WHERE IT ALL BEGAN…
Earlier this year I visited Pakistan after two decades, while I was there I met up with a dear friend who I used to work with in the 90's as a product designer for a family run handicrafts company where I designed all sorts of useful things from handmade stationery, block printed home linens, pottery, wooden homeware, jewellery and soft furnishing made of beautiful vintage textiles. It was during this enriching period of my life that I also got to travel extensively through South Asia and developed a love of photography, documenting my travels in journals which eventually lead to me teaching myself the art of bookbinding. Returning to the old workshop and wander through the beautiful gardens felt surrell, especially because I was there after 20 years, but this time to work on a project for Lotus Blu!
I feel like my creative journey has come full circle. I am hoping to go back to Pakistan again next year for longer in the hopes to set up a Lotus Blu workshop space that is run as an income generating project for mostly women living below the poverty line. This was a dream I had back in the 90’s, maybe someday soon I will tell you more about my ideas as I make more connections and find other creatives to work with over there who have the welfare of the artisans and slow craft at the heart of it all.
Since I've been back home in England, I've been missing the laid-back ways of being in the East; even though the days are just as full, there was always time for an afternoon siesta, evening tea and snacks on the verandah before a lingering dinner followed by late night stargazing rooftop chats, even on a school night. Here in the West we are sold ever changing, trending lifestyles, when all we really need is a simple [authentic to us] life with plenty time for the art of languid living.
When I designed these everyday journals and studio accessories, I wanted them to feel cosy and flexible, like an invitation to pause, to make art in while you sip your morning brew in bed on those lazy Sunday mornings in your PJ's or anywhere else you enjoy some creative journaling time.
Here’s a peek of some of the new cloth wraps, folders and journals that I’ve been working on in collaboration with my friend and brother from another mother, Faisal of Loaf Lifestyle .
Lotus Blu may have started out in a tiny attic room in Belfast, Ireland 11 years ago with just lil ole me making handmade journals, but the vision has always been bigger.
Since I’ve been in remission I’ve been working slowly, but in earnest on fulfilling that dream of creating more useful products that I can bring to the shop by working in collaboration with some of my creative friends, both near and far. Working on select products that I design and that can be sustainably handcrafted by other skilled hands has been a priority as I realise I can't do it all by myself, even though the desire to create is stronger than ever before. It’s a beautiful thing to know that now with the help of others, I can continue to grow as a small creative business in a way that will allow me some downtime for more focus on self care and my own learning and practice as a bookbinder. There’s still soooo much to learn.
‘’When I designed this range of new everyday journals and studio accessories, I wanted them to feel cosy and flexible; beautiful of course, but not sooo precious that they end up hidden away for fear of ruining them! These journals are meant for making a beautiful mess in.''
There are still a few things to do before these new products are ready for the shop, such as labelling, a photo shoot and designing packaging. I love this part as it allows me to indulge in other creative things I'm interested in such as design and photography.
DIARY DATE: SHOP RESTOCK ON 31ST JULY, 6PM BST -UK
A NOTE ON COURAGE AND FAITH.
They say if you don't ask, you don't get… well, this was a hard ask, but I'm glad I built the courage to do it! For the past couple of weeks I've been communicating with folks who've shown interest in learning bookbinding from me. The first course I created called The Keepsake Book did so well, but it only teaches an alternative style of binding which I came up with; many students have since asked for more, but as much as offering online courses aligns well with my plans to reduce the physicality of my work on my body,  what I've learnt is that creating a course takes a ton of funds, time, energy and resources which is often in short supply for a solopreneur. I knew the only way I could create another more comprehensive bookbinding course was with support, so I decided to put an early bird founding student offer out there to help me create The Art of Bookbinding course, which I hope to launch in early 2024. This new course will cover everything I know about bookbinding, taught with a simplified approach to an often confusing craft. Although the early bird offer has ended, the founding student offer is still open if you're intrigued, you can find out all the details by clicking below.
There have been more founding students signing up than I ever imagined. Their support, both financially and in just being there to bounce ideas while I fine tune the curriculum, means I can create this new course in a peaceful way without burning out which will in turn make the course a beautiful learning experience for all who take it.
If you're a founding student and you're reading this, I'm sending you a big virtual hug for trusting me with this and having faith in me to deliver! 🤗
Well, it seems Instagram is not dead after all! 💀
This reel I shared of unboxing some new art supplies had more engagement than anything else I've shared recently. It was lovely chatting with followers in the comments. I realised how much I miss interacting and chatting all about art, music, films and creativity with others. This is one of the reasons I’ve been wanting to use Substack more, to connect with other creatives out there, because as lovely as running a creative business from an old cobblestone cottage in the Yorkshire Dales can be, it can be quite lonely sometimes.
I’ll close this month’s ramble here with an excerpt from a book I’m currently savoury, words that align with the essence of this post, finding ease and abundance in our work as creatives and still finding time for plenty languid living. Sometimes I find it hard to switch my mind off, there’s a constant flow of ideas, but I’m learning I don’t need to action on every idea I get, to make space for rest most of those ideas just get a nod and smile with a thought, ‘‘hmm, nice idea, no thanks I have enough on my plate.’’ Like William Blake said, ‘‘you’ll never know what’s enough, until you know what’s more than enough. How are you making space for yourself these days?
Until next time,Â
stay curiously creative,
Even though I haven't been subscribed to your emails for long, I have already come to look forward to them as perfectly-timed treats for my weekend reading. I'm so glad you are here on Substack! (P.S. The children and I are looking forward to diving into the Keepsake Book Course this summer as a lovely project to start off our school year.)