Kerry's cinema seats are iconic... Hence her brand name: Unseen Icons; and I came across her via a friend who shared something on Instagram. As soon as I saw her work I logged her - and her cinema seats - as a 'must buy' for my next house and when I have the £.
As we chatted (and I think we mention it during the chat), Kerry was expecting a call from her conveyancing solicitor, because Unseen are moving premises... At some point... It's a bone of contention for Kerry. And sitting in their workshop you can see why they need to; they've truly outgrown their current space.
... Because her products are highly sought after. They're beautifully unique and beautifully executed... Hence why she ships them all over the world.
However, what I found most interesting about Kerry, is how talented she is, and yet how self-depreciating she is - a hugely common thing with a lot of the women I pod! Playing everything down, attributing talent down to luck etc etc. And in Kerry's case, beating herself up for not really knowing what she wanted to do in life, until recently, with Unseen Icons.
Which has made me realise - and I think I'll do an insta video about this - how important childhood influences are, especially for women and young girls. What our parents expose us to, or encourage us into, truly shapes our minds and our interests. If your parents were entrepreneurial, then you often will be. If they were creative, you will be... If they were into sport, you will be.
But this is even more prevalent with girls, I think, because boys inherently have a lot of emphasis placed on their interests and hobbies - 'Oh you like sport, cars, skateboarding.. Ok, we'll encourage you to do lots of that because it keeps you busy and out of trouble'.
... With girls, our main hobby is very often our friendships - social interaction. And therefore, unless by chance, one of our friends is really into something - likely because a parent has incited that - then we're not as drawn, or encouraged down as many hobby/interest routes.
... Which is then tricky as women then need to figure out a career... Something previous (female) generations didn't have to worry about, as much.
I do think that's changing, and parents today are a lot more focussed on girl's hobbies, but generationally this has been the case - I believe - and so there's a lot of generational programming to undo, and Kerry's story quite aptly reflects this.
By her own definition she was bored a lot as a child. Now we didn't go into it, but my thinking is that perhaps her parents didn't/couldn't encourage her down many hobby routes, or if they did, not the right ones, which left her bored and frustrated... Which is how she continued into her working life... Uninspired, bored and frustrated... Knowing she wanted more... Wanted 'something'... But she just didn't know what.
... Until 8-years ago and after the impulsive decision she made to do an upholstery course.
There's a lot more to unpack there, as a bigger/wider topic about 'gender nurture', so I'll just shut-up for now and save it for a waffly instagram reel.
Please give Kerry's pod a listen, and let me know, either in the pod comments or on our socials, what you think/whether you've had similar experiences.
Chops x
Kerry's social handles are @unseenicons, and her website is: https://unseenicons.com
Click here to listen to the Kerry's podcast:
Click here to read all about how to get started in the world of upholstery. And how you (yes YOU!) could get started in a career like this:
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