Letter from the Editor: Dispatch I

Hi, friends!

Anna here.👋 It's been a while since I've updated the blog.

Although I didn't announce anything, at the beginning of February, I consciously put all Q&As and blog content on the back burner. Don't get me wrong - there's nothing I love more than chatting to creatives about what they do and how they do it. One of the most gratifying parts of my job is getting to connect with talented women and share their names and work on this small but mighty platform. It's a beautiful daisy chain of creative insight that I have no plans of abandoning altogether.

But a month into 2020, the projects that we were cooking up for the year started requiring about 90% of my attention. The remaining 10% were relegated to keeping the day-to-day afloat (managing orders, customer service, concocting a couple drops along the way). Our Get Inspired tab would have to wait it out.

It feels redundant to say but - things have since changed. Our projects are still brewing but they've been moved to the back burner now. I'm hopeful that a slow simmer will be the perfect recipe, but, like most people right now, I just don't know.

With limited options on what to work on, I wrote down a list of things I could do from home, things that don't depend on my jeweller or suppliers, or require knowledge of what the future would hold weeks, or even months down the line. As much as I wish I could use this time to plan an amazing pop up or community event to celebrate the end (and come back from it financially), it's just not an option. 

At the top of the list was the website. Now more than ever, it's where we're existing. And while at first the purpose of it was to give it the face lift to represent our growth, I got inspired. 

While some people are starting podcasts right now, I'm bringing the blog back. I know what you're thinking - is it 2012 again? Although it's true that time feels more like a figment than anything else, I'm inclined to say "no, but". That "but" prefaces a laundry list of reasons behind this revival. But while I may not know what the future holds, at I do know is that I love writing. But I love communicating with each and every one of you - whether it's through a simple DM exchange or an Internet friendship that translates offline. But there's nowhere else to compile all the long reads that have grounded me and the podcasts that have felt like hugs. But there's nowhere else to put my thoughts and to feel like I can talk to you about what's been going on lately in an honest way. 

So I'm taking to our site to write to you more regularly. A Letter from the Editor of sorts. A weekly dispatch to give you a little update on my end, the main entry complete with care package treats in the form of long reads/podcasts/shows I've been enjoying, etc. In between entries, I plan to pepper the blog with playlists, styling posts, insights from other quarantined muses. Don't worry, I'll try to make it a respite from COVID-19 content, though maybe some muses will have valuable tips, recommendations, or advice. We'll see.

Although I am definitely still spending many days in sweats, I find that when I start the day by putting on something that I love, my mental attitude shifts, and my days are spent if not more productively, then at least more gently. 

As I mentioned in our latest newsletter, as strange as it is to admit, I finally feel like a new normal has set in. I mean things are weird. I am still bobbing in and out of anxious states, though I am buoyed by comforts I not only am allowing myself to indulge in but prioritizing.  

I heard a story a while back of an old woman who would wake up every day and ask herself - what will I do today to make me happy? It doesn't have to be an enduring state, but a moment is enough right now. 

These days, I'm trying to be as proactive as that wise woman, seeking out those little moments of happiness throughout the day. Maybe that's the distinction that I've worked up to after a couple weeks at home. I have to actually seek out the roses through the thorns, not just expect to find them on my daily walkabouts. And also, accept that I may just find a single rose at a time. Not a bushel or a bouquet. Just a rose to remind me that hey, one good thing happened today and another will tomorrow. It's a sweet comfort to know that I am able to fulfill that promise to myself.

Some days I'm finding the rose by turning everything off and escaping into an old book for a couple hours at a time. Sometimes, by baking pastries (not bread just yet) with a glass of whiskey in hand. Sometimes, by going for a walk and listening to sad music and crying in the desolate streets (honestly, it feels kind of freeing and cathartic to do it).

However you can, I hope that you're finding a way to find your rose these days.

Things are still strange, but once I felt l like I'd managed to put my own air mask on (sorry for all these mixed metaphors btw, but you get it), I started thinking of ways I could be of service to others. That also brings me comfort. Now more than ever, I have appreciated your enduring support, and want to pay that feeling forward to other people who need it. After some research, I've narrowed our pool of charities down to 3: FoodShare Toronto, Partners In Health Canada, and Fred Victor. 

Until further notice, 15% of all our profits will be going to the charity of your choice. You can select which one you'd like to support in the notes at checkout.  

Okay. That feels like a solid start for this reboot. It's almost 5 pm and according to my new schedule, it's time to sign off for the day and go for my Daily State Approved Walk and FaceTime my mom. It's the little things.

I think this post will be going up on Monday so on that note, I'm sending you all my love and energy to start the week. If any of you have any post ideas, muse recommendations, or any other content you want to see, please let me know! I've said it before but I'll see it again - our site is more than just a vessel to shop. It's a place to get inspired, connect, and maybe even gain the courage to become a neophyte at something, too.

Talk soon,

Anna