We often say time flies when looking at pictures of our youthful self, recall life milestones like graduations, vacations and children, though I never thought I'd use that expression to talk about a passion project. As I raise my head, which has been firmly entrenched in this computer screen over the past week, I felt something. Like the proverbial apple hitting my head. Crap. Has it been 3 years?? It has.
I thought time moved so slowly as I procrastinated on unpleasant tasks, learned new skills and thought my head would explode after countless hours trying to make social media "work". Then, as extreme as you can imagine, time moved at the speed of light during moments of inspiration, making plans, meeting people and experiencing a different culture. It's really not surprising, yet here I am, caught by surprise that it's been three years since a thought was placed on paper and the trigger, pulled.
Here we are. You and me. You might have been one of my early customers, who travelled to a little pop-up at Eleanor and Laurent in Edmonton, Alberta. Or someone I met at the Farmers market. You might have found me on social media, because I'm pretty sure I still haven't figured out all that tech/Google magic still needed! Maybe your IG feed brought you down the rabbit hole and this is our first introduction. Whoever you are, thank you and welcome.
Atelier is meant to be a community of like-minded people who share a love of intentional living. Whether that means slow living or sustainability, we share a love of beautiful things. A slower, French countryside living and an appreciation for vintage pieces. This is a retail space, but my hope is this year it will transform into a community where we share more.
If I'm honest, this is a pivotal year to become a real business. I longed for freedom when this began. Freedom to leave a corporate job that no longer served me, freedom to spend more time with family, travel and freedom to spend time learning and growing. I knew the first few years were make or break. Atelier pivoted, some plans took, others were learning experience.
Last year we made the move to Europe. It was lengthy, complicated and still being sorted. Today we have faith that everything happens for a reason and we now await the keys to a little 19th century English cottage. I can't wait to show you. I also need to break the news to David about my plans to make it Atelier inspired! That's for another day.
So as I finalize today's collection and reflect on another milestone, I feel grateful. These past years have been filled with personal and professional learning, meeting people near and far and exploring my intentions in life. For that, I celebrate. I know there are great things to come, and I'm open to all creative possibilities.
Thank you for being a part of this journey.
Love,
Kathy