July Reflections

July has been a crazy month, one full of exciting projects coming to life and lots of new ideas and reflections. As I've been writing on my blog several times a week I now have a time capsule of creations to look back on at the end of the month. This gives me a great opportunity to reflect and be proud of what I've achieved this month and plan ahead for my latest goals and aspirations.

The month of July started with a bang as I opened my latest exhibition over in Martinborough (read more about that here). It was fantastic to finally see my prints up on the walls and in such an amazing location too. The opening night was super fun and I was able to spend the weekend relaxing at the Holiday Park cabin with Ben and going for drives to the antique stores with my family. After all the planning and build-up to this exhibition, it felt great to finally see it in the flesh and know that my job was done!

Like most months, July was full of thrifting and working on my store. I spent lots of time at the Savemart in Masterton (read more about that here), and filled my days with searching through my favourite op-shops. I'm finally learning the ebbs and flows of my business and when to focus my attention on sales or when to sit back and let them happen naturally. Some weeks are slow and others I'm selling a dozen items, it's all about patience and perseverance, not giving up when sales slow down a bit. I've been working through my current stock and churning out tons of cool pieces to some very happy customers and I can't wait for August where I'll be dropping a whole new collection of pieces on my store.

I visited my new favourite second-hand store in Wellington, Add+Vintage and took some photos for them that I was super proud of, (read more about that here). I love taking photos of subject matter that I'm truly passionate about and sharing my love for retro style with a business that appreciates my fresh perspective on it. It's also opened my eyes to new opportunities in and around my city where I can put my skills to use and hopefully get some work experience too.

Our trip to Wanganui provided me with some more creative inspiration, with my Nan's beautifully 1970s home and garden taking pride of place in my photos again, (read more here). I also had the opportunity to style a shoot in an amazing 1960s home in Breaker Bay with floral carpet, bright pink sofas and crochet light fittings. This will be coming to my blog next month!

Overall, July has been a good month for me. It hasn't come without its challenges and obstacles, but I like to see that as part of the fun. It's rewarding to sit back and look at all that I've created and genuinely feel proud of myself. I don't mind if it takes a while to get that final outcome because when I can finally see a project completed to a standard that I'm happy with it's a feeling like no other. I'm excited for August, with new projects and ideas on the horizon. As the year comes to a close I'm starting to get some clarity on what I want my life to look like next year too and I can't wait to share that on my blog, along with fun new photoshoots and plenty of content to keep me inspired!

Bella 🌼