The month of March has been a combination of self-care and steady work on many aspects of my businesses - the areas that aren’t visible though, all the admin type jobs and the less exciting work for a creative, let’s say! But the necessary work that keeps the enquiries coming. And I know for many, March is when we’re busily finalising our accounts to get them submitted to HMRC but actually I chose to submit my accounts in October last year as I didn’t want that unpleasant task hanging over me and actually, it was liberating to get it done and dusted so early! So I highly recommend keeping on top of your accounts so that you can do the same.
After almost a year of working behind the scenes, my new mentoring website went live in early March and I was overwhelmed by all the kind messages that I received from everyone. My website was very much a labour of love and as an individual, I do have a tendency to wear my heart on my sleeve and I have poured myself and bared my soul on this website here. And so to know that my words and my mentoring approach resonate with people so deeply, just means the world to me. So thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way since I launched my mentoring business, 30 months ago now, and the biggest thank you to all of my mentoring clients who have sought support from me.
So instead of having a blog, I’ve chosen to have a Journal, and in the monthly entries I’m hoping to share a little insight into me and my world. The things I enjoy and the things that inspire me. The small moments as well as the big moments. So on March 20th, we here in the Northern Hemisphere observed the Spring Equinox which officially marks the beginning of the new season. For those of you who know me well, you’ll know that I am a creature who adores the light. And I make the best of any circumstance so during Winter, I will light all the candles and have all the twinkling fairy lights going too! Walks with my little dog, no matter the weather, ensure that I get out and about every day. And although I’m always reticent to wish time away, I do find myself looking forward to the longer days filled with light and warmth. So the Spring Equinox was a date that brought me much happiness. Followed by the change in clocks to British Summer Time - the extra light has added a spring in my step. Do you feel the same too?
When I began 2023, I made a promise to myself to be more present, to live life this year with greater intention as the last 2 years just went by in a blur. I was so busy with all the postponed weddings as well as new, that I was rarely able to take time to reflect. For my mental health and wellbeing, I’m doing little things to honour that promise I made to myself and want to bring small joys into my life.
A simple joy that the Spring Equinox brought me was my first ever Ffern scent: Spring 23. If you’ve not heard of Ffern, they are a perfumery that is closely aligned with the seasons and each of their seasonal scents are a reflection of the natural world in its corresponding season. They choose to release a new scent on the Equinox and the Solstice, as these are the points of transition from one season to the next. I have to say I wasn’t sure what to expect but receiving the little parcel in itself felt like a gift, and then the fragrance! Well, that I love so much and it feels like it’s been made just for me! I’m very curious to see if I will feel this way with every season’s fragrance or if particular ones will really resonate with me, but it’s a journey I’m excited to go on.
From talking to people, I feel so many creatives are sensitive to the seasons and highly tuned into the changes and transitions of the seasons too. For me, I think having grown up in the UK and lived here most of my life, seasons are so intrinsically woven into me and through the scents and the smells, I love that feeling of being able to re-live something in your mind, that feeling of nostalgia that a scent can so easily trigger. My sense of smell is such a powerful sense for me and I can find myself easily transported in an instance and a particular smell can bring on a memory so strong.
As much as I’ve tried to keep a slower pace of life before wedding season fully kicks off, I have of course been busily preparing for the inaugural Nourish supper club with my 2 dear co-hosts, Valentina of The Stars Inside and Grania of Ink & Paper - at its core Nourish is an elevated supper club experience that's been created to bring together wedding professionals so that they may nourish themselves (in all senses of the word) and form deep and meaningful connections.
I have so many thoughts about the wonderful event that took place on March 30th at Spring Restaurant, both in the days leading up to the event and what I’ve felt since, that I will need to write a dedicated post to capture everything. Days later, and I’m still taking it all in! But what I can say right now, is how immensely humbling the experience has been and I have been blown away by all the feedback. And still have no words.
Photos by Rachel Takes Pictures
So what else have I been up to in the month of March. I’ve been seeking out the signs of Spring - the first buds of blossom, or little green shoots emerging from the ground as well as enjoying those occasional rays of sunshine and blue skies. I’ve continued to bake comforting food and a forever favourite in my house is Flora Shedden’s brownie recipe that you can find in her recipe book: Gatherings but I’ve also managed to find the recipe online for you: These small, delectable chocolatey morsels have kept me going in the early days of March.
A highlight of the month, was seeing the amazing production, Sylvia, which is coming to the end of its run at the Old Victoria this week. What a show! It was energising, uplifting, educational, emotional, thought provoking and inspiring. So many of our rights and civil liberties that we can take for granted, but actually they are things that we have only because people fought for and died for to have those rights - it’s a reminder to be thankful for what we have today and the opportunities that are open and available to all.
This month I’ve been reading: Big Magic - How to Live a Creative Life, and Let Go of Your Fear. Here’s a little excerpt from an early chapter and it has got me excited: “How Ideas Work: I should explain that at this point that I’ve spent my entire life in devotion to creativity, and along the way I’ve developed a set of beliefs about how it works — and how to work with it — that is entirely and unapologetically based upon magical thinking. And when I refer to magic here, I mean it literally. Like, in the Hogwarts sense. I am referring to the supernatural, the mystical, the inexplicable, the surreal, the divine, the transcendent, the otherworldly. Because the truth is, I believe that creativity is a force of enchantment—not entirely human in its origins”. I’m not necessarily a wu wu person, but reading this page has got me intrigued! It’s actually a book that has sat on my shelf for a long while and I’ve only just begun to read it so I will let you know what I think!
A past read that you might enjoy or benefit from is: Playing Big (one that I often recommend to my mentoring clients as it can really help you if you’re experience low confidence or low self esteem and contains exercises and tools to help you work through some of your limiting beliefs).
Two books that I read (and listened to on Audible) were Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person and Elaine Welteroth’s More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) - both are hugely uplifting books from inspirational women who are breaking down barriers and breaking through that proverbial glass ceiling to bring about change for the better.
Things that I’ll be looking forward to: over the Easter weekend I’m re-visiting one of my favourite cities - Florence (Firenze). Italy is one of my favourite countries to visit and I cannot wait to go and feel inspired. As a creative, I draw so much inspiration from my surroundings and I’m craving a visit to somewhere different, even if it is somewhere I’ve been to before. It’s more than 20 years since I visited Florence last and I’m looking forward to seeing it with a fresh pair of eyes and absorbing all of the culture!
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