Tell us a bit about your work, and how you first came to be based here?

I specialise in portraits and commercial photography, and I've been based at Mainyard Studios for almost 10 years – so a long time! I first realised I needed a space like this only about a month into working in my tiny editing den at home, alone, where I found I was feeling pretty down, to be honest. I thought maybe I'd made a mistake going into this freelance world, but then my wife pointed out that perhaps my gloom was actually to do with not having a good routine, and blurring the lines between home and work life. I'm a very social person, so being home alone just wasn't very conducive to my mental state. Having a space here means I have somewhere to hold meetings, I can do shoots and it’s a really good base of operations for me the rest of the time too. And obviously, over the time I've now been here, there's been a lot of interactions and collaborations that have been very meaningful to me.

What have been among most memorable ones?

One thing you've got to know about me is that I really love board games, and there’s this board game YouTube channel No Rolls Barred that I was a huge fan of before I realised that they're actually neighbours of mine in here, which was great. It was a really surreal moment where I was sat at my desk watching a video of theirs, and then I heard the laugh of one of the cast, looked around and was like, ‘hold on, they're in the room with me’! Naturally I introduced myself and we really get on, and over the past few years that relationship has built to where they've booked me on some jobs. I've gone from being a fan to a sort of team member, which has been great - professionally and personally.

Why do you think this workspace is so good for making these kinds of connections?

The community is really warm and welcoming to anyone who's looking for some space to grow, not just their business, but in friendships and lifestyle too. Mainyard is kind of indicative of Hackney Wick - and East London as a whole - which I think is an amazing place. It’s where you’re going to find groups of fellow like-minded creatives, your own tribe. I’m also a big fan of places around here like Here East with its waterfront bars which are right outside my window, the Olympic Park is obviously a great resource, and I like to go for 5K runs around Victoria Park, which I can recommend as the best local spot for that.

How does being here work specifically for you as a photographer?

My days are a mixed bag between shoot days, when I’m packing up kit, getting to locations and having interaction with loads of people, and then it switches gear to more solitary work creating pitch decks and editing. Being based here is a real tonic as it gives me the chance to reset, while also working on collaborations.

How would you sum up your decade based from Mainyard?

Over ten years in this industry, there's been a lot of change, and one thing that has been a real anchor for me has been the people around me, like-minded people in the same boat, whether or not they're photographers or freelancers or whatever. I think three words to sum up Mainyard Studios would be creative, welcoming, and defiant. And I say defiant, because I think that Mainyard is defiant against the ever-changing Hackney Wick. You know, there's a lot of developments, um, some good, some bad, and I think that it's really important for spaces like this to kinda keep in touch with the roots, the creative and industrial roots of Hackney Wick.

And yeah, I just think that it's defiant here in the face of it, in the face of tide of change, so that's great.

Find out more about Andy’s work at andyheathcote.com
and follow him on Instagram @andyheathcote