This past week my partner and I celebrated three years of being a family in the eyes of New York State. Three years since we quietly snuck away to the Brooklyn courthouse, just months before we’d be in the depths of a global pandemic, locked in our one-bedroom apartment in the densest city in the country. We told only one friend about our plans to marry and he became our witness and photographer. Three months later, the week before lockdown began, we gently celebrated in the desert of California with a handful of loved ones we unknowingly wouldn’t hug again for a very long time. So poetic it almost feels like we planned it that way. But you can’t really control plans, as we all learned time and time again these past few years.
In our way, we celebrated quietly this week, with a few thoughtful moments to mark the occasion. A visit to Erie Basin to purchase a ring made in the year 1900, three imperfect gemstones to mark three years as a family of three in the eyes of the state. A stay at a small lodge in Upstate New York, owned and operated by two incredible women who took a chance later in their lives to live out a dream. We chatted with our hosts and we cooked and hiked and drank wine from our friends at Radicle Wine.
Then we drove back to the city, back to our apartment, back to our lives. I prepared to dive into the holiday season in a field that deeply depends on holiday sales. I found approximately 500 emails announcing sales in my promotions inbox. My instagram was full of them too. Ads from huge companies and from little ones like mine. The overwhelm of where to spend your dollars. I bought a class for my personal creative practice from a small business like mine. I bought bedsheets from a business that is not at all small like mine. I couldn’t stop thinking about the people that were impacted by my purchases.
Russell and how my ring helps him in running his charming shop that gives him the space and time to pick his two kids up from school every day and spend every weekend focused on his family.
Maureen and Jennifer and how our stay helps them continue operating their sweet inn and living out their dream.
Brian and Steven and Matt and how the wine we buy helps them run their creative, funky wine shop and open a restaurant next door where people gather and connections are made.
Mar and how my class purchase helps them continue creating beautiful digital and physical spaces to encourage people (like me!) to keep making and sharing art and how they just bought a house because people support their work and believe in them.
I don’t know who my new linen sheets helped. I’m not sure they helped anyone. They might have even harmed people, I don’t know.
I knew supporting small businesses was important, that it impacted other people directly. But not until running my own did I fully understand its beauty and meaning. How every single dollar not only goes to that person’s living of a life, but it allows them to support other small businesses, and around and around we go.
May we know the names of the people our purchases are impacting.
May everyone who chooses to spend their money on my work know that I appreciate them with my entire soul.
May we all support small this year, where and when we can. Community forever, on and on.
My Small Business Saturday sale goes through Monday (tomorrow!)! 12% site wide with code GRATITUDE have fun I hope you find something you love or the perfect gift for this holiday season !!!
A few other makers I appreciate that have special sales right now: Rani Ban, ROSES ON MY, Dusen Dusen, Aly Miller Designs. If you can’t afford to put your work on sale I see you and I love you.
And my messy studio photo this week is this sweet vase that is not messy at all bc I only made it into the studio once this week and did not take a photo. I am very aware that ceramics are expensive and everyone deserves to have beautiful handmade things and I work hard to have a variety of price points and this is a special piece with lots of color options (!) that is at a little bit lower of a price point so I’m sharing it here <3
The personal peace toolkit is your own catalog of accessible mindfulness to fold into your life in 30 seconds, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes, bringing a little more thoughtful calm to your days.
This week is kind of themeless with a little bit of gratitude, a little bit of mundane mindfulness, and a little bit of journaling.
Plus a little personal happenings update, including a photo of my three year celebration ring (holding my favorite mug because wow it is hard taking a photo of a ring I knew I skipped an engagment and inevitable requests for ring photos for a reason!) and a little update on my digital relationship restructuring.
If you’re not already a paid subscriber, I hope you consider joining and building some peace and reflection into your life with me <3
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