Come and take a look into the creative and artistic world of Renee Hadlow of The Armarie Room, Nelson.

Stepping into Founders Heritage Park in sunny Nelson, felt a little bit like stepping back in time. Quaint character buildings, in a village setting that house local artisans and creative businesses, surrounded by beautiful gardens and a tangible sense of history.

I got to spend some time with Renee, the brains, the brawn and the beauty behind the incredibly fascinating Armarie Room, a design and printmaking studio and a place that preserves the traditions of this centuries old craft.

With the scent of fresh ink in the air and just the right amount of sunlight gently illuminating the cast iron presses, Renee set to work to show me her process. Her passion and love for the craft shining through every step of the way.

Renee conceptualises and produces stylish and contemporary business and branding packages, wedding stationery, art prints and specialty stationery, all hand pressed into fine cotton paper for the ultimate tactile finish.

Not only does Renee perform every single step from artistic conception through to final product packaging, by herself and by hand, she is truly a keeper of history. Cast iron presses have been lovingly restored and given another chance at life. She is generous with her knowledge and promotes passion for the art form by running workshops and courses, there are just a few operators left with knowledge of this traditional machinery so these courses are a truly valuable asset to our culture and keeping this heritage going.

For any of Renee’s customers that are able to set foot in her retail space, nestled among the memorable clanking machines, they will immediately see the energy and passion that goes into each project. But, many of Renee’s customers find her online. through social media and her website.

Effectively expressing this passion and energy through imagery that matches the artistic atmosphere of Renee’s workshop is so important for that crucial first impression online.

The statistics vary depending on the study you read but we get roughly 3-5 seconds to grasp our potential customers attention, yup, that’s less than a goldfish! That first impression is vital for making your brand memorable. In a world that is awash with high quality media it is vital that your brand stands out.

With a photography conference in town, Renee lucked out with a 2 for 1 on photographers for her personal branding session. I had the very talented fine art photographer Helen Smith of Helen Smith Photography along with me. I also lucked out as Helen took some behind the scenes images of myself and Renee working.

Photo credit, Helen Smith Photography

For a personal branding session, I believe it’s important to go beyond the business style, standard headshots. Getting down to the heart and soul of your business is something that drives me and the it’s the type of photography that I feel passionate about. I love nothing more than showing people what their energy and drive truly looks like, and it’s this very thing that will help our businesses stand out from the competition and grab that elusive, goldfish sized, attention of our internet scrolling clients!

For every time Renee posts on social media, or uses images for her website or to submit for blogs publications or bio’s, she has a full portfolio of varied images to choose from. Images that display the passion and the love that she shows, every time she steps into her workshop.

Running a small business takes grit, passion, drive and more than a little bit of love and this is something that should be sung from the rooftops.

You can browse Renee’s online store at the The Armarie Room or connect with her on Instagram @thearmarieroom.

A sample of Renee’s work, designed by the talented @mrjoebonddesign.