I met a Spark of Joy; a spark that asked me questions...
Recently Megan and I were exploring displays of art at a picturesque riverside market, talking with creators and scouting for works to offer through our store. One ceramicist stood out to me - her work radiated the emotion she imbued in each piece. She knew her Joy, and where her light came from. As we spoke she posed the question "Why are you doing this?"
Now, Megan and I have planned and prepped, discussed and deliberated on all that we are doing, on what we want our business to be, how we want to help, who we want to connect, but we have never stated why we are doing this. This is my Why:
I have moved, ... a lot.
Moved house, moved school, moved country and even a few continents. And with each move, what I carry with me is whittled down to the dearest of possessions. A cicada shedding another shell, taking only my most treasured into my new experience: some paintings of my mother's, a clay pot my aunt gave me the last time I saw her, a warrior woman bronze from a market stall on holiday with long lost-touch friends.
I have been so fortunate in the things I have seen and the places I have visited and briefly called Home. I am so lucky to have these connections to my past still.
Each piece I carry with me has a story. A story of its creation, its giver, and of my life at the time of receiving it. Each piece is a connection to those events and circumstances that have made me, well, me.
I believe those connections are so strongly embodied in the treasures I carry because I know where they came from. I understand the time and effort, the skill and perseverance, that has gone into their creation before they ever came to me.
We all are longing for that connection. Our fast-paced, fast-used world leaves little room for pause, for contemplation, of where we are and what we have.
I want to help change that. I want to help people build connection to what they have, to what treasures they choose to carry with them. I am building You Are Sky to be a place where people can learn where their pieces come from, who made them and what it took to do so. I am building connection between ourselves and the treasures in our worlds.
