At the time of its creation, Annie had three boys under the age of seven and, ergo, naturally had next to no time for home decorating. It was, therefore, imperative that her paint should be immediate, with plenty of scope for spontaneity: what was painted in the morning needed to be back in position by the afternoon, and versatile enough to work on old and new wood, metal, plastic, cement, or bricks, without priming, sanding or prep.
The trailblazer of upcycling is a keen proponent of using social media for the good – whether that is to find her painters in residence or for saving the planet. She shows us round her favourite digital spots to hang out.
My favourite website... My most-visited website is probably the Guardian Crossword page! We do them daily in the staff break room at Annie Sloan HQ.
My favourite app... As a very visual person, I adore Instagram. It’s a brilliant source for creative inspiration from all over the world that lives on my phone, constantly updates and is so straightforward to use.
My favourite blog... I love Gudrun's clothes and her blog is a celebration of colour and style! I also love Mad About The House. Kate Watson-Smythe has a wonderful, no-nonsense style of writing and shares endless inspiration.
My Internet hero... Greta Thunberg has used the Internet and social media to galvanise a powerful international movement from Sweden. She’s my hero and a wonderful example of how modern technologies can be used for good, not evil!
My favourite podcast... RadioLab is fantastic to listen to whilst I paint! I always learn something new.
My most recent buy online... IziPizi glasses - I’m steadily working towards a collection of one in every colour!
Last book you downloaded or read... Currently reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking To Strangers, enjoying it hugely.
Favourite tweeter... I’m not a huge fan of Twitter – but I do check the BBC feed for news updates.
Favourite Instagrammer... @AdvancedStyle is a great account! @neothissen for my daily dose of interior grandeur. And finally, @nudeandthenovice is always posting bold, bright, cheerful room shots.
Social media allowed me to meet... Every single one of my Painters in Residence! I use social media to hunt for up-and-coming furniture painters. When I find somebody I really love, I invite them to be part of my Painters In Residence programme, where furniture artists are encouraged to explore their talent and creativity and paint for painting’s sake, rather than in order to sell a piece at the end of the process. We share their finished pieces on the Inspiration Page of my website, as well as all my social media channels and help them reach a new audience!
The best digital advice I've been given... Don’t feed the trolls!
My screensaver is... A photograph of a Lucienne Day print. We featured her incredible textile work in the latest edition of my Bookazine, The Colourist, and I was reminded just how talented she truly was!
My standout online memory... Selling out of my new Chalk Paint™ colours Oxford Navy and Athenian Black on my website. That felt like a pretty big deal, from selling Chalk Paint™ in hand-labelled tins from a tiny shop in north Oxford to selling out online to UK and French customers! Very surreal (FYI…it’s back in stock now).
My pet online hate is... I share a lot of work by hard-working individuals from the furniture painting community. I can’t say I care for commenters who say,‘I’m entitled to my own opinion’ after being taken to task over their rudeness about somebody’s painting, style, taste, ability, photography, or whatever.
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