Celebrating Dorset Growth Hub Grant Winners: Emma Roff

Our fave thing at TOSH is when we can help creatives get a boost in their career, whether that’s through our supportive community, mentoring and guidance, or some funds for their biz. This year, collaborating with Dorset Growth Hub, we’ve been able to help almost 20 creatives (and counting!) secure grants at a minimum value of £1000.

In January, Dorset Growth Hub business consultants Shelley Collins-Trevett and Julian Wright joined us at TOSH for 2 days of fully booked talks and 1-1s, presenting their grant offerings and assisting attendees in person with their applications and ideas. Soon after, we were celebrating the news that nearly 20 of those from our creative community had secured funding via Dorset Growth Hub’s New Business, New Product and Female New Business grants.

This week, photographer Emma Roff shares what the grant has meant for her creative biz...

“I offer portrait, product and lifestyle photographic packages to cover all the needs of a launch. I work closely with local creatives to provide detailed, dreamy, earthy imagery that my clients can to launch new products, or stay connected with their audience. 

Being offered help to build yourself is such a special opportunity. Currently being early on in my career, I found that I was unable to invest in other people’s talents and services, like web design and branding.

Don’t we all need the help and skills from others to support one another?! I needed a way to organise and showcase my services and portfolio accessibly and to be able to reach further clients. There was also some specialist equipment I’d had my excited photographer eye on, meaning that I’m a bit less dependent on fussy British weather for natural lighting for my shoots! 

It amazes me what people are capable of being inspired by and producing. Turning metal into jewellery, arranging the colours of flowers into a display and using pastels or digital pixels to create an illustration. I believe photography helps to provide that deserved plinth for their work. I love to help makers showcase their amazing work and talent.

I focus on the tangibility of nature in my work - however, there is such an importance with digital platforms. It provides accessibility and easy initial communications - and I’m excited to launch my new website soon, all able to happen because of this grant. I can’t wait to connect with new people through this… and then hopefully meet them at a local coffee shop to chat about their work and photoshoot plans!”

If you'd like to find out more about Emma Roff and her work, then give her a follow here - and if you're a creative business or freelancer, you can book a free, in person 1-1 'ask anything' consultation at TOSH with Dorset Growth Hub in June or July here!

(Beaut Josie Mitchell Jewellery pictured in banner image, kindly shared from her photoshoot with Emma).