As we count down to the Payback deadline in late October 2013, we interview a range of artists who've claimed royalties before. Here's jewellery designer/maker, Clare Hillerby, who tells us about her experience of signing up.
Can you tell us a bit about your work?
I’m a full-time jewellery designer/maker based at
Manchester Craft & Design Centre where I make and sell my work.
My jewellery features old papers, they can often be around a hundred years old, and all feature handwriting. By the time I come across them they have already been separated from their owners, and so their original meanings and stories have been lost. It’s up to me to create new narratives, as well as archive the documents, allowing them to continue their life.
I combine these finds with silver, perspex and gold rivets, transforming them into jewellery. I also make collages with added hand stitching.
How long have you been claiming Payback royalties for?
This year will be my third year of claiming royalties.
What did you do with last year’s Payback royalty?
It generally arrives during the run up to Christmas and so helps to buy those extra materials needed for completing orders and stock for galleries and exhibitions.
What advice would you give to anyone signing up for Payback for the first time?
Do it, why not? It’s easy and it doesn’t take long. Your details from your first claim are saved, and so when you sign up in subsequent years, all you need to do is add in any extra examples of where your work has been published or broadcast, so it takes even less time. You get plenty of reminders for the deadline, which is handy.
I think there are so many things that makers and artists don’t get paid for and getting publicity in the first place can be time consuming. This feels like a nice acknowledgement for getting our work publicised.
Do you have any interesting projects coming up that we should know about?
I am working day and night at the moment on a collection of new jewellery and collages for the
Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, in Spinningfields, Manchester (10 to 13 October). It’s my first year taking part in this fair so I’m really looking forward to it and have my fingers tightly crossed.
Then I will be sending jewellery to
Dazzle, an annual contemporary jewellery exhibition. I will have collections going to both Christmas exhibitions; one at Manchester Art Gallery and the other at Oxo Tower in London. Then there will be a lot of stocking up for our studio/shop at
Manchester Craft & Design Centre for Christmas.
For updates and information about Clare's work, visit her website or follow her on Twitter or Facebook.
Read our interviews with Payback artists Max Hattler and David Shrigley.
Are you an artist? Has your work ever been used in UK books, magazines or on TV? We might have some Payback royalties for you. Find out more and sign up.
Image: French bill brooch. Photograph by Shannon Tofts. © Clare Hillerby.