Within the shelves in my office are notebooks. Pretty notebooks. Scrappy notebooks. Small notebooks. Packs of notebooks. Too good to use notebooks. At a glance you can tell I am very happy with a nice new notebook. Or even several because they all serve a purpose eventually.
Buried within the well worn pages of my notebooks are reminders, important things inside that must not be forgotten. But often are.
There have been two constants that have sustained me throughout my life and are now entwined into my soul-led work and living brand. Writing and gardening. And yet it has taken a long time for me to recognise these two significant threads weaving their way in and out of my life and work since childhood.
Even if writing wasn’t within my existing job role or a need to for my petite business I know I will always continue to put pen to paper. Just because it's what I love to do.
First and foremost I write for me. To articulate my thoughts and ideas. To process what I feel and see going on in the world around me and of course to share my stories.
Writing is like my therapy and it has seen me through some pretty dark days and back towards the light. You could say it’s a lifelong trusted friend that doesn’t speak out loud, but gently guides me forward to discover the answers I seek all from the words written on the page.
And now I can clearly see that my writing practice sustains all of me, in my day-to-day life and within my petite business. It isn't one or the other it is a blend of both.
Within the Social Collective we’ve been talking in depth about how to deal with other similar businesses replicating our work. It seems this is a hot topic at the moment. And just as everything was hunky dory in my world with the sun shining outside, I sat at my desk and caught up on emails.
There waiting for me was an email from a friend saying “Have you seen this, it looks remarkably like yours?” She’d attached a link and was referring to a brand new collective that had launched.
Yes I had seen it and I too could see immediately the striking similarities between my social collective and this new one.
I am wise enough to know mine isn’t going to be the only one in the world. There are loads of Collectives out there with more popping up all the time. But this one with the entire concept, features and mechanics very identical to mine. It is too similar.
Surely not a coincidence?
I’ve been in the “void” for a while, pondering and percolating. Wondering how to bridge the gap between what has come before in my life and work, and the now. As the old felt out-dated and no longer resonated.
The images on the Scarletta website no longer felt like me. Who was that person? As I no longer recognised her because everything in my world has changed since they were taken some four years ago.
My perspective and perceptions altered significantly. My work evolved as I learned to go with my heart and soul and not just my logical head.
Everything around me was different.
My work, how I serve, my beliefs, values and most importantly me.
Life has simply and dramatically changed.
BUT WHEN YOU'RE KNOWN FOR ONE THING, HOW DO YOU GROW AND EVOLVE INTO ANOTHER?
