My roller coaster of running a business is stuck upside down.

From one day to the other things changed dramatically. Not just for me but for all of us.

Corona arrived in the UK and suddenly all of us who could had to stay home.

For me it means all my classes and events are cancelled immediately and I had to decide what I would do over the weeks to come. It felt as if I had to start from zero again. After almost a year of building my business it was not easy to take a step back and see what to do now.

One of my reasons for starting a creative business was to step away from my screen and spend more time connecting with people in person. Which is exactly what we have to stop doing now.

The first weeks it felt as if I was cut off from the word completely. No colleagues, no classes, very little human contact.

However, I get used to situations quickly and now this is the new normal. The days start to get a routine again. The initial fear I felt, created by a sense of uncertainty combined with watching way too much scary news has worn off a bit. I feel as if we have been in lockdown forever but in reality, it has been weeks only.

So, what am I up to now?

As I am not one to sit still I decided to bring everything possible online and that meant starting to film. I had to figure out what it was that I needed in order to make a live stream. Luckily, I have made a few YouTube videos before so I had a camera and the tripod but I had no idea how to use my camera to stream live with. For a change, being stubborn came in handy and I practiced and researched until it worked. In my classes, the main emphasis lies on creating a safe space. I want to make sure people feel free to experiment and that they can let creativity can flow freely. I hope this is something I can replicate online.

Although I am keeping myself very busy, filming, painting, doing my marketing and setting up my IT, I cannot help but doubt myself at times. It is a scary time to run a start-up business. I have much of myself invested in Makings and Musings. Leaving my job and starting in a new industry where huge steps to take. I cannot help but worry sometimes now the world has come to a standstill. How are things going to evolve in the time to come?

The support I received from both people close to me as well as from strangers has been humbling. I have a group of regular creatives who join my zoom classes and many new people who started to follow my video recordings on my website. It tells me I am on the right path and that many are craving a mindful and creative activity to engross in.

For the time being the world has turned upside down but I am confident the rollercoaster will start moving again soon. I am enjoying the opportunity to learn new skills and I am glad I found a way to connect with people still. It is great to have more freedom to experiment with what I am teaching and who knows, I may even keep some of my classes going online after the lockdown has been lifted.

In the meantime, I would like to wish you all well! Stay healthy and safe!

Love, Irene