010. Trust The Process

winter, behind the scenes, freelance life

I spend New Years Day under the bed sheets, face wet with hot tears - a blubbering mess. I declare January 2nd the New January 1st.

Capitalism says set resolutions, buy supplements and potions, spend spend spend. Simultaneously receiving messages to rest, slow down, reject norms, be okay with less and “how I make 30k in one month!” Where is the in between? Where can I be excited about work and set big goals, and still sip my 8am hot lemon water, let my coffee get cold, allow myself to be soft (on occasion.)

I enter a meeting with my business coach ready to throw in the towel, close up shop. It’s expensive and takes too much time, I say. I leave reminded that adaptation is one of my strongest skills. I can do hard things. I create three new offerings for wholesale and orders come in.

I start writing down a list of what i’m grateful for each day.

• My first New York stockist carrying my art

• A wholesale order from The Museum of Design Atlanta

• Buck Meek on repeat even when it makes me cry

• The best pain au chocolat i’ve ever eaten

• Playing with bugs, building terrariums, feeding my inner child

• Watching my friends perform a play they wrote and directed to a packed room

• Everything I do not yet know

• Time spent in my sketchbook

• Chilly afternoon walks with my dog

Fifteen days in to January and I still wake up insatiable; Déjà vu. I scroll for a little too long. I feel defeated by the hunt for a new apartment. I remind myself that change is constant and that routine is a process. When I am being unkind to myself, I remember everything I am grateful for.

I remember to trust the process - it hasn’t failed me yet.

As I approach the end of the month, I make an effort to remind myself how differently things felt just two or three weeks back.

On the Fifth of February I have so much to look forward to.

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Hello, Dear Reader! I know it has been a little while since we’ve chatted. Truthfully, I’ve been reflecting on the best ways to communicate information to you all. I’m still not sure how my newsletter should look and feel and I think it will always be transforming and changing alongside me.

I invite you to check out my recent shop update full of new products and restocks. I will not be adding any new goodies to my shop until late April, as i’m preparing for a move to a new apartment and studio. As of right now, i’ve only applied for one pop-up market between now and then!

Wholesale orders and design projects have been keeping me quite busy these days. In my free time, i’ve been watching a lot of home tours on Youtube, continuing my ceramics practice, keeping tabs on my new isopod colony, working on some new art and enjoying being a bit of a winter-shut-in.

Your orders, projects and overall support is not only funding my upcoming move (tldr: three apartment floods in one year forcing me to relocate), but fronting a lot of the costs for big wholesale orders and business expenses - so thank you!!

I am currently booking for projects in March and beyond. My books are filling fast! If you or someone you know could benefit from one of my design services, reach out via email or contact form.

I hope, wherever you’re reading from today, you’re keeping cozy, trusting the process, and holding space for joy.

xo
MEL