Studio Notes #3: Tanglewood Atelier goes on the Road!

Updates from our first makers' fair, the joy of hearing the stories of others and the legacy of a strong grandmother

Hello friends,

It’s been a little longer between now and my previous entry than I had anticipated, but I suppose that’s a sign of life outside the internet being pretty good! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little update.

Last weekend, we exhibited at the Devon branch of the Christian Christmas Fair, a popular and growing makers’ fair with events across the country. This was my very first fair/market I’d taken TA to and it was AMAZING.

Why was it so amazing? Two things stood out from the experience: firstly, the encouragement of being in fellowship with other creators and secondly, the vast amount of people whose stories are shared with you as they browse. As a mostly online business, the extent of my contact with clients and customers is usually limited to a video call or an email trail unless I know them ‘in real life’. It’s always such a treat to meet you lovely people! There really is something important about that human connection. The shared experiences and stories, the emotions and how the artwork has impacted them/what they like about the work. It goes the other way as well; I have a chance to explain in-person the emotions behind a piece or the creative process.

Fairs and Fellowship

The feeling of encouragement I gained from selling at the fair was completely unexpected and absolutely welcomed! Again, the nature of running an online business means that it’s often difficult to gauge peoples’ reactions and it can be quite one-sided. It was fantastic to see with my own eyes how my artwork inspired others! I’d also taken a bit of a risk by making a few one-off items not available elsewhere, notably some little bracelets (you can find just two of these remaining on the website here) and some fabric Advent calendars. Both were very popular and also satisfied the craving for handmade creations I’d been experiencing!

I learned a lot from this event but the most prominent thought was how we can transfer that feeling of encouragement from fellowship to our faith lives. Of course, feeling encouraged in one sphere of life is infectious and the encouragement inevitably spreads to other facets to some extent. However, what I really mean by ‘transfer’ is to search out this fellowship with other Christians in our everyday communities. Fellowship is one of the essential parts of the Christian life, as we read in Acts 2:42: ‘And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.’

What does this look like? In a perfect world, each person would have a web of friends and people within their church community who provide encouragement and accountability. One of the best ways to do this is through a small group (a bible study group, prayer group, dinner group or a mixture!), but you could also find fellowship through toddler groups or other regular organised events. I’m not part of a small group at the moment (well, sort of) but have been in the past and the growth with my spiritual life was profound. I really encourage you to seek fellowship in your own faith lives.

The Legacy of a Strong Grandmother

In November, we put a special focus on praying for and remembering those who have died. As a result of this, I have been thinking about my late grandmother a lot. She died last year so it’s still fairly fresh in my mind; the grief is slowly dulling but it never truly does go away, does it? She didn’t live locally (apart from when I was very little) and I didn’t see her as much as I would have liked to - especially in recent years - but as I thought about her, it struck me that so much of her legacy has filtered down into our home. Aside from material objects (she gave us her beloved station clock on our wedding day and I inherited a lot of her china), many of her recipes still feature heavily in our home cooking and in the kitchens of my extended family members. Most of her descendants have also inherited her ability to make feasts from a scant selection of leftovers as well as a tendency to overfeed guests…! It amazed me for a moment that someone who never set foot in our current house could have this amount of influence but then I remembered the fact that she managed to make a home for herself here in England after a long journey over from India. She was a strong woman who worked hard and her legacy is proof of this. Sometimes, we won’t see the fruits of our hard work but I hope this is an encouraging story!

Until next time,

Emma