Join me in this episode of Sukany4 – The Podcast, I take a springtime walk through Lancaster’s beautiful canal paths and into the peaceful Fairfield Nature Reserve with designer and creative business owner, Anna Douglas.
Creativity Business and Slowing Down
There are places tucked into cities that feel like well-kept secrets. Fairfield Nature Reserve is one of them. Hidden just beyond the bustle of Lancaster, it offers the kind of calm that lets your thoughts stretch out. It’s here I met with Anna Douglas, founder of Studio Aydo a Branding and Website design company which aims to reflect your ambition, for a wander and a natter about creativity, business, and slowing down.
Anna knows this path well. It’s a favourite of hers and her partner’s – a place they return to again and again. And you can see why. From canal bridges to tree-lined stretches and farmyard scents drifting on the breeze, it feels miles away from city life, despite being so near. The kind of walk where conversation comes easily.
Anna’s story, like the route we took, is full of turns. She began her career in fashion design, a field she loved but found increasingly restrictive in its commercial context. “I was doing freelance work and just not excited by it anymore,” she told me. “I realised I couldn’t do this forever.” That realisation, coupled with a desire for more creative freedom, sparked a shift toward branding and web design.
Connection Without Pressure
Studio Aydo was born from that shift, but also from a moment of challenge, redundancy during the pandemic. Instead of shrinking from it, Anna used it as an opportunity to recalibrate. She invested in a business coach, crafted a plan, and began intentionally building a brand of her own. One centred not just on design, but on clarity, impact, and confidence.
And she didn’t stop there. Alongside Studio Aydo, Anna hosts Creative Dinners, thoughtful, small-scale gatherings that offer connection without pressure.
“They’re not traditional networking,” she said. “You don’t even have to talk about your business if you don’t want to. It’s more about having a night off, making genuine connections, and maybe hearing something useful from a guest speaker.”
She’s held dinners in Lancaster and Manchester, with everything from nutritionists to financial advisors speaking on topics women in business often don’t get space to discuss. Some dinners have sixteen attendees, some just eight – and that’s exactly how Anna likes it.
“The smaller ones are often the best. The conversation goes deeper.”
Working with Purpose and Strategy
As we strolled through the fields and woodlands of Fairfield, we spoke about everything from curly hair products (essential knowledge) to digital sustainability, social media, AI, and how important it is to create rather than constantly consume. Anna’s calm energy is paired with quiet determination. She’s not rushing to scale fast or go viral – she’s building something considered, rooted, and thoughtful.
Studio Aydo is more than a design studio. It’s a reflection of how Anna works: with purpose, care, and intention. Her approach to branding is grounded in strategy. Every font, every colour, every word is chosen for a reason – not just for aesthetics but for connection. She creates brands that feel like truth.
A Final Thought
Our walk reminded me that creativity isn’t only found in the work we produce. It’s also in how we live. In the pace we choose. In the conversations we make room for. In the community we build, gently and consistently.
If you’re a woman in business looking for clarity, confidence, and a space to feel seen, Anna’s work and world are a very good place to start.
