Interview: Ruth Sturdy from Colour Chronicles

I met the delightful Ruth Sturdy at an event in central London and I immediately fell in love with her and her brand, Colour Chronicles.

Their main product is The Book of You, a beautiful book for a child and their parent. It is a living memento that they complete together, recording all the wonderful moments from age one through sixteen.

It is such a beautiful concept and it was a pleasure to interview Ruth for our journal.

1. Hi Ruth, I am in love with The Book of You – I wish it existed when I was a child. Could you please tell us a bit more about it and what drove you to create it?

Thank you so much, it makes me so happy you like it. I was filling out a book for my children which I absolutely loved, for me it was a part of celebrating their birthdays. When my daughter turned three, I thought it was such a shame there was no where for her to have an input so I ended up writing some questions in myself and her answers were as hilarious as they were adorable and so then I began my search for a book with prompts for them as well as for me. I couldn’t find one so that’s when I thought I would make my own and The Book of You was created!

2. For people who would like to publish a book, could you please take us through how you published The Book of You?

I teamed up with an amazing designer who was able to put in to a printable format what I had in my mind. She is wonderful and our vision for the book has been the same so getting the book designed was relatively pain free. I researched many printers and spent a great deal of time looking at book covers, colours, and everything else that goes in to the finished product. Actually choosing the colours was the hardest part as there are so many gorgeous colours to choose from.

3. What is the most important lesson you have learnt running Colour Chronicles?

The most important lesson for me is knowing that I am capable of running my own business and bringing a product to market that is well received whilst maintaining a balance with my home life. Having two preschool children, I do not have spare time so I run Colour Chronicles as and when I can and it’s a fantastic lesson for me to know that it’s possible and I can fit it around looking after my family.

4. I am a huge fan of the segment on Jimmy Kimmel’s show where he asks children questions – their answers are always hilarious! You must have come across quite a few too as part of your work on The Book of You. Do you have any little gems that you could share?

Oh the answers!! They are the best bit and I love it when people tell me what their little ones have said. Some of the best answers come from ‘What’s the naughtiest thing you’ve done this year?’ and often it’s a revelation for the parent! When I asked my three year old daughter, ‘What would you like to be when you grow up?’  she answered, ‘ A digger driver. Actually, no, a pig!’. Priceless!

5. What piece of advice would you tell your 18 year old self?

I’m not sure my 18 year old self would’ve listened but it would be to worry less about what the future holds and to enjoy the moment more.

6. What are you plans for Colour Chronicles and The Book of You in 2019?

My plans for the year are to get The Book of You out there as much as possible and stocked in more shops. I am planning to exhibit at the baby shows and my one goal is to get to grips with social media and try to work out how best to use it - still all seems like a minefield to me!

7. Can you please recommend a book for our readers?

Absolutely, I have just finished ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by Elizabeth Gilbert and loved it. My next book to read is ‘How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen’! Wish me luck…

Thanks you so much for being our interviewee Ruth! We love that you followed your entrepreneurial spirit and created this amazing product. Check out Colour Chronicles and The Book of You - a perfect and thoughtful gift for any child or parent.