Don't let them steal your joy.
Learning to hold both grief and joy at the same time.
Life is an ever-changing journey, with transitions that can be challenging and thrilling in the same breath. Something that I have come to terms with in 2023 is that life doesn’t necessarily get easier; rather, we just learn to adapt and steer through uncharted territories with newfound resilience.
For the last few months I have had a feeling of dread deep in my gut that has made me want to just curl up in a shell. It seems like we barely come up for breath before the next crisis hits, on a personal or global scale. It can be extremely hard to find the motivation to share the beauty of our creativity during such times.
In the summer, I began a new infusion treatment to get my rheumatism pain under control, I was reluctant at first having spent the past few years detoxing from past cancer treatment, but the pain was becoming so crippling I had days when I thought I can no longer continue with life nevermind doing the work I love. Brian also had a tough year when the weight of years of being my carer became too much for him to cope with alongside managing his own mental health issues as someone who grew up in the 70’s-80’s surrounded by sectarian violence in Belfast during The Troubles in N.Ireland. We decided as a family that we needed to simplify our lives as much as possible, work less and spend more time healing together as a family. One of the best decisions we made this year was for Brian to join Lotus Blu part time, but now as we enter a new year, I am hoping we can make this a full position and proper family business!
We are quite exhausted, but also very excited about the future. I spotted a Robin yesterday outside our cottage which was perfectly perched and chirping away, like it had a message of good things to come.
Collectively, as a creative community, I feel like we’re all exhausted, the world has been through a lot since 2020. The only way I know how to get through tough times is to actively seek and create beauty, sometimes it feels pointless when you feel so powerless in the face of systems designed to steal our joy on the daily, not to mention cause suffering to vulnerable people in the world with our taxes.
The world may feel like it’s constantly falling apart, yet it’s also being held together like Kintsugi with glimmering gold here and there; the gold being our creativity.
I created some of my best work in 2023 and I am very excited to be sharing all I know about bookbinding in my next course The Art of Bookbinding, which by the way is still open for Founding Students to join before the price goes up when it launches in Spring 2024. You can find out more below.
SOME OF MY FAVOURITE JOURNALS OF 2023.
Don’t ever let them steal your joy!
Last week I shared a song by Brandi Carlile on my Insta stories called The Joke. It was a reminder not to dwell in the abyss of deep sadness we can find ourselves in from time to time, whether our own or shared. We have the capacity to hold grief and joy at the same time and give both the attention it deserve. Creative work not only makes a difference [however small] to another person’s life, but it also has magic healing powers! Do you believe that? I do. Bookbinding saved me from a diagnosis (twice) that I was told was statistically a death sentence—well, humans are not statistics, but it seems like all the systems we live under want us to believe that we are.Â
In 2024, no matter what sh*t life throws at us, I plan to dust myself off and do what I do best, indulge in my creativity and share it with you. I will be continuing to work in collaboration with an NGO in Pakistan who are doing some incredible work with women from rural areas. To begin with we are working on book covers, folders and some pouches.
I’m thrilled to give you a peek at some of my artwork turned into embroidery by the women of Made In Alipur!
A PEEK OF WHAT’S TO COME & A SHORT MESSAGE FROM ME.
These embroideries on linen will be part of a limited edition collection which I will be launching in February.
NEW SKETCHBOOKS WITH A SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER
2023 was all about finding ways to bring some affordable journals and sketchbooks to our shop, but without compromising on the quality or having thousands of one design, which is usually the case when production is outsourced. I am so happy with how these hardback sketchbooks turned out!
Find them in our Winter Sale and get 25% off as a special introductory offer for our subscribers only. LIMITED EDITION of 50 in each design.
There’s a few other good things for your desk and creative space to be had for less in our Winter Sale, come have a wander through the shop.
We will begin shipping all sale orders out from 6th January, 2024.
I’m not one for making new year’s resolutions, this year is no different, although this morning we ran out of coffee and I had a split second thought to quit the one cup of coffee I have in the morning I’m told is not good for me, until I remembered…DON’T LET THEM STEAL YOUR JOY! So off we went to the only cafe in our village for the joy of coffee and pancakes.
Thank you again for bringing me so much joy through your support and love of Lotus Blu over the years, here’s to continuing our journey together in 2024.
If you are going through a hard time right now and things seem bleak, please know that you’re not alone, we heal and find joy in community, this is something I want to focus more on, Substack feels like a nice space to do that. I hope you’ll agree.
Until next time,
So so well said. My feelings for this year and the anxieties for next are just the same. Keep things simple and do not get distracted by the awfulness you have no influence on. Make your own corner of joy and grace which will join with others and this will make the difference.
Lovely post Moneeza.
Thank you for the bookplates.
All the best in 2024.