Lmst

New episode! ✨

How do self-employed conservators find clients? 🔎

Jenny, Solange, and Liz share some strategies, while listeners in private practitioners reveal what really works.

One of our most useful episodes ever, we reckon!

Listen here: https://thecword.show/2025/06/11/s16e07-finding-clients/

#TheCWordPodcast #conservation #freelancers #conservators #freelancing #customers #PrivatePractice #selfemployed #clients #SmallBusiness #podcasts

An illustration of Connie the conservator, a mixed heritage woman with long dark hair and a big smile, driving a white and purple electric micro-car down a street. Flyers are streaming out of her open car window and she’s got speakers on top of the car roof for advertising her services as a conservator!
(Artwork by Jenny Mathiasson 2025)

New episode! ✨

What's it like leaving university and heading straight into the world of #freelancing and/or private practice? 🎓 Liz, Isabella and Sophie spill the beans!

Listen here: https://thecword.show/2025/05/29/s16e06-early-career-freelancing/

#TheCWordPodcast #conservation #podcasts #conservators #freelancers #business #SmallBusiness #EarlyCareer #EmergingProfessionals

An illustration of a graduate conservator standing in front of a yellow brick road. To the sides the paths lead to academia and traditional employment, and ahead it leads to freelance life. (Artwork by Jenny Mathiasson 2025)

Yesterday I had great fun giving a masterclass talk on caring for #metals at the #MuseumsAndHeritageShow in London: I tried giving people an idea of what the most common reasons for #corrosion are, and how we can best avoid those and keep our metallic friends happy.

I like bringing props, so here are two beautiful sets of keys: the bundle on the left has been given a protective coating, and the one on the right hasn't. 🔑

#collections #CollectionsCare #museums #heritage #events #conservators

Two sets of old keys on large rings on a white table. The key bundle on the left is a dark grey-to-brown colour, while the bundle on the right is orange-to-brown.

Above them is some text: two weeks at 70-80% RH (relative humidity)

Below are arrows pointing to the different sets of keys: the dark one on the left reads "coated with Renaissance wax" and the rusted one on the right reads "uncoated"

In other words this is a nice example of what happens when iron is kept in a damp environment!

New episode! ♻️

Jenny and Solange are joined by Panos Morfis as we figure out #bioplastics: what they are, how we can look after them, and why #conservators should get onboard with #3Dprinting.

Listen here: https://thecword.show/2025/05/14/s16e05-bioplastics/

#TheCWordPodcast #podcasts #HeritageScience #plastics #ConservationScience #conservation #science

An illustration of a 3D printer having just finished printing a purple version of the bust of Michaelangelo’s David sculpture in a bioplastic. (Artwork by Jenny Mathiasson 2025)

It's been roughly a year since I got the keys for my workspace in #Carmarthen and I'm still so chuffed I could make it happen.

It's a sunshine yellow workshop filled with my quirks, happy music, weird podcasts, bespoke tools, and other things I deem essential (like a coffee maker and a napping area).

Shaping your own workspace is magical, y'all.

#conservators #ShowYourWorkspace #FreelanceLife

A collage of four photos, all taken in sunshine yellow rooms:

On the left is a selfie of a white woman in her late 30s, with half her hair buzzcut short and remaining long on the other side of her head. She's smiling a little tiredly, and is wearing chunky glasses and a black-and-grey top. In the background you can sort of make out a tool chest in beige and red, several white plastic boxes, stacks of books and catalogues, a bin full of rolls of paper, a tall bookshelf full of literature, a blue cherub, the arm of a lamp, and a smidge of desk.

On the top right is another workbench with a yellow lamp, a green air filter, some books and tools, a purple cutting mat with more clobber on it, and a tin full of brushes.

Middle right is a blue and white embroidery in Swedish from my long-dead grandmother: it reads approximately "a sunny disposition is the sign of a successful soul" and is my little reminder that loving what I do is actually more important than all the other bollocks.

Bottom right is a view of the other workroom: a fume cupboard, a white door laden with aprons, a planner, a recycling box, cabinets and drawers, mainly.

Kloe paid an intergenerational visit to Shibden Hall for our latest episode: here she is with her mother and her baby boy!

If you'd like to hear her visit a place where you can practically smell the wood panelling through your headphones/speakers, listen to our latest episode here: https://thecword.show/2025/04/16/s16e03-local-little-museums/

#museums #TheCWordPodcast #heritage #conservators #podcasts #ShibdenHall

A selfie of three people in an astonishingly wood panelled room at a historic property in England (with hints of decadent no-sitting-here chairs, wooden sculptures, and big paintings). At the back is an older white woman with short cropped white hair, black clothes, and a big smile. In the foreground is a smiling white woman with dark hair pulled back and a baby carrier, in which we can just about see the top of a baby's head.

Our lovely Solange was on holiday and took a detour to Derwent Pencil Museum with her kids: let's get immersed in the world of #pencils with them, shall we? ✏️

Listen to our latest episode here: https://thecword.show/2025/04/16/s16e03-local-little-museums/

#museums #TheCWordPodcast #podcasts #conservators #derwent

A photo of a mixed heritage woman with dark hair, glasses, an orange backpack, burgundy leggings, grey shoes, striped legwarmers, and a striped jumper in yellow, white and orange. On her hip is a child (dressed in muted colours) and by her feet a slightly older child (dressed in pastels). In the background is a low building and a vintage vehicle and a big sign reading "Derwent Pencil Museum"

Liz visited the Our Lord in the Attic Museum in Amsterdam's red light district - an unexpected little gem with a very rich history!

Go listen to the whole story in our latest episode. 🎧

#museums #TheCWordPodcast #museum #Amsterdam #TheNetherlands #podcasts #conservators

A smiling white woman with large glasses, earbuds, a green turtleneck, a purple jacket and dark hair in a bun. She looks glamorous and radiant. She's next to a sign for a museum written in Dutch.

An interior view of the museum, showing railings and columns and a generally opulent interior. Snazzy!

Here's Phedra and her tiny daughter visiting the Museum of Greek Refugees for the podcast. Danae was the youngest ever visitor!

Here they're being told about old customs around how to look after a baby, including a lovely lullaby sung by the staff. How's that for a unique museum visit? 💜

Listen to our latest episode to hear more. 🎧

#museums #TheCWordPodcast #conservators #podcasts

A photo of a room with white walls and lots of things on display: the walls are covered in framed art and photos, there's a table with embroideries and knick-knacks, and it gives off a vibe of a lovingly cluttered home. The lighting above gives it away as a museum gallery. We see an older woman with short dark hair, a bluey-purple top, and glasses holding a swaddled baby doll in the background. She's talking to the woman in the foreground, who has long dark hair and a striped top, and is holding a baby with a smiley face over her actual face.

New episode! 📍

What happens when five #conservators visit five local little #museums? An adorable #travel episode, of course!

🇨🇾 Phedra goes to the Museum of Greek Refugees
🇬🇧 Solange visits Derwent Pencil Museum
🇳🇱 Liz visits the Our Lord in the Attic Museum
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Kloe goes to Shibden Hall
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Jenny visits the Dylan Thomas Boathouse

What's your favourite little museum? Have you been to any of the above?

Listen here: https://thecword.show/2025/04/16/s16e03-local-little-museums/

#TheCWordPodcast #podcasts #conservation #heritage

An illustration of a map with streets and six icons marking museums. A magnifier is being held up to one of the icons. (Artwork by Jenny Mathiasson 2025)

New episode! ✨

Conservation may be the profession but within it are many, many specialisms: how is anyone supposed to choose?! 🤔

Liz, Solange and Jenny have a chat about how they picked their specialisms and give some tips on how people can find theirs if they're struggling to choose.

Listen here: https://thecword.show/2025/04/02/s16e02-choosing-a-specialism/

#TheCWordPodcast #conservation #podcasts #conservators #specialism #episodes #specialist

An illustration of Connie the conservator (a mixed heritage woman with brown hair, green eyes, olive skin, a red top and a white lab coat) looking bewildered, hesitantly pointing a nitrile gloved purple hand upwards towards a bubble above. Around her are purple question marks and several pale green bubbles containing icons illustrating different conservation specialisms: a pink dress for textiles, an open book for books and paper, an earthenware pot for ceramics and glass, a framed artwork for paintings, a broken column for stone and architecture, and a sabre-toothed skull for natural history. In the background is a gentle pink-to-white gradient. (Artwork by Jenny Mathiasson 2025)

New season has dropped! ✨

We're starting season 16 (can you believe it?!) with Liz and Solange chatting to Mary Lewis from Heritage Crafts about heritage skills and the joy of making things with your hands. 🫶

Listen here: https://thecword.show/2025/03/20/s16e01-heritage-skills/

#TheCWordPodcast #conservation #podcasts #conservators #heritage #crafts

An illustration of Connie the conservator behind a coracle, a traditional type of woven boat, hanging from two wires. There’s a few rips in the cloth and various cracks. Connie peers through a rip, looking worried. (Artwork by Jenny Mathiasson 2025)

We're about to start recording our next season and if you're a conservator out there working in private practice or as a freelancer, we'd love to hear from you!

How do YOU find your clients/customers?

Send us a quick voice note as we'd love to hear you on the show, in addition to talking about our own experiences with this.

Send your voice clips to:
📲 +447721 365973 on WhatsApp
📨 or via email to thecwordpodcast@gmail.com

#TheCWordPodcast #conservators #freelancers #PrivatePractice

A banner with an illustration of an olive-skinned woman with dark hair, a lab coat, and purple nitrile gloves calling out to someone in the distance.

The text reads:

Send us your voice clips! How do you find your clients or customers?

Record yourself:
Send us a quick voice note telling us who you are + how YOU find your clients

Send us the file on WhatsApp (+447721 36 59 73)
or via DM or email

New episode - and it's our annual #Christmas special! 🎄

Get in the festive spirit with us as our whole podcast team gets together to play a game and share our hopes for 2025. 🎁 Plus Kloe and Phedra drop a bombshell!

Listen here: https://thecword.show/2024/12/21/s15e08-christmas-special/

#TheCWordPodcast #conservation #podcasts #conservators #MerryChristmas #HappyHolidays

An illustration of gifts under white-and-purple tinsel against a teal-to-white gradient backdrop: a grey acid-free box with a big purple ribbon, a blue present with a dark blue bow (suspiciously solvent dispenser shaped), a green gift with a red ribbon (totally not bookbinding shears), and a red bucket-shaped present with a golden ribbon and an acid-free archival tag on it (totes not a bucket of adhesive). Festive! (Artwork by Jenny Mathiasson 2024)

Happy Friday!

Today I got my hands on copies of a book I wrote a chapter for: it looks like a great publication, I'm looking forward to reading it. Until I've got the energy for that, I'm just going to bask in the glow of having something published.

If you're keen you can get yourself one here: https://www.routledge.com/Cultural-Heritage-Conservation-for-Early-Learners-Outreach-and-Engagement-with-the-Next-Generation/Chase-Hoffman-Lasnoski/p/book/9781032365923

#books #conservation #book #conservators #outreach #EarlyLearners

A smiling white woman in her late 30s is holding up a book next to her face. The woman is wearing thick-rimmed glasses and a grey cardigan, and she's got longish purply-red hair and bushy eyebrows.

The book has stripes in red and white and two sections that look like acrylic paint in different colours, and the text on it reads:

Routledge Focus
Conservation in Focus
Cultural Heritage Conservation for Early Learners
Outreach and Engagement with the Next Generation
Ellen Chase, Laura Hoffman, and Matthew Lasnoski

Behind her is a radiant yellow wall and a cheeky bit of a white lamp arm just to mess with you.

New episode! 💡

This one's all about #apprenticeships as a potential path into the #conservation profession: Liz has been an #apprentice, Jenny has hosted an #apprenticeship and Kloe is just plain keen.

We also chat with Jane Henderson about the potential pitfalls of the UK model, and to stone carvers Nina and Charlotte about how it works in their industry.

Listen here: https://thecword.show/2024/12/11/s15e07-apprenticeships/

#TheCWordPodcast #conservation #podcasts #conservators #apprentices

An illustration of a caucasian person wearing a yellow top, purple nitrile gloves, a grey apron, black ¾ length leggings and lavender moccasin shoes, carrying a large purple jigsaw piece. (Artwork by Jenny Mathiasson 2024)

New episode! 🌳

In a wonderful takeover special we let the #conservators at the #NationalTrust run wild: there are cozy walks, there are comfy chats, there's even excitable stags at the very end! 🦌 (Maybe this isn't everyone's definition of wild, actually...)

Honestly, it's perfect for curling up with a cuppa with.

Listen here: https://thecword.show/2024/11/27/s15e06-national-trust-takeover/

#TheCWordPodcast
#conservation #podcasts

An illustration of an oak twig with leaves and acorns in a chemistry beaker with a cotton swab and a paint brush, in a wild mash-up of the logos of the National Trust and The C Word: The Conservators' Podcast. Across the beaker is a banner reading "takeover" in all caps. (Art by Jenny Mathiasson 2024)

In our second accreditation episode we invite Bethany Jo Mikelait from #CAPC in #Canada and Mariana Onofri from #Brazil as we delve into why or why not one might want regulation, quality control, and/or accreditation in our profession. Kloe and Solange also share their UK accreditation journeys so far.

Don't forget to tune in for a Dear Jane about politely declining to work on an object!

Listen here: https://thecword.show/2024/11/13/s15e05-accreditation-part-2-the-international-take/

#TheCWordPodcast #conservation #podcasts #conservators #accreditation

An illustration of the earth wearing a graduation mortar board with a purple tassel. (Illustration by Jenny Mathiasson 2024)

Today is a special day! After five years of intensive research, our team of eight Rijksmuseum conservators started removing the varnish from Rembrandt's The Night Watch. This will enable us to preserve the painting for future generations. You can watch this process live, as the work is being conducted in the see-through glass chamber in the Night Watch Gallery of the Rijksmuseum.

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/stories/operation-night-watch #museums #Rembrandt #conservators

It's #AskAConservator day today, so feel free to ask me anything you'd like!

Ideally about conservation or working in this field, but I'll allow tangents. 😆

#conservation #conservators #ArtConservation

#conservators

Client Info