Ta Ta For Now (Closing My Shop)

Photos of me taken by Katie Kaars for Creative Women’s Business and Heather Lighton for frankie.

My two shop streams (Found by Van Low and my candles) have given me so much joy but it’s time for my next chapter…

Before I started my shop, I would watch endless videos and vlogs of small shop owners packing orders (this was the pandemic, after all). I couldn’t imagine anything better than the thrill of someone purchasing something that I had made; getting to package it up like a gift and sending it across the world. I thought that someone wanting my designs in their home would be the utmost compliment.

And then it happened! Thank you to everyone who has made that dream come true by buying something from my online store. The thrill of packaging your orders has made me feel so fulfilled and genuinely appreciative.

Selling things on this website has satisfied so many creative desires for me - product design and development, packaging design, styling, sourcing and photography. It has also taught me so many things that I didn’t know I had signed up for - financial responsibilities of a small business, website and e-commerce admin, correspondence with delivery services etc.

I once listened to a podcast by Emma Chapman and Elsie Larson (of A Beautiful Mess); in addition to being creative powerhouses, they’re also amazing business women. In the podcast, they talk about the best business advice they ever received, which is: to finish. This concept felt really foreign for me and an old version of me would keep going as long as there was gas in the tank. However, as I get a little older, I’ve realised that we’re playing a long game and burning out is not a long-term strategy. Here's the podcast episode, in case you’re interested.

It’s taken me a while but I’ve now realised that the longer I hold on to old projects, the less time I give myself for new pursuits.

So, I’m closing my shop and giving myself the space to explore new creative ideas (like animation and studio photography!). I feel like it’s somewhat of a return to form for me.

Thanks for being on this journey with me! And I hope you’ll come along for the next one.