There’s a bazillion articles online about women and mums carving out time and space for themselves. They’re all true and someone’s truth, perhaps even yours and mine in parts or indeed as a whole. One thing rings true through all and is a common thread…the importance of finding that thing that drives you, honouring that thing and making time for your thing and therefore yourself.

Now we all have a ‘thing’ and some of us have a few ‘things’ and some of us are on a search for our thing but one thing is ultimately true, we all need a thing. A ‘thing’ drives you, it gives you passion and provides a metaphorical space for you to inhabit when you’re practicing your thing. What is a thing I hear you say? It’s that hobby or interest that you crave time for, that distracts you when you think about it, that creates inner ambitions that secretly, or not so secretly, hide within you. Sometimes they’re the thing that helps you get out of bed in the morning, that balance the mundane and sometimes they’re the thing that you covet, that are your dreams of a different day to day.

I’ve always loved having hobbies, some have been fleeting and some have been lifelong passions. The two driving passions, or ‘things’ that inhabit me daily, are cooking and photography. I’m always dreaming of or dreaming up my next meal and always imagining different images I want to create. My two loves offer me opportunities to escape, thrive and have some me time….aside from the daily cooking though, even that is rarely mundane. Combining the two has brought me great joy and ambition and as with many fields of endeavour, names and people I admire and who inspire me. One of whom is Sophie Hansen and her beautiful blog Local is Lovely. Sophie also runs workshops and courses at her online business My Open Kitchen, workshops I’d coveted and dreamt of attending in her hometown of Orange NSW. I’d promised myself if the stars ever aligned I would swoop in and seize the opportunity to attend. I’d thought I’d missed the boat with Sophie’s in person gatherings when she announced a hiatus to work on her second glorious book, A Basket by the Door. But then just like a Christmas miracle at the end of 2018 Sophie announced a dream team gathering, Tessa Kiros, Emiko Davies, Luisa Brimble and of course her gorgeous self. with my bags and camera packed I journeyed to the Central West with a small group of interesting fabulous women all pursuing their own passion and dreams. It’s here with these gorgeous souls we inhaled all the knowledge and creativity offered and drew on each others stories to build our own.

It's as I launch my website and reflect on that weekend through the lens of the crazy year that 2020 has been I’m inspired by the women I met there, both participants and presenters. So with a life’s too short attitude I look forward to where I hope my ‘thing’ will take me.