"You're not at the edge of the cliff, you've fallen off it.", said a friend of my feelings of burnout. And she was right.
For months I had been tolerating feelings of discomfort in my body, held most notably in my shoulders and lower body. Besides feeling physically drained, my mental space was also shrinking, making regular everyday tasks that were once easy, slow and difficult.
Soon, I was unable to show up for work at the studio.
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2021 has been a year of growth for Gypsied. We've dressed many wonderful women, collaborated with fellow small businesses and made new connections. I bootstrap so much around here and follow an unconventional path for a local fashion brand, so some of our milestones this year alone still surprise me. Even as preparations were made within our small ecosystem of artisans and tailors to sufficiently provide for physical retail opportunities, the cup soon overflowed. Add the pandemic to this equation and I was brewing the perfect burnout storm.
Some years ago when Gypsied was very green, I wrote about the link between intention and conscious fashion. That still matters most now and is our reason
raison d'etre. Now I will add one more value to stand by though — to operate at our own pace. In a world that continuously wants things better, faster, different, we will take our time. Ultimately, a conscious and sustainable brand begins with a healthy team — mentally, emotionally and physically.
While we do have launches coming up this holiday season, including a special collaboration with a local soap maker (exciting!), I'd like to relish in the slow life for awhile more.
Thank you so much to our part-timers and design intern who have come in this year to steer the ship together with me and taking over when I needed to rest.
P.s. Rest is revolutionary
With love,
Aqilah
