#inmyhappyplace – 2

Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed my first ever #inmyhappyplace post! If you missed it here’s what it’s all about…

I’m trying to make sure I’m present in the ‘here & now’ & not get caught up in the future goals as no matter how much you may want a project finished, whether at home or at work, thinking of the end goal shouldn’t distract you so much that you loose sight & forget to celebrate the little & daily things along the way.

It sounds silly (& cheesy!) but every evening I try to now think of all the things that have made me happy that day. As no matter how bad a day you are having I like to think everyone has at least one thing (no matter how tiny), that they can celebrate. Therefore I’ve decided to start a new column on the blog called #inmyhappyplace to document & cheer about those little moments of happiness. Welcome to #inmyhappyplace & here are the second set of moments of joy that I wanted to share with you.

Over the past week I’ve loved…

• How lovely & inspiring our Make it in Design e-course students are. They are a pleasure to teach (The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design has been such a hard slog for myself & the team but I’m so grateful that it’s been so well received)
• Recording lots of the individual student reviews for our ‘The Ultimate Portfolio Builder’ e-course. The standard of submissions was amazingly high. It was so fun to do & such a lovely treat! (I may have lost my voice in the process, I could chat about our talented students all day long!)
• That Blayke & I found a another secret garden (I keep stumbling across so many around Liverpool)
• The fact that I’m drawing again & pushing myself to keep up with the daily Make it in Design/The Big Draw challenges (you can check out all of the themes over on the MIID blog). Even if I’m having to squeese them in at night, I’m really trying to keep at them & have fun with them)
• Visiting Brand Licensing Europe, it was great to take time out & think about the direction of my own business. I also got chatting to fellow designers such as Ian Dutton of Hello Munki & Mary Beth Freet of Pink Light Studio (I have so many ideas for my brand I have to remind myself that ‘I can do anything but not everything’)
• Getting to hang out with one of my all time favourite creatives Libby McMullin. Where do I start! That girl is the real deal & one of the most talented & genuinely lovely people I know (I have so many fun stories…)
• I’ve also been so grateful for the beautiful sunny Autumn that we’ve had so far

I’d love to hear what’s put a smile on your face over the past week! What makes you laugh, feel special or grateful? Share your moments with me on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram.

Rachael xo