2014 Wrap Up

I’ve been on semi holiday for the past week. Semi in that I haven’t dyed anything, for work, but I’ve still been around, posting orders, sharing things on instagram and cleaning out my studio.

When I am working I often forget how important it is to stop and take a break. Now that I am on one (for a few more days at least!) I have been looking back over the past year, as well as wondering where the new one will take me.

It’s a time of year when I am so tired, I become disenchanted with my work, and myself. I reach a point where I just think “no, I can’t keep going. I can’t do it. I have to stop.” So I do stop and then I feel sad for having done so! I look back and feel that I have not succeeded enough. The abruptness of a holiday sort of sends me into shock, since I am so used to being in a frenzy. Something to work on in the new year.

Here is a list of the good things I did in 2014, both professionally and personally to remind myself of how far I’ve come.

◦   I explored natural dyes further than I had previously and began working with cellulose fibres
◦   I designed a new home wares collection which I absolutely love, and is now stocked all over Australia
◦   I now have 18 stockists around Australia and New Zealand, with more to be announced in the new year
◦   I learned to machine knit
◦   I discovered a love for running and exercise in general, and in the process lost 15kg! I now run over 20km a week, every week.
◦   I learned more about my craft through reading and experimenting with new fabrics, fibres and techniques
◦   I worked alongside and was cheered on by a wonderful community of makers, many of whom I have had the pleasure of meeting.
◦   I taught a number of Indigo Shibori workshops in Melbourne, met some amazingly creative people; and had the pleasure of not only teaching them, but also learning from them.