From Sketchbook to Shop Shelves: Seri Studios
Sometimes, a great business idea starts with a detailed plan, a gap in the market, a moment of curiosity, or even a conversation with a friend. Sometimes it starts with something as simple as a postcard.
For Seher Sadiq, founder of Seri Studios, it was the latter.
What started as a hand-painted postcard for a friend moving to Australia has quickly grown into Seri Studios: an exciting, colourful North East creative brand with an exciting range of products and a growing community of customers, all in less than a year.
It all started with a postcard...
Creativity has shaped Seher’s journey from the very beginning. After studying art at school, she went on to complete a degree in Fashion Design and Marketing before building experience as an illustrator and print designer.
But the idea that would eventually become Seri Studios came from a simple, personal project.
When a friend was getting ready to move to Australia, Seher hand-painted them a postcard. She loved the final piece and, feeling inspired, began creating more illustrations, including a collection of Newcastle-themed postcards, which she shared on Instagram as part of her portfolio. Messages soon started to arrive asking if her illustrations were available as prints and products.
What had started as a simple farewell project suddenly looked like it could become something much bigger.
From illustrator to business owner
Having the creative talent was one thing. Turning it into a business was another.
Like many creatives, Seher initially found putting her work out into the world a little daunting. After all, there’s a big leap between creating something you love and putting a price tag on it and hoping someone else loves it just as much as you do.
Seher discovered PNE through Instagram and connected with Business Advisor Maria Payumo, receiving tailored one-to-one support and access to insightful business workshops and masterclasses through the Sustainable Creative programme.
“Working with Seher and her business has been a real pleasure. It has been wonderful to watch her ideas grow and come to life through her prints. Seeing the time, effort, and creativity she puts into her work has been inspiring. It was also great to see her test-trading her products at the Ouseburn Market, where she engaged with customers and gained valuable feedback. It's been exciting to follow her journey and see her business continue to grow and develop” Maria Payumo PNE Business Advisor
As a Fashion Design and Marketing graduate herself, Maria understood Seher’s creative background and business goals. Together, they explored the idea in more detail, identified new opportunities, and began shaping the foundations of what would become Seri Studios.
“I received support from Maria for marketing and general business stuff… The 1-2-1’s were helpful to just talk through what I’m doing and planning to do just to check I’m on the right path. I had a lot of gaps in my website and missed opportunities that Maria helped me with! I also found the Money and Tax Confidence Workshop useful as I had no clue about any of it at the start. I still refer to the slides whenever I’m feeling stuck”
During her one-to-one support, Maria encouraged Seher to think creatively alongside providing advice on business topics, including what to do with the leftover materials and offcuts from her studio rather than letting them go to waste. That conversation sparked the idea for Studio Scraps, transforming what could have been discarded into a brand-new product that has since become one of Seri Studios’ best sellers.
Seher has continued to learn and adapt as Seri Studios has grown. While she initially felt confident that her products were priced appropriately, receiving her first wholesale enquiry prompted her to rethink her pricing and make sure it worked for both retail and wholesale.
She is also learning what works best when promoting the brand, paying close attention to the content her audience responds to and building on what works. Throughout the journey, Seher has been supported by a strong network of people around her who have encouraged her from the very beginning and helped her grow in confidence as a business owner.
More than just a market stall
Markets also became an important part of the Seri Studios journey.
Through the Sustainable Creative programme, Seher was given the opportunity to test-trade at Ouseburn Market, giving her the chance to meet customers, see which products caught people's attention and connect with other North East businesses.
“Trading with PNE at Ouseburn Market has had a massive impact on my journey. I’ve learnt so much about markets and it's led to some great opportunities. I recently met someone at Ouseburn Market who works at Newcastle Castle and now I’m stocked in the Newcastle Castle gift shop!”
Those conversations led to much more than sales. One connection made at a market eventually helped Seri Studios secure shelf space in the Newcastle Castle gift shop.
In early 2026, Seher reached a huge milestone when she sold out of almost everything she had brought to a market, a moment that made Seri Studios feel like a real business and showed her that people genuinely valued her work. That feeling grew even stronger when a customer later came to a market specifically to meet Seher and buy her products, showing that she wasn’t just making sales, but building a loyal community around Seri Studios.
“I met a customer at a market recently who said she came specifically to see me and that she’d been waiting for an opportunity to see me at a market. This felt crazy to me! I still feel like a newbie, and nobody knows who I am yet, so this felt like a big step in the right direction”
And the numbers behind her business tell their own story.
In less than a year, Seri Studios has come a long way. What began with around 40 postcards has grown to stocking 600 postcards, while expanding to a core collection of 10 designs, with exclusive postcards in local independent shops Flaura Rose and Bunns of Brunton, helping Seher’s colourful designs reach new customers across the North East. It’s a huge amount of growth in a short space of time and a clear sign of how an initial creative idea can develop when there’s an audience behind it.
Only the beginning
Seher is just getting started. Her next objective is growing the wholesale side of Seri Studios, getting the products into even more shops and finding a bigger studio space to give the business room to grow. Further down the line, she'd also like to run creative workshops and give other people the chance to explore their own creativity.
Ultimately, the goal is to build a business that is sustainable, financially stable and still filled with creativity and fun!
Seher’s biggest advice to those looking to start their own creative business is to reach out and find support.
“Don’t be scared to reach out for help/support. There’s so much support out there, nobody expects you to know everything about the ins and outs of business!”
When asked about her experience and whether she would recommend support from PNE Seher said:
“Yes! It is invaluable to share your ideas and plans and receive useful feedback that will ultimately help you get started! I had a long list of jobs to do after my talk with Maria and every single thing I did boosted my business and made me feel more confident in my business”
From a single postcard to hundreds of products on shelves across the North East, Seher’s story shows what can happen when you share your creativity, test an idea and have the confidence to take that all-important first step. What started as a simple illustration has grown into an exciting creative business, and we can’t wait to see where Seher takes Seri Studios next… hopefully she’ll send us a postcard!
Could your idea be next?
You don’t need to have everything figured out to get started.
Whether you’ve got a creative passion you’d love to turn into an income, a business you’re ready to take further, or simply an idea you can’t stop thinking about, PNE can help you make it happen.
With tailored one-to-one support, practical advice and opportunities to build your network, we’ll help you grow your confidence, develop your ideas and turn those “what if?” moments into “look what I did.”
Ready to see where your idea could take you? Get in touch with PNE today and take your first step.
The Sustainable Creative Programme was a collaboration between PNE and Creative Central Newcastle. Funded by Newcastle City Council, the programme provided members with valuable resources, personalised one-to-one advice and access to engaging creative business courses and networking events to help residents create exciting and sustainable creative ventures. For more information visit: Creative Central: NCL