reflections
This time of year is always a strangely significant one. The feeling of a fresh start on the horizon. For celebration, gratitude and reflection.
We would have never realised a year ago that 2021 would be such a defining year for us and for Every Story. But in reality, all of the clues were there…!
The year started off with the arrival of our new kiln, a beautiful Rohde 130L which had five times the capacity of our original kiln. Our first kiln served us so well, but we quickly outgrew it, especially with our expanding collections and dinnerware range. Just for perspective, a single dinner plate would fill a whole shelf and we were restricted to a diameter of 32cm for any item. The new kiln made such a difference! We managed to clear the studio shelves within a few weeks. Some large experimental vessels had been sat there for well over a year since the first lockdown in fact, but before long they finally emerged glazed and beautiful. Our first vessel collection was already halfway there!
We finally launched our own website, something we could never dedicate a good solid amount of time to work on. It always got pushed to the bottom of the pile as actually making, firing or dispatching our ceramics came before anything else.
2021 also saw us work on some incredible projects and collaborations (some we’ll share in detail soon and some we’re not allowed to just yet!) We connected with some amazing people and businesses, launched new collections and continued to make, fire and dispatch all of our ceramics ourselves.
However, the biggest change of all for both of us happened around June.
Every Story was growing and we only had so many hours in a day alongside our full-time employments to get everything done. We realised that for a while, we’d both felt that something had to give…
We loved our jobs, and we loved Every Story. We’d worked so hard through college and university to get to where we had . But then we’d then worked hard to build a brand too, our brand, we couldn’t let that go. Actually could have everything that we’d worked so hard for over the years led us precisely to this? What should we do?!
No one could tell us (or would!) although it seemed that all of our family and friends could see it as plain as day, we just needed to listen to our gut! The most terrifying part for us was actually making that decision. It was heartbreaking. There were pros and cons to both, but something that stuck with us was regret. We didn’t want to feel regret in a few years time, wishing we’d given it our all.
So we both decided to focus solely on Every Story. We finally took the leap into full-time. It was surreal!
Hannah was first to become full-time in August with Abby shortly after in September and wow, it has been incredible. With this timing though, it meant that we dived headfirst into the Christmas season, which we always find overwhelming, to say the least. No amount of preparation can ever seem to get us fully ready, and because we’d only recently launched our online shop with lots of new pieces, we had no idea which products would be popular. We had to be ready to pivot in any direction.
December was a whirlwind! The kiln had been firing constantly since November. We had boxes stacked high, and we’d be desperately waiting for the courier to come and free up space before the next round of packing commenced.
Since we became full-time, we haven’t stopped, but then it also feels like we haven’t worked a day yet either. For us, it’s changed our whole perception of work and life. Now working, growing, having fun, gaining momentum, living, learning and achieving those new goals is all rolled into one. It’s been so much fun and we’re so lucky we can do this together. We have loved gaining a deeper knowledge into running a business and are ready to slide into 2022 with a strong focus and determination.
But above everything, is a huge thank you to you ! It means the world to have you here with us sharing and being part of our story.
We hope you have a wonderful Christmas! Take care!
Abby & Hannah
xx
