The season, my shop is slowing its pace. Don't panic, I am not disappearing, but this slow down happens because handmade work demands rhythm and patience, not frenzy and rush. Winter is when my shelves start to look a little bare, and I intentionally let them breathe before restocking. This 3 to 4 week cure time allows my bars to settle, to harden, and to last longer in your shower. It feels good to trade the constant hustle for deliberate making, even if the internet world screams "post MORE, do MORE, sell MORE!". I'm choosing to prep quietly, create slowly, and let anticipation build the way that snow does, bit by bit. 
    Winter in the midwest means hunting season in the surrounding woods, and this really puts a wrench in my daily walking. Although I have utilized my walking pad more, myself and the dogs would prefer to be exploring and crunching through our minimal snow. No matter how cold it gets, there is a weird comfort in leaning into the environmental conditions that shaped me. I still pack orders each week, just at a slower pace, with more tea breaks than I'd probably like to admit. Honestly? I'm spending a shocking amount of time resting, something I really struggle with, but I do know it's productive in its own way.

    This year really chewed me up in the best way. Building an online business is a minefield of comparison - everyone looks so successful, curated, and glossy, and I kept wondering why I felt messy in comparison. This is something I've struggled with my entire life really, but the more I look, authenticity isn't a marketing plan; it's uncomfortable, vulnerable honesty. I learned that people don't actually want the polished version, they want the human who smells like a soap studio and is covered in dog hair and keeps going anyway.

    There were weeks when scrolling felt almost like self-sabotage. Someone else always had bigger launches, prettier branding, faster growth, a better voiceover. I had to teach myself to stop looking sideways, and start looking at what I was actually building: community, real human interactions, and work I stand behind. My business isn't supposed to look like someone else's because if it did, what's the point? 

    I'm walking into next year with a quiet confidence. Less performing, more presence. Less 'prove myself' more 'trust myself'. My goals are simple: make incredible soap, show up honestly, build at a pace I can actually survive, and leave comparison outside in the snow where it belongs.

    Next year isn't about becoming a new version of me...It's about backing the version I already am, and dropping the things that didn't work for me. So cheers to the new year, to new beginnings, finished projects, and a whole lot of love and suds.