I was fangirled
A much needed catch-up; markets, collab and fangirled...yes I'm just as confused as you are.
Hello lovely souls! I’ve missed you! How have you been?
Last month was a little bit of a whirlwind (and with PMDD well and truly kicking my body and brain), I haven’t had a chance to update you. So here’s a bunch of mini updates:
I think I said something strange to a stranger
A busy market will do that.
Ahh market season. The season that many creatives brace themselves for because we truly just do not know what to expect on the day. Some customers will make your day, some pretend you don’t exist, some recognise you from social media and some literally scoff at your prices - it’s an odd old thing.
Making it’s debut, Daytime Favourites Market kickstarted the season and holy moly they smashed it out the park (applauds Martha and Wilf - check out this creative power couple).
Neither my brain nor my stock levels were prepared for the footfall. No two markets are ever the same, making it difficult to gauge what will sell…and to my surprise I sold out of several products. I still feel so grateful!
As I write this I have a market tomorrow… will I be better prepared? I’ll fill you in next time *nervously giggles*
Did someone say coffee?
Find yourself another human who is equally obsessed with Moka Pots!
Both myself and Zoe, founder of My Moka Home, grew up around these gorgeous gizmos which are a staple in every Italian kitchen. These pots seem to have taken over the world as an aesthetic design feature appearing in everyone’s homes.
With Zoe’s beautifully curated collections, our Italian background and shared love for moka pots we bring you this limited edition print collection inspired by patterns and colours of Italy…and of course the beloved moka pot.
*Dreams about working with Bialetti*
People know my name?
I was fangirled…it felt weird and kinda nice.
‘Twas the night of the Creative Edinburgh awards and my boyfriend squirmed in his chair at the prospect of his name being called to go on stage (crazy proud of him for being nominated).
Prior to leaving for the event I was in a bad place with my work/self (again lol). Slow sales, another project fall through - honestly i’d had enough. The idea of socialising at an event filled me with anxiety. But the idea of celebrating my partner and creative folk doing amazing work for our city was incredibly wholesome - enough to make me put on my big girl panties and step out the door. Look, I just went to hype my boy and see the Creative Edinburgh team (who I love dearly)…I did not anticipate the following.
As we’re leaving the event a beautiful person by the name Teresa tentatively approaches me “you’re Chiara right?”. You know that god awful feeling when you don’t recognise someone but they recognise you - ooft. “I can’t believe I’m in the same room as my favourite artist!” were the exact words that left Teresa’s mouth. I let out a strange snorted giggle because I’ve never experienced someone, not only so giddy to meet me but, speak so passionately about my work to me for 20 minutes straight.
Going from the depths of despair to (the definition of) fangirled caused a really peculiar wave of emotions. Whilst it was lovely, it did feel weird. Here I was having an existential crisis whilst someone was telling me I was “wonderful”. In the taxi home I welled up. I couldn’t understand why someone would look up to me, “a failure” (a description I gave myself earlier that day).
Teresa, without realising, helped me to see that putting in the work is not necessarily for the appraisal from others but for what she concluded our conversation with -
“Your work is so colourful and happy, I instantly feel better when I look at it. Your message and honesty encourage me to keep creating”.
F*** me brb just bawling my eyes out! Creativity is magical, it connects people. It has this ripple effect that encourages others and helps them feel understood. That is enough to keep me creating.
This was a spraff and a half! I think we’re relatively caught up now. As always I’d love to know what kinda posts you enjoy, e.g. are you like me and enjoy the honest ins and outs, do you prefer tutorials/creative processes or perhaps you fancy a more frequent brain dump? Lemme know please and thank you and don’t forget to…
Until next time,
