Up With The Lark And

UP WITH THE LARK
  • 5.0 (4)
  • BUSINESS

A podcast for creative entrepreneurs looking for pithy, actionable advice on how to thrive commercially and creatively.

  1. Breakfast With Northern Pasta Co

    12/12/2025

    Breakfast With Northern Pasta Co

    A conversation with Imogen Royall, co-founder of Nothern Pasta Co. A case study in doing simple things well and with determination and joy.  Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast and substack for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me, Calandre Orton. I am a business advisor in the arts and creative industries and have always worked at the intersection of the creative and the commercial. For me, being “Up With The Lark” is all about starting a new day well. My approach to creative entrepreneurship is to embrace new ideas, new beginnings, new growth, new plans and new perspectives. And so as an early riser and lover of breakfast, I offer this series entitled ‘Breakfast With’. It an opportunity to start your day alongside creatives I admire and consider to be ‘up with the lark’ sharing their thought for the day. We will explore ideas about important teachers, places that inspire, the role of luck, originality and business lessons learnt over the perfect breakfast. Today, we are joined by Imogen Royal co-founder of Northern Pasta Co. Their story acts as a case study for many of my favourite themes. The first is that it is a tale of doing simple things well, really really well. Secondly, it’s about seeing and understanding a gap in the market and dancing your way into it. And finally, joyfully, packaging. Oh how I love excellent packaging. Imogen has wonderful wisdom to share. I do hope that you enjoy it. Northern Pasta Co: www.northernpasta.co.uk

    41 min
  2. Emily Ponsonby | The Power Of Place

    10/16/2025

    Emily Ponsonby | The Power Of Place

    In this special episode we are joined by British painter Emily Ponsonby to explore the importance, the relevance, the power of place - here you work, where you exhibit, where you travel, where your work finds home. Before we go any further, if you aren’t familiar with her work I really would encourage you to take a moment to look her up here so that you can have her work in your mind’s eye.  The work of Emily Ponsonby is an invitation. It is an invitation to remain still. It is something revealed and something hidden. It is onion layers making your eyes sting, leaving the board littered with skins both crisp and yielding. Once seen, these captures of togetherness remain. I want to pod peas and hear the conversation. I want to be in the picture not stood in front of it, an outsider to its beeswax scrapings. 'Place' sings from the canvas and from Emily’s story.   It would be easy to focus on the life of an artist as one about looking and telling stories and truths and one of canvas and paint and technique. We could happily, and fruitfully, spend our time wondering how Emily elicits life from the page but, for me, the commercial side creeps in. Working with galleries, applying for residencies, pricing your work. It all has a part to play. I have known Emily for some time and have watched her navigate both the work itself and the commercial side of things with energy and honesty, with courage and with trepidation. We all have a great deal to learn from her.   And so, let’s explore the settings within her work, her studio space, her travel and explorations, where her work ends up and the importance of her latest exhibition, A Warm Life Through Butter at Gillian Jason Gallery.  Emily Ponsonby Gillian Jason Gallery  Up With The Lark

    43 min
  3. Vinterior || Leadership

    07/30/2025

    Vinterior || Leadership

    A conversation about leaderhsip with Sandrine Zhang Ferron, founder of Vinterior.  In this episode, a topic that creeps in to most of the work that I do with founders. It is leadership. Are you a leader? What ‘qualifies’ you to be one? What arena, idea, business or group of people are you leading? What is your leadership style? Is it working? And why does it matter? In the social media age, spend a great deal of time discussing ‘following’ and ‘followers’. But I wonder if we spend enough time considering ‘leading’ and ‘leaders’. It brings me real joy to say that in this episode, we are going to adventure through this very concept with someone more than qualified to do so. Sandrine Zhang Ferron is the founder of Vinterior. This vintage furniture site is an excellent ‘what if we could…’ put into practice and I can’t imagine you haven’t browed its pages at some point. It is sustainability as a doing word, a verb rather than a concept or aspiration or guilty niggle. It has purpose and style woven in and Sandrine has big ambitions for its future. We are going to consider what Sandrine learnt from her years working in finance, how she got the idea off the ground, what it means to be a leader in your industry, a leader as a founder and a leader of a team.  Vinterior: www.vinterior.co Up With The Lark: www.upwiththelark.com

    56 min
  4. Beggars Run || The USA

    07/09/2025

    Beggars Run || The USA

    A conversation with Beggars Run, purveyors of suits and interesting ideas, about their story and their move over to New York. What can we learn from the American Dream? Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me, Calandre Orton. I am a business consultant working in the creative industries and my career has always existed at the intersection of the creative and the commercial. This podcast captures conversations built on curiosity, optimism and the nitty gritty detail of what it actually takes as a creator and entrepreneur.  A few years ago I had a conversation with Taymoor Atigetchi, founder of Papier, about the impact of his Iranian roots on the way that he does business. The thought stayed with me and stayed with me to the point of preoccupation. And so now here is the fourth in the series of interviews with entrepreneurs working in and influenced by a variety of countries and cultures.  In this episode, the United States of America. The UK and the US share a long and complex relationship filled with significant trade, cultural exchange and "Love Actually" style cliches. What can we all learn from the promised American Dream? I am delighted to say that we are joined by Cian McAuliffe, co-founder of Beggars Run. Raised in the Irish wild west (his words, not mine), clothes were the source of self expression and adventure and he was propelled around the world before landing in the Big Smoke. He observed that it was not possible to buy a well made suit in an interesting fabric that did not cost the earth. So he decided to make some and did so above an East End boozer. The suits cut a fine figure and so did their growing client base. A creative, non-conformist, confident crowd gathered. And that crowd wore suits of the highest order. They hot footed over to the US and Beggars Run opened in New York in 2023.  We find out about the cloth, the craft, the cut and the life of a tailor. We hear about Shoreditch in London and Nolita in New York. We compare and contrast the style, the customer and the ways of doing business.  So welcome to Up With The Lark And Beggars Run.  Beggars Run: www.beggarsrun.com/uk Up With The Lark: www.upwiththelark.com

    1h 1m
  5. The Line || Legacy

    07/02/2025

    The Line || Legacy

    A discussion about leadership and legacy, knowing when it is time to move on and how to hand over the reigns with Megan Piper and Sarah Carrington of The Line.  Welcome to Up With The Lark, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs, hosted by me, Calandre Orton. I am a business consultant working in the arts and creative industries. My work has always existed where the creative meets the commercial and this podcast does the same. It offers a series of conversations about what it actually takes, the curiosity, the optimism and the nitty gritty.  The art of leadership and legacy captivates me. In a world where good leadership can feel in short supply, how can we lead effectively, with humanity, energy, and flair? Today, we’re going to explore a particularly intriguing element of leadership: when one leader, director, or CEO hands over to the next, both practically and philosophically. To explore this, we are very fortunate indeed to meet co-founder of The Line, Megan Piper, and her planned successor, Director Designate, Sarah Carrington. The Line is East London's art walk that connects Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The O2. It is an outdoor exhibition programme offering a journey through a dynamic urban landscape, where everyone can explore art, nature, and heritage for free. It offers discovery and adventure, as well as quiet contemplation.The Line is a perfect example of a conversation turned into an idea, then into reality. It is a vision brought to life, a set of values explored, and an impact realised. Truly, quite an achievement and quite something to take on. We’re going to walk our way through the practical and cultural elements of passing on the baton. A handover is so much more than a desk, a login, and an edit to your LinkedIn profile. While practical considerations are essential, such as communicating with stakeholders, managing the team, and nurturing the community, there is a great deal more to consider to ensure the culture continues to flourish and a new chapter can unfold.We’re going to hear how The Line began, the role of Director, Megan’s decision to hand over the reins, and how Sarah will grasp them. So welcome to Up With The Lark and The Line, a conversation on leadership and legacy. One that will inevitably make us consider our own leadership styles and how we can use them to bring our creative visions to life. Introspection and action await.So, welcome Megan and Sarah. It’s such a delight to have them both join us to share both sides of this story: the initial chapter and the new chapter. The Line: www.the-line.org Up With The Lark: www.upwiththelark.com

    1h 3m
  6. Pelican House X Shrimps || Collaboration

    06/26/2025

    Pelican House X Shrimps || Collaboration

    An insight into collaboration with Pelican House X Shrimps. Why collaborate? How can we make it an enjoyable and effective process? How do we know whether it has 'worked' or not? Welcome to Up With The Lark And, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs hosted by me, Calandre Orton. In a world where technology shouts and AI feels mystifying, hopeful and threatening all at once, I find myself drawn ever more to understanding the human mind. In particular, how and why the human mind creates. Today we are lucky to explore a particular facet of that ability and desire to create which is the alchemy of creatives working together. It may feel that we live in the era of collaboration but we know that the creative partnership has always been an important part of the creative landscape.  Today we are going to explore the various elements of collaborations. Who had the idea first? How do you approach someone? How can you know that it will be a good fit? How can you go about blending two creative disciplines? How do you develop great communication? How do you handle the nitty gritty of cash, contracts, risk and responsibilities? And, crucially, how do you measure success?  Joining us are Hannah Weiland, founder of Shrimps, Isabella Valenzia, founder of Pelican House, and India Holmes, creative director of Pelican House. Pelican House is a design studio that exists to create unique rugs and homewear collections with a focus on craft, quality and makers. They are no strangers to collaborations having worked with Lucy Williams, Camilla Guinness and Barlow and Barlow. Shrimps is a British womenswear brand that has just the right wit, edge and warmth to earn it quite the cult following. They too are experienced collaborators having worked with a range of brands including Strathberry, Binibamba and Daisy.  It is safe to say that these ladies know what they are talking about. Welcome to Up With The Lark And Pelican House and Shrimps.  Pelican House: www.pelican-house.com Shrimps: www.shrimps.com Up With The Lark: www.upwiththelark.com

    51 min
  7. Xanthe Ross || The Art of Being A Beginner

    06/04/2025

    Xanthe Ross || The Art of Being A Beginner

    A conversation with Xanthe Ross, chef, supper club host and food writer. We discuss the value and importance of being a beginner.  Welcome to Up With the Lark, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs, hosted by me, Calandre Orton. This podcast captures conversations built on curiosity, optimism, and the nitty-gritty detail of what it actually takes to build a career, a business, an enterprise, or a charity in the arts or creative industries today. This is a topic I believe to be an essential tool in the life of creative entrepreneurship: the art of being a beginner. Whatever creative industry you work in, however long you have done so, or however masterful you have become at your craft, you should always be embracing something new. To explore this, we have Xanthe Ross. Xanthe is a chef, supper club host, and food writer. Her food story is one that has joy, togetherness, humility, and resilience woven in. From a rural childhood in a large family pulling carrots from the earth, to London and the fizz and adrenaline of supper clubs, the mastery of social media, and the adventure of writing a book. In all of it, it seems to me that Xanthe has remained true to herself. She has taken risks and shared her fears. She has been brave and shared her vulnerabilities. It is a lesson in resilience and the reality of what it really takes. I'm very much looking forward to hearing her story, and I hope we will be prompted to keep embracing the value of being a beginner. Xanthe Ross Up With The Lark

    1h 8m
  8. Daydress || India

    05/14/2025

    Daydress || India

    A conversation about Indian design, style and approach to retail with Gabby Deeming founder of Daydress.  A few years ago, I had a conversation with Taymoor Atigetchi, founder of Papier, about the impact of his Iranian roots on the way that he does business. That train of thought stayed with me and stayed with me to the point of preoccupation. And so now, here is the third in our series of interviews with entrepreneurs working in and influenced by a variety of countries and cultures. And so today, India. A place of vitality and vibrancy, an ancient, beautiful and spiritual country, hot and hectic and laced with entrepreneurship.To guide us safely and joyfully through the streets of Jaipur is Gabby Deeming, founder of Daydress. Daydress began with a single blockprint shirt dress. And every dress that has been made since carries that sense of pattern, delight, simplicity, confidence and elegance. These aren’t dresses that are forgotten or bored of, they are treasured and collect memories in their swishing skirts. Gabby previously worked at House and Garden. A work trip to India bought unexpected change to her professional path. A block print, a dress, a realisation, a revelation; Daydress was born. After time juggling both House & Garden and Daydress, the fork in the road beckoned and Gabby committed to Daydress full time. The block printing, the femininity, the quality, the independence and purity of her style has enticed a loyal and delightful client base. She now splits her time between the UK and Jaipur and so is beautifully placed to discuss the Indian approach to design, to style, to retail and to doing business. I imagine that Gabby’s joyful outlook and her lightness of touch mean that even working on cashflow and shipping is an elegant act as she sits bedecked in one of her beautiful designs. Anyone who takes an idea and brings it to reality, anyone who takes risks continually, anyone who is committed to their own aesthetic, anyone who does so with charm and grace, that’s the best story to hear. So welcome to Up With The Lark and Daydress. Gabby told me that she finished her work day at dusk on her farm outside Jaipur listening to the evening temple drums – I do hope that wherever you end your day, Gabby’s insights and encouragements with echo for you. Daydress: www.daydress.co.uk

    1h 2m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

A podcast for creative entrepreneurs looking for pithy, actionable advice on how to thrive commercially and creatively.

Information

  • Creator
    UP WITH THE LARK
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    103
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright UP WITH THE LARK
  • Show Website
    Up With The Lark And

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