New beginnings and behind the scenes
Updated: Jun 28
I haven't written a blog post in quite a while. There's really one main reason for that: life has been so full of work that I simply haven't had the time—or, to be honest, the energy—to sit down and write.
Moving my business from Hämeenlinna to Helsinki turned out to be surprisingly straightforward. Before the move, I thought the relocation itself would be the hardest part, but in reality, it was everything that came afterward that proved to be the biggest challenge.
It felt like I was starting almost from scratch again. Getting the new studio ready took time. Of course, I ambitiously decided to paint the walls and make the space exactly the way I had envisioned it. Almost at the same time, I launched entirely new services, including hourly tufting sessions and the Mosaic Bar. They're still finding their audience, and I'm looking forward to seeing more people discover them over the coming months.
At the beginning of summer, I also hosted the studio's very first Open House. It was preceded by long days and weeks of preparation to make sure everything looked just as I had imagined. In the end, all the hard work was worth it. It was wonderful to welcome visitors, meet new people, and see so much interest in the studio.
At the same time, however, I began to realize that I had been running on overdrive.
As a solo entrepreneur, I'm responsible for almost everything myself. I maintain my website, build and update my online shop, plan and teach courses, handle marketing, manage social media, and take care of all the administrative work. On top of that, I also need to find time to create my own tufting work and customers custom pieces. When you try to do everything at once, it's easy for workdays to stretch much longer than they should.
The stress has started to affect my sleep the most. Almost every night, I wake up around three in the morning with my mind already racing through the next day's to-do list. By the time morning arrives, I'm already exhausted, and even simple tasks take much longer than they normally would. It's an easy cycle to fall into: the more tired you are, the slower everything gets done, and the more work begins to pile up.
The exhaustion has started showing up in everyday life, too. One day I went grocery shopping completely on autopilot. I filled my basket with all the things I usually buy, but when I got home, I realized I had forgotten the very items I had actually gone to the store for. Instead, I found myself with yet another extra pack of cheese and a loaf of bread in the fridge.
I kept telling myself that I'd finally get a chance to rest over the Midsummer holiday—a few quiet days with no schedules and no obligations.
But life had other plans.
My little 4-kilogram dog, Naksu, suddenly became seriously ill with a severe infection and a bad stomach illness. Midsummer Eve and the following night were spent at the emergency animal hospital. It was without a doubt one of the hardest experiences I've faced this year.
Naksu's condition deteriorated rapidly, and there was no guarantee that he would survive. When a dog that small loses a quarter of its body weight, the situation becomes extremely serious.
The first two days were spent almost entirely without sleep, and even since then, I've only managed to sleep in short, interrupted stretches. The worry was overwhelming.
Thankfully, things are finally starting to look brighter. Naksu is slowly recovering and becoming a little more like himself each day. Right now, that's all that really matters. ❤️
Even though the past few months have been challenging, they've also been filled with plenty of good moments.
My biggest source of motivation has been all of you—my customers. It's been such a joy to watch people fall in love with tufting within minutes of picking up the tufting gun, and to see them leave the studio smiling, proudly carrying their finished pieces home. That excitement is contagious. Even on days when my own battery feels almost completely drained, seeing your enthusiasm reminds me why I wanted to do this in the first place.
As I'm writing this, it's almost midnight once again. I have no idea how many hours of sleep I'll get tonight, but I do know one thing: it's probably time to start showing myself a little more kindness and grace.
A short vacation is finally coming up during the first week of July. Naksu's emergency veterinary bills over Midsummer turned out to cost more than the entire two week holiday in Europe would have. (Yikes... seriously!)
At first, I was schoked and disappointed. But honestly? Not anymore.
There will always be another chance to take a break. What matters most is that Naksu is recovering. ❤️
So, it looks like I'll be spending my short holiday here in the Helsinki area instead of camping around Finland. I'm looking forward to tufting some personal projects in the studio, taking day trips to local museums and art exhibitions with my museum pass, and, most importantly, slowing down for a while.
I think that's exactly the kind of summer I need right now.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who has visited the studio, joined a workshop, placed an order, or simply sent a kind message. Your support means more to me than you probably realize.
Here's hoping the rest of the summer brings a little more sleep, a little less worry, and plenty of new creative moments. And please, take care of yourselves too. Life can get busy before we even notice, so don't forget to pause every now and then, take a deep breath, and give yourself permission to rest. ❤️ With warm hugs, Paula 🌸
Comments