There’s very little that I can say that you haven’t already heard, read, felt or are also going through, but I have decided to put pen to paper and write down what has been and still is shifting within me. This is an insight to where I am directing my energy and creativity within Soenchie and as a person, so if you would like to follow along, I would love for you to join!
My husband and I have been in self-isolation for just over 9 weeks now. You might or might not know this but I am also an Event Planner and Coordinator and co-own a company with my husband called Birdsong Events. Needless to say the events industry was one of the first to fall entirely flat as we headed toward the lockdown. So I have had ample time with my thoughts and feelings and have really made a conscious effort to try and do as much self-reflection as possible. It isn’t possible all the time as I have had weeks on end of absolutely zero motivation and of course all the fear and questioning that goes with it! Knowing that I love, LOVE clay and making useful beautiful things but knowing that I needed to change my approach, not exactly knowing how to express what I felt.
Right now, I am a little more confident in my direction and my place on this ball of earth. I can’t save the world, but I can do everything I do with love and compassion. Including being kinder to one self. There was one early evening in particular I was taking some me-time, journaling and drinking rooibos from a hand thrown mug I purchased on one of our trips (I always find local pottery shops and purchase mugs wherever we go). This way I support local and I get a little piece of art. In this very moment holding the mug in my two hands I was overcome with joy, a sense of purpose, to the point where tears started rolling down my face. I had an overwhelming feeling of comfort in that mug while the realization that I was ENOUGH started to cross my mind. It was then that I knew what I wanted to say. How I wanted to make a difference. Although not everything is 100% clear, there was a huge shift.
A kind of “permission moment” for this imposter syndrome-self, one could say. I want to create vessels that evoke such feelings of comfort and give a sense of meaning to humans and their furkids alike. A sense of belonging. A sense of feeling loved. A celebration of all the little moments.
So therefore I am so excited to expand my range to functional home ware, thoughtfully developed to inspire you. I would like to do my craft consciously and graciously. Fulfilling the promises but not rushing to meet deadlines. In this way staying connected to the earth in the clay I mould, staying present and not continuously firing up the kiln for the sake of expectation.
My orders will therefore be based on a per-kiln-cycle basis in an effort to try and be as eco- conscious as possible. So once I have completed a batch – they will be uploaded to my online shop and once they are sold, they will only be available once the next batch is done. Depending on when you place your order, there will be an option to place a back-order. This way you can ensure that I will make your desired item either in that current load, or the very next batch.
Custom orders will also be limited to a certain amount per cycle. Wholesale orders for shops and restaurants will be considered on a case by case basis,
capacity permitting. Newsletter subscribers will have an advanced notification of any shop uploads, sneak previews and special discounts so please subscribe if you like.
Thanks for taking the time to read through this therapy session. It is so vitally important to me now to stay connected to like-minded people and support my fellow small business owners. So please know that I appreciate every comment, every purchase, every dog or cat photo and hope that you and yours are keeping as well as you possibly can be during this bonkers time.
Also, I now have this bloggy thing, so I will be sharing other peoples stories too!
xSoenchiesx