Can I do this Alone?

It’s a tricky question and the answer equally broad; yes, and no.

I am something of a hermit when I work in my studio, alone with my thoughts and dreams. I can most commonly be found wearing my headphones listening to music, a podcast or the radio as the mood takes me, or even just working in silence – a particular pleasure in wet weather as the rain bounces off the tin roof. When I feel stuck, frustrated or in need of a pause I can simply turn and look out of the vast window over the field and down to the woodlands below. It is a contemplative and restorative view that never fails to calm me. This is me when I work; I am alone. I plant, I grow, I harvest, I weave. It is an annual cycle that reassures in its’ seasonality, and yet for the most part, it is simply me, by myself. I have time and space to work and to think, and I am my business. But I am never truly alone, because in the background I have a hefty support crew helping; cheering and propping me up. They are invisible to the outsider who finds me in my studio by myself, and yet invaluable to me. 

Outside of my immediate family- my husband and daughters, I originate from a very large family. My parents and siblings have been instrumental in shaping and forming me. We have always, and continue to be close, both geographically and personally. So it is a source of great pride to me that my eldest brother has had perhaps the greatest impact on my business. As a carpenter and builder it is his knowledge that I have relied upon to rebuild my studio from its redundant state; his wood supplies I have plundered and learnt to love, and his skills that he has patiently shared, allowing me to develop my own passion and direction, melding my passion with his and inadvertently piggy-backing from him. He is still there in the background, helping me locate the most interesting pieces of oak, turning the overlooked into the desirable, and often starting the journey with his skill and large machinery to get them to a point where I can refine- chisel, sand, wire and polish.

So am I alone? On a day-to-day basis in my studio, yes. My output is limited to that of one person and my craft is slow. On a good day I can complete one single item- a basket, a wall feature or a lamp. From another viewpoint, however, I am never alone. I am surrounded by work that has been made possible by others; through their support, their confidence in me, their groundwork, and maybe it is this security that allows me to embrace and be at peace with my inner hermit….