

I suggested we went with the original blockprint lettering…

Jazz lept into action on her Mac – and bingo. Unanimous clapping and approval. We’d nailed it. Easy on the eye: tick.

Next thing: useful. We developed two sizes:

A larger brush pot, designed especially with our stencil brushes in mind — finally, a proper home for them.

And a smaller pen pot, perfect for all your pens and tools, but really born out of the need to house our brand new Stamp Pen Pros. In fact, we made the pen pots in that gorgeous teal, to match them. (You know how much I love it when things tie together like that!)

Next up: the making. Production Process, Packaging, Price, Pitch, Presentation. It’s a can of P’s for sure, if you’ll pardon the pun.

Yes. A proper Clarity collaboration. The best bit? When we nail it. When we KNOW we have hit the spot. The next best bit? When you confirm that – and invest in what we have created.

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And here’s the thing…

It’s that very process — that spark of an idea, and the journey of bringing it to life — that still gets me out of bed early in the morning. After more than 30 years, you might think the novelty would wear off. But it doesn’t.

If anything, it’s the opposite. I find it energising. Invigorating. Exciting. There’s something about the challenge of it all — the puzzle, the problem-solving, the quiet question of “will this work?” — and then, beyond that, “will people love it?”. Dave’s the same.

It’s a bit like a game, really.
A rather wonderful, creative game where the goal is to make something that brings a little bit of joy into someone else’s day. And when it does… when it connects… well, that’s the magic.

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And judging by how quickly these pots flew out yesterday, after one single airing on our Clarity TV, I think to myself, “By Jingo chaps! We may just have cracked it! Not literally, you understand! We may just have hit that sweet spot again!”

If you missed out, don’t worry — we’re on it like a car bonnet! You know us… we honour the order.

Paul and I will be back on your screens today from 2–4pm, where we’ll be showing them off again, along with a brand new collection of stamps — born in the SHAC. I have a feeling you’re going to love those just as much…

So if you fancy a little Clarity on your desk — something practical, purposeful, and made with care right here in Kent – we’ve got just the Clarity thing!

CLICK HERE to investigate our new products.

Love and clarity,
Barb x x x