After spending months visualising a workspace for Shepherds Cottage Soaps, this week I was offered one. What a thought: to be moving out of the spare bedroom and into a dedicated space. I’m delighted. The small back room has been good for keeping things focussed and on a manageable scale but moving out seems to be in line with how the business is growing, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Projects for the new space include firstly, not spending lots of money on pretty things for Instagram. I had a look back at the blog I wrote about visualisation exercises and vision boards and noticed that the details of my imagined workspace were mostly cosmetic. A picture, a plant, a coffee machine. It’s such a clear image, still. The reality will by necessity be different, and my shopping list will probably only include a hotplate, more pots and some storage. ‘But no!’ I hear you say, a woman needs coffee! Okay, okay, maybe just a small one then. I’m going to keep in mind the saying that ‘creativity often consists of turning up what is already there’, and put my brand values to use: re-use, recycle. Who knows what will turn up?
Second, I’m going to start an honesty box, so if you’re visiting this fair island, explore a bit further down here and see what’s available. There are a number of honesty boxes on Lismore, and both the island shop and the Heritage Centre have lovely gift shops where you will find a little piece of our paradise to take home with you.
Third, for the summer please pay attention to our Instagram account, where you’ll be able to see the view from the Shepherds Cottage work bench and enjoy this slice of island life and the changing of the season with me.
Lastly, the new workspace will see the launch of three new soaps: one an island collaboration that incorporates a very special Lismore product, the second a delicious summer soap and the third a bar for which I may legitimately have to buy a coffee machine. Can you guess what it is?!
So it’s all go here, and after a busy, busy few weeks, I’m looking forward to some quiet days at home to concentrate on making this all happen. Never has a to do list seemed so exciting.
Now I just have to really focus on visualising a clean kitchen . . .
