Hello again friends, I'm so grateful for this platform to be able to share these adventures with you. As more and more days separate me from my time at Milkwood I find myself savouring the notes and memories and experiences all the more. Writing them down for you is such a delight, it's like stepping right back into that magical time.
A big word for me that kept coming up was "Belonging". Despite being in the book business for 15 years, I still struggle to define or uphold my position in the Children's Book World. Like you might, I get easily overwhelmed by the shouty nature of social media and the vast amount of images, sharing, crafts, content that it seems to take to "make it" in this world. Pair that with the fact that the shop sits somewhere between a store and a school and a craft blog, you can imagine that it takes me a moment to know which table I'm supposed to be sitting at.
Being at Milkwood was a beautiful, overwhelming and resounding call to my place at the table. A lot of this has to do with Sophie & Ed's deep commitment to truly taking care of their guests, with the support of the most creative and kind staff. My colleagues and I had nothing for the wanting. We were fed, (so well!) and given the time and space to just work, rest or reflect on our respective practises.
I started with my laptop each day, tending to the store tasks that only I can do, and tried to absorb the quiet invitation to sit still with myself. So much has changed since the store opened nearly 15 years ago. To be a bookshop and studio and retailer is a lot. Creating a space like this was a venture of love and commitment to children learning about art at an early age. I had an okay business plan, but it lacked real ambition when it came to earning enough to also pay myself, and to pay myself accurately for the work poured into this role. It meant stepping away from so much of the creative work that lead me here, and instead into the nuts and bolts and paperwork of running a retail space. While we are still standing, it's not without debt and burnout. While getting back to my own mark making can't solve these problems, it did fire up the creative being in me that made it this far. It made me want to get back to that work.
On our last night at Milkwood we were all asked to come to the dinner table with a short presentation. Songs were sung, photos were shared, story books were read. I shared a 12 year old little mini film about the shop that lives here on the website. I'm just a few years into my role as entrepreneur here, and days away from becoming a mother. I was proud to share it with my fellow guests, (and so grateful to Lori Kilkelly for this pic!) as I'm still proud of what we're doing here. I just have to make the time to figure out how to keep it going, growing, and (hopefully) thriving.
I hope you'll join us at the art table this Fall, as we enter our 15th year in business. I simply can't keep doing this work without your support, your dollars, your ears and eyes. Whether its for a book launch or a birthday party, a book sale or a craft night I'm saving a seat for you.
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