Bethan Seller: A Few Of My Favourite Things

There are some people in this world who are built to work non-stop. 

I, my friends, am not one of them. 

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my job, but if I haven’t been outside or moved my body for a while, I start to become incredibly crunchy company. 

So, that’s why, alongside being a professional director I’m also a professional potterer. 

No, not a potter – you read it right the first time. I love to potter.

What you’ll find in this article are the little bursts I need throughout the working day to keep myself sane and pleasant.

The Greenhouse

The day starts with a visit to my dinky little greenhouse to inspect the latest plant children. 

Usually they’re the same as the day before, of course, but a little hello never goes amiss. 

Plants really are one of nature’s great achievements.

The Kettle

On the winding route to my office is the kettle. 

Anyone who’s worked with me will know I’m useless before I’ve had an injection of Yorkshire Tea. 

I’ve been known to carry them around on set “raw” in my pockets, just for emergencies. 

Last year, I bought this deliciously bright orange kettle – with a whistle – much to my boyfriend’s dismay. 

It’s really romanticised the tea-making process, but also means the tea-making process takes at least twice as long. 

I’m yet to decide whether the romance outweighs the need to utilise my time more effectively.

The Treadmill

This is where the transformation from garden potterer to high-flying finance mogul happens. 

Picture me strutting, phone glued to my ear, making investments, clinching deals. 

I’m being sarcastic, of course, but every time I tell people I have a desk treadmill, I’m pretty sure this is what they imagine. 

In reality, it’s just me listening to the Chicken Run soundtrack on repeat while I walk and work.

Here comes the hard sell: this treadmill has revolutionised my working day. 

ALL of my treatments get written while I walk on this bad boy. 

This article is being written while I write. 

If I walk slowly enough, I enter this strange trance-like state where I almost forget I’m walking and can focus so much more on what I’m writing. 

It’s especially useful on rainy days when I have no motivation. 

Up there with one of my favourite ever investments.

The Red Nose Studio Letter

I’m a big fan of Chris Sickels. 

He’s a 3D illustrator and model maker based in the US, and I’ve followed his journey to creative genius since I was at uni. 

This is a handwritten letter from him that one of my friends organised, along with a signed print, for my birthday. 

It’s one of my favourite gifts of all time.

The Bits And Bobs

My office is filled with 'bits and bobs': notes, photos, ornaments, plants, paintings, drawings, travel keepsakes. 

It is probably one of the only rooms in the house where I’ve allowed so much stuff to accumulate. 

The room is a true expression of me, which is handy, as it’s where I have to access the deepest corners of my brain and creativity most regularly. 

Sometimes, as we all do, I have a day where I kind of forget I’m any good at anything at all. 

I’m very grateful to have a very lovely partner who supports me (hurray!) who, to combat the low days, has compiled a box full of notes based on good feedback I’ve had from clients, agencies and colleagues. 

I have a little rummage every now and then, et voilà, I’m reborn as a bad bitch.