Privacy policy

Updated Oct 2026

Welcome to Jo Watson Artist

I respect your privacy and take care to look after the personal information you share with me. This policy explains how I collect, use and protect your personal information when you visit my website, contact me, buy artwork, book a workshop or retreat, subscribe to emails or use resources in the Creative Hub.

Who is responsible for your information?

The data controller is myself, Jo Watson, trading as Jo Watson Artist. A self-employed artist and art teacher based in Staffordshire England.

Website: www.jowatsonartist.co.uk Email: jowatsonartist@gmail.com

What information do I collect?

The information I collect depends on how you interact with my website and business. It may include.

  • Enquiries: your name, email, phone number and any information you choose to include in a message

  • Artwork and shop purchases: your name, billing and delivery address, email, phone number, order details and payment-related information.

  • Workshop and Retreat bookings: your name and contact details, booking and payment information, and any practical information needed to organise your attendance. This may include dietary requirements, accessibility needs or emergency contact details where relevant.

  • Email subscribers: your name, email and your preferences about receiving emails

  • Creative Hub resources: most resources in the Creative Hub, including downloadable PDFs, can be accessed directly without providing personal information. If you join a waiting list or complete a form relating to a particular resource or event, I may collect your name and email address for that purpose.

  • Website visits: some technical information may be collected automatically, such as your IP address, browser type, device information and how you use the website. This may involve cookies and similar technologies.

Please only provide personal information that is relevant to your inquiry or booking

How and why do I use your information?

I use personal information only where I have a lawful reason to do so. This may include.

  • Responding to enquiries and communicating with you.

  • Processing artwork orders and arranging payment, delivery and after-sales support.

  • Managing Workshop and Retreat bookings, including sending booking information and practical updates.

  • Managing waiting lists for Workshops and Retreats, including contacting you if a place becomes available or when further dates are announced.

  • Making reasonable arrangements for dietary requirements, accessibility needs and other information relevant to your attendance.

  • Sending newsletters, creative inspiration, news about Workshops and Retreats, and information about new resources or products, where you have chosen to receive these.

  • Providing access to requested downloads and other Creative Hub resources.

  • Maintaining and improving my website and understanding how visitors use it.

  • Keeping business, payment and tax records were required by law.

Depending on the purpose, I rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

  • Contract: where I need your information to fulfil an order or booking, or take steps at your request before entering into one.

  • Legitimate interests: for reasonable business administration, responding to enquiries, maintaining records and improving my services, provided these interests do not override your rights.

  • Legal obligation: where I need to retain or disclose information to meet legal or accounting requirements.

  • Consent: where you have actively agreed to receive marketing emails or where consent is required for optional cookies or other uses of your information.

Where I ask for information about health-related or other sensitive needs, such as dietary or accessibility needs, I will use it only where necessary to make appropriate arrangements and on an appropriate lawful basis.

Email newsletters and marketing

If you subscribe to my mailing list, I will use your email address to send occasional updates about my artwork, workshops, residential retreats, Creative Hub resources and other creative activities.

I will only send you marketing emails where you have given the necessary permission or where the law otherwise allows it. Joining a mailing list is not a condition of buying artwork, booking a workshop or downloading resources.

You can unsubscribe at any time by using the link at the bottom of an email or by contacting me directly. I will stop sending marketing emails, although I may retain a record of your preference so that I can respect your decision.

I may still contact you with essential information relating to an order, booking or inquiry.

Who do I share your information with?

I do not sell or rent your personal information

I use a small number of trusted third-party services to help to run my website and business. These include:

  • Squarespace: hosts my website, provides my online shop and checkout facilities, processes payments, and supports my email marketing through Squarespace email campaigns.

  • PayPal: processes payments where customers choose to pay using PayPal.

  • Google: provides Google forms, which I used to collect names and email addresses from people wishing to join Workshop or Retreat waiting lists.

I may also share relevant information with delivery companies when sending purchases, or with professional advisors and public authorities where necessary for legal, accounting or regulatory purposes.

These organisations may process information on my behalf or under their own privacy arrangements. I only share information where it is necessary for the relevant service or purpose.

Some providers may store or process information outside the UK. Where this happens, appropriate safeguards must be in place in accordance with applicable data protection law.

How long do I keep your information?

I only keep personal information for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting or record-keeping requirements.

For example:

  • Order and financial records are generally kept for the periods required by tax and accounting law.

  • Enquiry and booking information is kept for as long as it is needed to deal with your enquiry, manage your booking and any related follow-up.

  • Mailing list details are kept while subscribed. If you unsubscribe, I will stop using your details for marketing.

  • Dietary, accessibility and other practical information collected for a particular event will not be kept longer than necessary, unless there is a legitimate reason or legal requirement to retain it.

  • When information is no longer needed, I will take reasonable steps to delete it or securely dispose of it

Cookies and website analytics

Like most websites, my Squarespace website uses cookies and similar technologies. Some are essential for the website to work properly, such as enabling basic site functions and the shopping basket.

Other cookies may be used for analytics or additional website features, depending on the services enabled on the site. Where consent is required, these cookies should only be used in accordance with your cookie preferences.

You can manage your choices through the website cookie banner or settings. You can also control cookies through your browser, although blocking essential cookies may affect how parts of the website work.

Third-party services embedded or linked from the website may also use their own cookies and privacy arrangements.

How I protect your information

I take reasonable steps to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure. Website hosting, checkout and payment services are provided through established third-party providers with their own security measures.

Please remember that no method of transmitting or storing information online can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Your rights

Under data protection law you have rights in relation to the personal information I hold about you. Depending on the circumstances these include the right to:

  • Ask for a copy of the personal information I hold about you.

  • Ask me to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.

  • Ask for information to be deleted where there is no valid reason for me to continue holding it.

  • Ask me to restrict how I use your information in certain circumstances.

  • Object to certain uses of your information, including direct marketing.

  • Withdraw consent where I rely on your consent.

  • Request a copy of certain information in a portable format.

Some rights are subject to exceptions. For example, I may need to retain certain transaction records to meet legal obligations.

To exercise any of these rights, please email me at jowatsonartist@gmail.com

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO)), the UK's data protection regulator, if you are unhappy with how your information has been handled. Details are available at www.ico.org.uk

Links to other websites

My website may include links to other websites or services. Once you leave my website, their own privacy policies and terms will apply. I cannot take responsibility for how other organisations collect or use your information.

Changes to this policy

I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to my business, website, services or legal requirements. The latest version will always be published on this page, with the date it was last updated.

Contact

If you have any questions about this policy or how your personal information is used, please contact me at:

Thank you for trusting me with your information.