All-INKlusive - I'm a 2024 INKer: This is what you should know
Welcome once again to All-INKlusive, our weekly look at our wonderful INKubator Programme and all that goes with it. This series aims to answer all the questions you may have and also to try and give you some things you’ve maybe not thought about. Cos we’re pure smart like that, alright?
This week we’re looking at the thoughts of somebody currently on the 2024 INKubator. We want to know what led them here and why they signed up for the Programme. Maybe you want to hear from a voice that has experience of being immersed in the Vanilla Ink world over the past year and who can try to explain how things work around here or what it feels like to spend each day with a bench in VI.
Perhaps you’ve read our previous blog featuring Annelies and the success she’s gone on to have since the 2022 Programme? Check that out, if you haven’t, it’s a great marker for just exactly what the Programme can do for you. But also, we thought it would be good to hear from a jeweller who knows precisely what it’s like to be on the most recent INKubator! So I will introduce you to this very person! Let’s meet one of our current 2024 INKers, Isabella Bedlington!
Hello. Who are you and what is your relationship/involvement with the INKubator?
My name is Isabella, I'm 24 years old, originally from a small village in the southeast of England very near Whipsnade Zoo [the closest big town and where I met my Fiancé would be Luton]. I now live in Glasgow, where I studied Silversmithing and Jewellery at Glasgow School of Art. I decided to stay here after my studies, as Glasgow quickly became my home. My journey with Vanilla Ink began when Ellie and Scott saw my degree show collection and awarded me the Vanilla Ink Graduate of the Year Award. Among the various graduates of the year from universities across Scotland, I was further awarded a fully funded place on the 2024 INKubator Programme. That's where I am now, and I genuinely wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now!
Hiya! Tell us a little bit about your journey… when did you first get into jewellery making?
My journey into jewellery began as early as 10 years old. I taught myself to make beaded creatures using the book "Beadlings" by Julie Collings. While the book didn’t instruct on turning them into jewellery, I took the initiative, creating spider brooches, bumblebee earrings, and mermaid necklaces. My first stall was at my lower school Christmas fair, where I sold £4 earrings — a real bargain!
I continued making jewellery as a hobby, exploring various intricate beading techniques [though I couldn’t recall many of them now]. During my A-Levels, I created my first piece of conceptual body adornment for my art project. Despite a strong inclination toward studying English Literature at university, my path changed when I discovered jewellery as a potential degree. It was a field I had never considered, but I felt an undeniable draw toward it. This only came after my mum had taken me up and down the country to various uni open days for English lit. I'm sure she wished the realisation came earlier, though she never said, and her support through that decision making period was incredible.
To give myself time to decide, I pursued a Foundation degree in Art and Design in Plymouth, exploring installations with a focus on art's interaction with the body. This experience made me realise how much I loved being purely creative, pushing thoughts of an English Literature degree far from my mind. I then studied a 3D Design Craft degree at Plymouth College of Art, delving into glass, ceramics, and metal. During the lockdown, I decided to transfer to Glasgow School of Art for a degree in Jewellery — a decision I regard as one of the best I’ve ever made. Contrary to common belief, my final year was my favourite. It combined the artistic freedom I found during my foundation year with the technical skills of metalworking. That’s when I truly became obsessed with jewellery and began to develop my style and voice as a jeweller.
Since joining Vanilla Ink, I’ve continued refining my identity as a jeweller in an incredibly warm and supportive environment.
Isabella’s jewellery beautifully odelled in a professional photo shoot
Both images by the super talented Stacey Bentley
What were your goals going into the Programme? What did you hope to get out of it?
My main goals entering the INKubator Programme were to develop my goldsmithing and stone-setting skills. While studying jewellery at university was fantastic for nurturing conceptual development, it didn’t focus as much on technical skills. For me, technique is as integral to my jewellery as the concept behind it. I also aimed to launch my website and new jewellery lines, using the business lessons and invaluable advice from my fellow INKers to guide me.
What’s been the best thing about being an INKer?
The community is the best part of being an INKer. We are all at different stages of our jewellery journeys, each with unique experiences, and I love how this diversity has broadened my perspective on what it means to be a jeweller. Although I cherished my time at GSA, I left with a somewhat narrow view of the jewellery community. Being an INKer has opened my mind to various paths and has shaped my brand into something I am genuinely proud of.
You want to stay on with us as Jeweller in Residence next year- tell us about that
I would love to stay on as a Jeweller in Residence next year. In the future, I’m particularly interested in tutoring jewellery, especially in my areas of expertise like press forming and Keum Boo. The residency would give me a chance to ease into teaching, and I’d be there for new INKers to come to for informal skills advice or support with course challenges — whether it’s about design brief development or offering a fresh perspective on their branding ideas.
What drives you to do what you do?
I am obsessed with jewellery—it’s my passion that drives everything I do. I’m ambitious, competitive, and live and breathe the craft.
Well, that sounds familiar! If someone were to describe you in one or two words, what would they be and I why
I’d describe myself as ambitious and competitive, with a touch of organised chaos.
Isabella’s signature ‘torus’ shape… do you prefer light?
Or do you prefer dark? It’s to hard to choose!
EXACTLY AS YOU DESCRIBED… THE SAME AS ME! NOW, Tell us something else about yourself that would surprise people!
I tend to hyper-fixate, something I only realised a few months ago. I dive deep into a variety of topics, only to move on and forget most of it once I’m captivated by something new. Luckily, jewellery is a fixation that I don’t think will ever fade. Another example is my green thumb; in 2021, I became obsessed with houseplants and filled my small tenement flat with over 150 of them!
THAT IS A LOT OF PLANTS! If you weren’t doing this job, what would you be doing?
I’d probably be working in a houseplant shop or at a botanical garden, caring for tropical plants.
WELL… THAT FIGURES!
Tea or coffee?
Coffee
Cat or dog?
Dog
Meticulous planning or last minute chaos?
Last-minute chaos [though I’m working on changing this!]
Best film ever?
Saltburn — I strangely love this film for its absurdity
Favourite song of all time?
I can’t name a favourite song, but my all-time favourite singer is Kate Bush.
Best season?
Spring
Night out or night in?
Night in
Time travel to the past or the future?
Time travel to the future — I think. That’s a tough one!
Favourite place you’ve ever visited?
Isle of Scilly
How many tattoos do you have?
I have four tattoos
What would be your signature dish that you cook?
Tomato Risotto
final question! Do you have any tips for anyone thinking about taking part in the INKubator Programme?
Explore and investigate! Use the briefs and technical skills as opportunities to push your creative identity further.
We couldn’t agree more! Thanks to Isabella for taking the time to discuss her time on the INKubator with us. You can keep up to date with everything Bella does by following her on Instagram profile, or checking out her website.
Want to become a 2025 INKer? Apply here.
Need some more information? Download our INKubator Guide.
Want to visit our studios to see what it’s all about? Get in touch!
