Confession. I have been sitting on this inaugural post for several weeks waffling over should I or should I not launch this Substack newsletter. But as we welcome in a new year and I find myself in a new season both personally and professionally, it seems like the right time to start a new project!
Like many of you, I no longer adhere to the tradition of new year resolutions, but I do enjoy taking time to reflect on the past year and create a list of goals and/or ideas of what I hope to accomplish in the year. I loathe starting something and not seeing to its resolution, but you cannot discuss completion unless you first begin. It’s the starting that is often the hardest part, and if I can start “X” then I consider that a win. Hence, this newsletter!
Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling but start. Start and don’t stop. Start where you are, with what you have. Just… start.
Ijeoma Umebinyuo
Having recently welcomed our second child, our 3 month old daughter, I’m currently taking a creative sabbatical/maternity leave from my interior design work. However, my creative itch has not taken a reprieve and it feels like a constant companion during the wee hours in the night when I’m awake feeding my daughter and ideas begin to swirl through my head. After nine years of living in France, I have accumulated a nest egg of experiences living and work abroad. However, I’ve only been able to share a snapshot (literally) on Instagram of those experiences, in which many of my posts are stashed in the pile of “lost and not found accounts” due to the aggravating algorithm. I often get a host of questions in my DMs about living abroad or design-related inquiries so I am excited to use this platform as a way to better address those questions, continue to exercise my creativity and to share with you the things I’m exploring and discovering in Paris and elsewhere.
To give you a taste of what is to come, I will delve into the behind-the-scenes of a Parisian apartment renovation I designed for some American clients, share my favorite flea markets, artisans, shops, and how living in Europe has been integral in the evolution of my approach to interior design and to my personal, daily life. We just moved into a new apartment (our 3rd since moving to Paris) and I will take you along as I work to transform it into our home, which will include how to add lighting when you are working with a single wall socket in a room - I promise neither a renovation nor a magician is required!
I plan to send out a monthly newsletter for the moment and then increase it to a bi-monthly newsletter with paid membership options once I gain a bit more margin in this newborn season! I’d be delighted if you would subscribe below. I also hope to cultivate a community of readers who share a love of art, design and travel, so please share this newsletter with friends.