Five minutes with Alara Hindle, Director LOLA
Alara Hindle, Director of Lots of Lovely Art (LoLA), a brand that encourages creativity in children through a variety of art products.
1. Who are you and how did Lots of Lovely Art come about?
My name is Alara, and together with my sister-in-law Selina, we created Lots of Lovely Art five years ago now. I owned an art studio for children in Istanbul for over a decade, and Selina is a graphic designer and together we decided we wanted to try to “box up my brain” so that we could reach more children with the creative arts!
2. What’s your advice to others starting their own business?!
Stamina! It is about the long haul so get ready to be able to endure. Never underestimate the importance of a good accountant, and start as you mean to go on – always invest in doing things properly from the beginning!
3. What does a brief day in your life look like?!
We will meet at our warehouse, send out orders, follow up retail. Some days are much more physical, where we are involved in the process of making. Others are much more computer-based, where we are doing marketing or working on our website, following up on admin or putting through stock orders etc. The best days though are when we are creating new products.
4. Who is a person you look up to and why?
Selina, my partner! She has a relentless work ethic and thinks nothing is impossible – simply how do we go about making it possible! She is also super calm and level-headed… AND the kindest person I know!
5. Name your biggest professional highlight?
When customers send us emails telling us how happy the boxes made their children.
6. Favourite book and why?
Breath by James Nestor – fascinating information on the power of breath. And for children, I have so many favourite art books, I can’t list them all! But I do also love ‘How we do it” by Lamothe.
7. Favourite podcast and why?
Diary of a CEO, and recently the Tim Ferriss show, for the great people they talk to and their interested questions.
8. What’s the one thing you try and do every day for yourself?
Yoga
9. What’s your guilty pleasure?!
For Selina it is chocolate, for sure! For me, a really really nice Italian restaurant!
10. Favourite holiday destination?
We have a summer house in the South of Turkey that we both love to go to. Selina loves a bit of camping?! Amalfi coast for me.
11. What is your earliest child memory?
Studying! ;)
12. What do you think is the key to happiness?
I think about this a lot, but I think mostly purpose and community.
13. Window or aisle seat?
Aisle!
14. What’s a super power you wish you had?
I would love to be one of those people who spread joy – we have the most wonderful man in our supermarket, and I actively see him spreading happiness to all his customers – I bet some people consider him the highlight of their day!
15. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
You are stronger than you think. You can do hard things.
16. What advice would you give to people who would love their children to be arty but don’t know where to start?!
Let go of your preconceptions that you have to be “talented” to do art… ANYONE can be creative and have fun with materials! Buy quality art supplies so that children feel proud of their work. Don’t worry about mess!
Visit: https://www.lotsoflovelyart.org