In The Workshop 2024
One of my favourite gifts of the holiday was the deliberate and generous decision to avoid Instagram after I clocked off work.
That turned into not knowing where my phone was - and subsequently what time it was - for nearly two weeks. Only enough contact to keep a light handle on travel plans between families.
On our way from Wales to Gloucestershire we snuck a last minute stay in a shepherds hut. Two nights in the Brecon Beacons with no electricity, a hefty woodturner and a blustery (but thankfully warmed) outdoor shower. It rained the whole time and we didn’t do much. Just hung out and played some games. I slowly re-read chapters of a Murakami favourite and James cooked on the fire.
The best bit? The gaps for getting bored. Rediscovering time that often gets swallowed by the heavy presence of a phone.
Time to wander, minutes slowing down. Zoning out and back inwards.
It was simple and quiet, and sublimely uneventful.
Our everyday exposure to tech is extreme and mostly unavoidable. It’s loud and over stimulating and at its worst, a thief of time and hope. So this year I want to be more bored. Starting with small, everyday opportunities. That I hope will grow into more spaciousness and listening in the inevitable noise of 2024.
Below is my inspiration and everyday plan for making space.
Lets see what fills the gaps…
With love from Cornwall,
Ali x
Creative toolkit for 2024
3 everyday habits
1. Quiet Commute
No phone, no, scrolling, no podcast, not even music. It’ll be a challenge.
2. Doodle
For moments of tension or creative mud. Let your thoughts rest in the background as you take a break with pen and paper.
3. The 54321 rule
‘The more engaged we are with our experience, the longer it lasts’
Be it a leisurely stroll, running errands or moments between meetings. Note 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.
Inspiration
'Silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything'
A short film by Gordon Hempton on searching for natural sound, untouched by modern life.
An extraordinary account of the first person to run across Kyrgyzstan/The Tien Shan and the Atlas Mountains. On a self-supported mission to run across a mountain range on every continent.
'Our broken bits are our superpowers'. Gail Muller, a chronic pain sufferer, was told to ‘give up hope’ of a recovery and accept that she would be in a wheelchair by 40. She refused.
From a powerful talking series in collaboration with UC Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute: Honouring each other’s grief to perhaps shed light on a path forward to belonging in Israel-Palestine.
MTO Leather Goods Paused
To be deliberate in the workshop, made-to-order leather goods production is paused for Winter.
All commissions placed on and after January 8th will be delivered in April 2024.
Ready-to-ship leather goods shipping will remain 2-5 days.
Thank you to all of you for being a part of the workshop with us.
For visiting events, joining workshops, supporting slow made goods and sharing your inspiration and curiosity.
