One of my personal goals has been to slow down. As a mom to a young (and very energetic) son, a wife, part-time barista, and full-time owner/designer at Sew Beyoutful – slowing down is a challenge. I know I’m not alone, no matter what your “job title” or responsibilities are. We live in a world that is fast! Everyone wants everything at every moment of our day it seems. Every day.
As a small handmade business, we talk about Slow Fashion and the intentionality behind it. Quality, sustainability, fair wage/trade, and less waste are all things that go into Slow Fashion.
So, trying to apply some of those same practices to my life and business, I’ve been thinking of ways that I can slow down the hustle and bustle of daily life to be intentional with the moments I find myself in.
Recently I’ve been creating a photo space for taking product photos. I’m not usually the type to decorate my house, but what I found came together was more than just a spot for photos. This intentionally created space has become a place of calm, peace, and quiet. I still need to be intentional about using the space for personal time, but the space itself draws me in. For all the same reasons it was chosen for photos, it is the perfect place to take time to quiet myself and slow down.
The area is bright with natural light, and the walls reflect the light coming in. The mementos are inspired by nature and there are several house plants. It’s probably the only clean space in my house if I’m honest.
As I sit here this morning, I take this all in. I read a devotional, quiet my mind for a moment, and plan out my week. If I don’t take this time to slow down, I get caught up in the hustle and all the things “I should do”.
It’s only a moment in the big picture, but as I slow down, I begin to shift the focus to things like “quality” – quality times like these or with my family, and in time it becomes more “sustainable” – the more you do it, the more it’s part of your routine, and less time is “wasted” - because I’m more able to meet the demands in a refreshed way.
In our VIP group www.facebook.com/groups/sewbeyoutful we have a Slow Down Sunday post each week with ideas on how to slow down or to highlight Slow Fashion. Your time to slow down might not be Sunday, but we encourage you to find ways to slow down, even for a moment.
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