July 2020

Hi, everyone. Time has flown by so fast I failed to notice it is July already. Life has got so strange and twisted in this year’s craziness and monotony that standing at the Dover castle walls last weekend, in rain and wind (on our first short family trip since March), I have realised I was not sure right away what time of the year it was.

My life, in general, has begun to change this month: we have started meeting friends, I went to London a couple of times, visited local parks and gardens on pre-booked slots. I even ate once in a cafe. So some sort of social activity is returning. Subconsciously I hoped everything to be the same, which is far from it. Sometimes I do not know how to react when I mix up going along one-way arrows on floor in public places, how to stick to social distancing rules in narrow corridors, whether to keep a mask on or off while shopping if no one around seems to be wearing it. So even my personal household adjustment to the new normal takes lots of time and effort (not even mentioning the changes and reforms which will be needed to keep my young fashion and leathercraft business alive).

This month, I am scheduled to move back from my home studio to an artists studios. On the one hand, I am thrilled as it will allow me to focus on my work more and to start giving classes and courses (which is vital for my business). At the same time, I am so physically and morally tired that it is hard even to start contemplating how to move all my tools and equipment and set everything up all over again.

I keep trying to restructure my business and continue getting involved in new projects and curated online platforms. As a result, by now you can find me at www.qrator.com and www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk and somewhere else soon. I am very pleased that, unlike many fashion aggregators, people behind art and craft platforms spend their time promoting you and giving you the chance to speak up.

Currently, I am creating a new mixed-material fashion bag (fabric and leather), promise to show it in the next blog post. Recently took part in 5 slots card holder challenge run by UK leathercraft; began to «embroider» on tiny leather off-cuts from my primary collection trying to bring the business to almost «0» waste and become even more sustainable.

I am trying to keep my creativity, efficiency, and sanity), which I wish you all as well!