Meet the gals behind the Scrunchie Studio

I asked some questions to the gals behind the Scrunchie Studio - Hannah, a Psychology graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University, and Cece who is originally from Denmark. The Srunchie Studio is an independent online store home to some great handmade and upcycled scrunchies with some really lovely designs! Check them out on: 

Instagram

Etsy

When did the Scrunchie Studio come alive and what was the idea behind it?

Cece and I have always loved scrunchies. The initial idea came about when we were having a clear-out of old clothes back in May. We found an old crop top that had doughnuts on, and we thought hey, this would make CUTE scrunchies! We taught ourselves how to make them, the idea struck us that we should start making our own scrunchies from old clothes instead of buying material. I love all things sustainable and Cece is brilliant at sewing, so we put our minds together and the Scrunchie Studio came alive. We love the idea of upcycling, it gives our customers the satisfaction of shopping sustainably whilst helping a small business. 3 out of 5 fast fashion items end up in landfills, and we love that we are helping the environment one scrunchie at a time. 

What’s been the most exciting part of setting up your own business? 

I suppose seeing our ideas come to life, we are pretty much scrunchie mad now! Whenever we go thrift shopping, we look out for beautiful patterns and materials we think people will love. It's so exciting seeing the result after the hard work we put in, we always end up keeping one ourselves! We set up our online shop for the Scrunchie Studio in October, it was so exciting to see our creations online, and always so rewarding to see how much people are loving them. It makes us really excited to keep making more and coming up with new ideas. We have recently launched scrunchie sets and gift boxes and we cannot wait to watch the business grow. It’s also made our friendship stronger, it’s so much fun working with one of your closest friends. Plus, being able to say that something is yours that you have started from the ground up is a beautiful feeling.

What’s been the most challenging part of setting up your own business? 

Definitely time management. Me and Cece work full time, I work in a college with special educational needs and Cece works in shipping. We have got into the habit of setting time aside for the business, anyone who handmakes items will know that it is much more time consuming than you think. It is pretty much like working two jobs, as soon as we finish work we are making scrunchies! Finding time to relax is challenging, we are always tired but we love what we do. 

Do you have any goals you want to achieve with the Scrunchie Studio? 

We would love to see how the Scrunchie Studio evolves, it's so exciting that we have only been open just under a month and we have other businesses supporting us and wanting to get involved. Me and Cece often think about where we could take the business, we love the idea of maybe distributing our stock in other local shops. We would also really love to build the brand name and have a website of our own instead of using a selling platform. 

What do you love most about the Scrunchie Studio?

It’s really hard to name just one, but we love the fact we are sustainable, even our logo stickers are made from recycled paper! We love how every scrunchie we make is unique, we take pride in the attention to detail in our scrunchies, and Cece packages them so beautifully. We love seeing happy customers and seeing people involved with the business, we offer anyone with unwanted clothes that they send them our way and we’ll handmake them a scrunchie for free. The small business community is also really humbling, I love the support we provide one another. Starting the Scrunchie Studio has also made us see Social Media in a new light, Social Media can be negative and judgemental, but I love that our page is filled with nothing but support and appreciation for what we do, and we give support right back!

How can people follow you and support your business? 

SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES! It's so easy to support small businesses, even a like or a share of our posts is hugely appreciated by us. We are on Instagram @StudioScrunchie. Follow, like and tell your friends about us! Think of us if you fancy giving someone a unique Christmas present, a friend’s birthday, or just to treat yourself! Favourite us on Etsy @ScunchieStudioGB. When you’re supporting a small business your kindness and purchases go a long way. 

What books have we been enjoying recently? (Collab post)

The first lockdown of the year was when I reconnected with my love for reading... Reading has been a great escape from all things 2020 and has been a great coping mechanism for me. I have started scrolling Goodreads more than Twitter (!!) and wanted to share some of the books I've read and loved that I think you may love, too. And I've enlisted the help of fellow grad, Ellen, who runs 'graduatereads' over on Instagram where she posts some beautifully written reviews of so many genres of books! Ellen is an English Language and Literature graduate who graduated from Liverpool Hope University back in 2019! It was great to collaborate with Ellen on this post and I hope you enjoy x 

Ellen’s recommendation: Out Of Love by Hazel Hayes

This is a story about heartbreak, but not in the way you would think. You start with a breakup and you expect to watch a young woman put herself back together again, to watch her discover her worth outside of that relationship (think Elle Woods in Legally Blonde). However, in this story we start with heartbreak and move backwards, reading about how the protagonist existed purely as a part of that relationship, how she and her partner functioned as a pair. It’s devastating in itself learning to learn to love this relationship knowing it’s doomed to fail, yet despite that, this is one of the most inspiring and, surprisingly, reassuring books I have ever read. It made me believe that I could survive anything that life might throw at me. We don’t see the protagonist survive her break up, but by reading into her past, we know that she will, because she has struggled and suffered before and made it to the other side. We don’t see her survive, just as we don’t get to peer into our own future and see ourselves survive, we can only look back and rely on our past experiences to know that we have the strength to get through it. I honestly can’t recommend this book enough!  Whether you’ve been through a breakup or not, this book will find some way to resonate with you. It’s so beautifully written and manages to weave its way into your life - I haven’t stopped thinking about since I finished reading! 

Rebecca’s recommendation: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton 

I haven’t read a book so quickly! It was so easy to get into and so difficult to put down. At the start of the first lockdown, I read Dolly’s ‘Everything I know about love’ and I fell in love with her style of writing and couldn’t wait to read her latest and debut novel, Ghosts. As is the unfortunate norm with online dating, ‘ghosting’ can be a regular occurrence, and definitely something I’ve experienced and been crushed by. Ghosts is a truthful look at the impact ‘ghosting’ can have on your confidence and self-esteem, it can drive you nuts, and Alderton beautifully portrayed this as we were introduced to Nina George Dean, a 30-something food writer who falls head over heels for her online dating match, Max. All going well, Nina and Max are inseparable, he even drops the L bomb… and then, as you can guess by the title, the inevitable happens. What comes next is a beautiful account of what is a messy experience… Alderton approaches ghosting from a ‘what is wrong with the ghoster’ point of view, which is something we can often forget to think about when we internalise such an experience and see it as something wrong with us. We see Nina post-ghosting reevaluating her life, what's important, and who's important. I loved it, it was relatable, funny, easy reading and an all round great book!  

Ellen’s recommendation: My Name Is Why by Lemn Sissay

My Name Is Why is Lemn Sissay’s account of his first eighteen years, spent bouncing between various institutions and care homes. He describes it as the story of how a government, which he calls “The Institution,” stole him as a baby and essentially imprisoned him for his entire childhood. This is not a fun book to read, but my goodness is it a brilliant one. Lemn interspersed his own personal accounts with scanned documents from social workers and council officials, which offer an insight into ‘the bigger picture’ that a child is not privy to at the time. You would hope that the bigger picture would show a network of adults and professionals all trying to do what’s best for that child, unfortunately, it doesn’t and more often than not it shows a system of lies and deliberate mistreatment. It is highly emotional and harrowing to read through his trauma, but also enlightening and inspiring. I was already aware of Lemn’s poetry before reading this book and whilst he is at times incredibly blunt, you can definitely feel his poetic voice creeping through. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone even though I finished it feeling angry. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources included at the end, so you can direct your anger into something productive and helpful.

Rebecca’s recommendation: The Insecure Girls Handbook by Liv Purvis

I have followed the Insecure Girls Club on Instagram for a while, and I decided to download the audiobook version of the Insecure Girls Handbook recently and loved it so much. Purvis covers everything from body image, our inner critic, comparison and friendships and shares some great hints and tips for facing some of the issues us insecure gals can often face. What I loved about the Insecure Girls Handbook was the fact not only does Purvis account her own experiences of dealing with insecurities, but she brings in other members of this ‘club’ to do the same… It doesn’t matter who you are, where in your life you are, or what you’ve achieved, we are all going to face these issues at some point in our lives, because we’re all human. I always enjoy books like this because there’s always one piece of advice that resonates and that you can take away and use in your own life… And I took plenty from this book!

Ellen’s recommendation: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

This is the very deserving winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020! It tells the story of Shakespeare’s son who tragically passed away at a very young age, and who likely inspired the play ‘Hamlet’. I listened to this novel as an audiobook and absolutely adored it; it’s full of so much care and love. The story is split into a before and after. Maggie O’Farrell beautifully builds up the family relationships and the setting in the first half, I particularly enjoyed getting to know Agnes, Hamnet’s mother, and found her to be such a unique and magical character. In the second half we watch the family grieve and come to terms with the death of a young boy, and the impact this has on their relationships and daily lives. I really liked how Shakespeare is never mentioned by name - quite frankly he has had his time to shine and this story isn’t about him, it’s about the family as a whole. I also really enjoyed the focus on the twin relationship and what happens when one of a set of twins passes away. Not a single word in this novel has been wasted, every second felt important and wonderful and I can absolutely understand why it has received such high acclaim in the literary world.

Rebecca’s recommendation: City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert 

Before reading City of Girls, I hadn’t been familiar with Elizabeth Gilbert’s work (I am still yet to read/watch Eat Pray Love!). I picked up City of Girls during a lockdown trip to Sainsbury’s, not sure what to expect… I didn’t even read the blurb (I definitely judged the book by it’s cover in this case) but was so pleasantly surprised. City of Girls is written from Vivian Morris’ perspective as an older woman looking back on her time in New York during the 40s, writing to someone whose identity isn’t revealed until the end (it's a bit of a plot twist). It’s a really exciting read and takes place in the ‘Lily Playhouse’, a theatre that's struggling to stay alive owned by Vivian’s aunt. We hear all about Vivian’s experience of living her late teens/early twenties in the city, experiencing freedom, exploring her passion for costume design, falling in love, and making big mistakes. You’re taken on a journey with Vivian, and you come to fall in love (and out of love) with the characters who follow along. Following the twists and turns of Vivian’s life, you feel like you’re living vicariously through her in 1940s NYC. I loved it and I would definitely recommend it! 

Guest post: Challenges of graduate life and how you can overcome them (Niraj, MORSE (BSc) graduate)

Image source: https://www.instagram.com/analogbynat/

Hi everyone my name is Niraj and I am so excited to be writing for Rebecca’s blog today! To say a bit about myself, I graduated from Warwick University this year, having studied MORSE (Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics). I have just started a graduate scheme at an actuarial consultancy. Post-graduate life can be tough, whether you enjoyed your time at university or not. This blog post talks about some of the most challenging things about post-graduate life, and I will also try and give some tips on how you can go about overcoming these challenges.

Maintaining friendships

At university, when you made friends it was often pretty easy to maintain them, as you were fairly nearby to your university friends, and therefore it wasn’t too hard arranging fun things to do with them. However, I found that it was quite hard to maintain all of my university friendships after graduation, and this was for two main reasons. Firstly, a good number of my university friends don’t live near me, so even if there was no pandemic, it would still require effort to arrange a face to face catch up. I live in London, but I have friends that live in places such as Norwich, Birmingham, and Wales. I also have university friends that don’t live in the UK! The second reason is that we are all busy with full-time jobs, as well as other responsibilities. Therefore, any catch-up, whether it is over a video call or face to face would have to be planned around that, and this has proved tricky in a lot of cases. I actually wrote a separate blog post on the challenge of maintaining friendships, which can be found here.

It is hard not to be able to see and interact with your university friends as much as you used to, and it’s perfectly ok to feel sad about this. However, one tip I would give that helped me is to plan and schedule catch-ups in advance, rather than rely on spontaneous plans. As I currently work a full-time job, I tend to use the weekdays to schedule weekend plans with friends. Having advance notice of when I am meeting or even video calling friends allows me to plan things around that. 

Adapting to a different lifestyle

I feel that the lifestyle at university is very specific and unique to university life and that things do change after graduation. For a lot of students that I know, this change has proved tricky. Some have felt a loss of freedom and independence by going back to their family home. Others thrived with having a daily routine at university, and now they are struggling to deal with the lack of routine after graduation. I appreciate that every university student has had their own experience when it has come to leaving the university lifestyle and adapting to a new one. Personally, I have found this to be the hardest part of leaving university, and something that was a shock to the system after 4 years at university.

The best piece of advice I would give here is to use this change as an opportunity to do things you wouldn’t have done at university. I do understand that this is easier said than done, however, it is not impossible. When I finished university, I met up with school friends, started blogging again, and started reading. All of these are fun but things I didn’t really have time to do at university. I also started my new job which I really enjoy. Reframing your mind to think about the opportunities that come with the post-university lifestyle helps you with having a positive mindset, which is great for wellbeing. 

Comparing yourself with others – This is a big one. It’s very easy for me to say how you shouldn’t compare yourself with others. However, with technology and social media being a massive part of our lives, most of us inevitably fall into the comparison trap. Comparison with others is a particularly big issue after graduation. You may be struggling to find a job, and then reading posts on LinkedIn or Facebook about your friends getting their dream jobs can make you feel down. This is because you can end up comparing yourself to your friends that have jobs, and feel behind as a result. You are all amazing people in your own unique way, and sometimes social media and comparison can make it hard to recognise this. Furthermore, comparing yourself to others can be detrimental to your mental health and wellbeing.

In terms of advice, I am not going to say that you shouldn’t compare yourself to others, as this is easier said than done, and even I do it from time to time. However, what I would say is the things that people tell you or share on social media is never the full story. People generally only share the good things that have happened in their lives, but everyone is fighting a battle you don’t know about. Therefore, even the people that seem to have it all figured out will have things that are not so good in their lives.

I hope this blog post helps and that you are all keeping well. Post-graduation can be a tough time, and it is so important to prioritise your mental health and wellbeing. Remember that there is support out there, and I am always happy to talk to you on nirajshah2003@gmail if you feel that you are struggling.  

 

Read more of Niraj's posts: https://niraj.home.blog/

Meet: Kate - History (BA) graduate

 

After recently publishing an article for Student Minds on the Power of Graduates Coming Together, I connected with Kate, History BA (Hons) graduate from the class of 2019 at The University of Newcastle. I chatted to Kate about her experience of graduating below. 

Kate also published a piece on Student Minds titled Embracing A Challenge: How to Enjoy The Unknown. Kate discusses how to embrace the challenges that university throws at you - and a lot of her advice can be tailored to life outside of university, with one of her tips being 'Say No to Self-sabotage'. I definitely recommend you give it a read! 

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1) How were you preparing to graduate – did you have a plan for your next steps?

My final year at Newcastle University was my favourite by far. It was full of constant essay writing (and research for my looming dissertation deadline!), weekly volunteering on Newcastle Student Radio and socializing with friends. Although it was all great fun, in hindsight, I always had the idea of travelling as my next step, which helped me get through those 9am lectures and 5,000 word essay deadlines!

I always felt like I was on a treadmill from sixth form to graduation, so going travelling was the release I wanted from education. After consistently saving money every month I booked a flight to Vietnam during a dissertation crisis in the library - as you do! I think this gave me a bit of willpower to push through my two final semesters and make the most of the limited time I had left as a student. 

2) What was your experience like searching for jobs once you had your degree?

Once I got home from Vietnam, I began my job search. It was a little stressful! I still had the travel bug, yet I was conscious that I needed to get the ball rolling on the job front. Whilst I volunteered at a local hospital radio station in my spare time, I was lucky enough to be offered a paid runners position at a television production company for a month or so before Christmas 2019. This was perfect as it allowed me to gain some valuable experience and put some money aside for my trip to Australia in January 2020. 

However, when I returned from Down Under, Covid19 really threw a spanner into the works – something that we are all still living through!  Few industries are recruiting at the moment and the job search, for not just graduates, has temporarily halted. Covid has put my voluntary position at a local radio station on hold due to social distancing measures, so I am staying productive during the interim by working part time as a sales assistant and childminder. For the most part, I feel Covid19 has been a bit of a blessing and a curse. It has made me realise how I was most probably guilty of living a tad in the future and not so much in the present.

In an ideal world, I’d love to pursue a career in radio production or journalism. I feel, especially in broadcast media, your job is like a portfolio whereby you’re involved in lots of different projects often at the same time. I think this can be attributed to when you enter this industry and apply for a job too – there's often no direct route, which can be incredibly disheartening. 

3) Did you have any worries about graduating – if so, what were they?

I wasn’t so worried about graduating, but more so, rather excited that I had accomplished such a personal goal of mine to read History at university. The fact that both ‘the end’ was in close sight and that I would never be able to replicate my university years was an extremely weird prospect for me. The idea of ‘adulting’ and finding ‘the job’ made me slightly terrified upon graduating – it still does, argh! 

4) What has been the most exciting part of leaving university and education behind?

At times I’m guilty of getting wrapped up in the rat race of searching for a job, the concept of making the most of my twenties and finding out who I am as a person, but the idea that ‘the world is your oyster’ (cliché, I know!) is so exciting to me. Albeit part time, the fact I’m earning every month is empowering. I can save money during this lull and make arrangements for big financial commitments in the future.

5) What has been the least exciting/challenging part of being outside of education? 

I think the least exciting part of being outside of education is that....really, life isn’t any different. I was naively expecting a crescendo moment, but essentially, I still feel like I’m the same person. I don’t think I’ve changed in my motivation to achieve certain personal goals, but life away from what was my old life (sob!) can annoyingly be a little mundane and routine driven. 

6) Is there anything about the ‘real world’ you didn’t expect/weren’t prepared for?

One word: Lockdown. I was nowhere near prepared for what was ahead of me when I returned from Australia – nobody was, for that matter! Life has now become so uncertain and the circumstances make it so difficult to plan ahead. The one thing I’ve learned working under these current circumstances is that no matter what you are doing and where you are working, learning to adapt to a new environment and taking every day as it comes is so important. Find the excitement in the unknown – at least that’s what I’m trying to tell myself!

7) Do you have any particular goals you want to reach in your life outside of education?

To have a purpose and feel wanted. In the broader context, as cringe as it sounds, I want to be happy and content within my future work environment. Everything has a domino effect on each other. 

8) Is there anything you wish you had been told about leaving university?

Truth be told: the transition is scary...and nobody tells you. It’s such a taboo subject. Your life doesn’t all click into place as soon as you drive back home after three years or so away ‘doing your own thing’. Learning ‘how to adult’ is tricky. I don’t think you ever really know what you’re doing, no matter what stage you are in life. Everybody is in the same boat, and more so now, the same storm! Be kind to yourself. 

9) Three words to describe your transition from university?

Daunting. Fun. Exciting.

10) Any tips for surviving outside the university bubble? 

Despite my limited time outside of the ‘bubble’ (coming up to a year and a half!), I would stress don’t be afraid to show people that you are eager to learn. One of my biggest qualms is that job descriptions for junior positions often include ‘experience necessary'. This can make you feel so frustrated, as a recent graduate like myself, doesn’t always have this requirement. Willingness to take up unpaid jobs could help you gain similar experience, which could prove valuable in the future. Remember, take every day at your own pace and listen to your gut instinct if something doesn’t feel right. You never know, something new could lead you onto the right path – and add another string to your bow!

The Power of Graduates Coming Together

*Taken from my recent post for Student Minds: The Power of Graduates Coming Together*

Coming out of university is pretty scary. There are so many expectations (from yourself and others), so many comparisons to make to other graduates, and so many obstacles to overcome. I remember when I finished my undergraduate degree in 2017, I couldn’t focus on my success, I could only focus on the fact I was having to move back to my family home, and I hadn’t yet secured a ‘grad role’, in fact, I had no idea what I wanted to do. This to me was one big fat failure in trying to be the adult I was now expected to be. My mental health really took a turn for the worst. 

Not knowing what I wanted to do, I jumped at the chance of going into a funded research degree. That sweet relief of two more years to hide away from the real world and all its responsibilities. I decided to research the transition out of university into the ‘real world’ - for obvious reasons. I wanted to see if I was alone in my feelings of utter dread and uncertainty. 

I interviewed 20 different graduates from different degree backgrounds. I spoke to them about their experiences in university, how they did/didn’t prepare for making the transition, how they had found their transition so far - positive and negative, and what they wish they had known. I found talking to other graduates both fascinating and comforting. It was difficult to keep myself separate and away from my research, and difficult to not turn around and be like ‘I FEEL THE SAME!!’ when people validated my own concerns/anxieties. For example, my interviewees reported feeling they had returned to being a child when they moved back home with parents. They struggled to handle job rejections - thinking they’re degree would have secured them roles, they faced job stigma (i.e. ‘when are you going to get a ‘proper job’?) and all in all, feeling a little lost and vulnerable without the university bubble. I asked graduates how they managed to cope with all these feelings of uncertainty and all of the difficulties they faced, the vast majority of interviewees disclosed feeling some comfort in knowing others’ were ‘in the same boat’. 

In university, it’s easy to feel part of a community. There’s no comfort like being in the library late at night rushing to finish an assignment and looking around to see other students doing the same, fuelled by caffeine and stress. There’s no comfort like moaning to your course mates about student finance, or about referencing and word counts. You can all relate to each other, some way or another. And you’re all on the same path, with the same goal. Work hard to finish university and get your degree. It’s when you get out of university when it all gets a bit messy. 

With my mental health taking a hit, feeling lost and those well-documented ‘graduate blues, I set up One Oh One. A place to share my graduate experience, to interview other graduates, and share advice/tips for surviving the real world and for looking after your mental health. My platform is not the only one existing out there, only further highlighting the need for graduates to feel connected, and to reach out for the advice and support we often lack once leaving behind education. There are platforms out there that are set up to share CV writing tips - offering free consultancies - platforms to support graduates in the events agency, platforms to support and highlight the achievements of female graduates, and BAME graduates. There are platforms to support graduate mental health, job searching, and just general advice. Once you graduate university, the support network and student community you have been used to for all your years in education, completely vanishes. 

Communities like mine, and the others which are cropping up feel like one big peer support group - a bunch of graduates trying to survive for the first time without their support bubbles, and clinging together in a world that is often unrelenting to those fresh from university. Where the university support ends, graduates are pulling together to keep it going. You can feel so alone when you come out of university, you can feel like you’re falling behind (though there is no race), you can feel like the world wants you to fail. It can really impact on your mental health, as it did mine. It is so refreshing to be able to connect with so many different graduates, to hear their advice, to see the realities of the real world, and most importantly, to feel less alone.

Some other great articles on Student Minds you may like: 

Uncertainty Amidst Covid-19

Imposter Syndrome