In Parallel
A chance encounter of the perfect kind
Hello, and welcome to the home of The Tiny Department Store. Here you will find my weekly newsletter where I share the behind the scenes of setting up a small business and working towards making my dream of opening a concept store a reality. Without premises or a large budget I plan to create the world’s tiniest department store, measuring just the dimensions of the wooden box on the front of my shiny blue bicycle. The Tiny Department Store will pop up once a month with a new theme and a limited edition range of products that constantly evolve. I will also give you a peek inside my world, sharing snippets of my daily life, travels and inspirations. I would love you to join me on this journey x
Walking through the small coastal town of Bolinas, one sunny Saturday I stumbled across a tiny museum. Just a couple of small rooms in what looked like a modest wooden house, with pretty gardens and a white picket fence. The door was open and I stepped inside. On the walls were beautiful intricate paintings in subtle shades of the earth and sea. Interlocking lines in concentric circles, calm and quietly hypnotic.
Sitting alongside the paintings was a wall covered in knotted rope. Each knot more complex and beautiful. I lost myself in this work, I don’t know how long I simply stood and stared but it enveloped me, a salve on my sticky tangle of emotions.
We had recently moved from London to California. I had packed up our lives and unpacked them three months later. Transforming our empty new house into a family home. My husband was settled in his new job and the children were happy. My task list was neatly checked, but as the days passed I was feeling increasingly unstuck.
Life in London had been hard and fast. Two full time careers combined with small children hence the decision to switch gears for a slower and sunnier life. Yet now here we were and it was hard not to miss the buzz of urban life. Days crammed to bursting, replaced with great chasms of space. I felt foolish as I had craved this blank canvas, longing to press pause but I had failed to anticipate how unsettling the still and quiet could be. Who was I without my career? My diary no longer filled with commitments.
Lost in thought in this bright white room surrounded by beauty. I tried to breathe it all in. I was utterly captivated by the quiet power of this exhibition.
Later that day I typed ‘Windy Chien’ into the browser on my laptop and was to lose myself yet again. Here was a women who had reinvented herself multiple times.
“In my life, I’ve given myself permission to make big changes three times. I tell you these stories not only to illustrate the leaps I made, but also to encourage you to consider what’s possible for yourself. The first time, I gave myself permission to leave my identity. The second time, I let go of financial security. The third time I gave myself permission, it was to prioritize my creativity above all else.” Windy Chien, The Year of Knots.
Not usually one for divine moments, I took a moment to revel in the small moments of coincidence. An unplanned trip, a chance encounter of an art exhibition, and then to read the words that could have had ‘Dear Kate’ as a precursor. Having made the biggest leap of my life, leaving behind my identity and financial autonomy to step into a great unknown. Looking to rekindle my creativity and start a new chapter. Chien’s story resonated so deeply, filling me with a tingling feeling of hope as she was embarking on ‘her third life’ in her late forties. It felt like a personal invitation, a permission slip that it wasn’t too late for me. There were still paths to travel and new doorways to walk through.
Chien’s third chapter began with a journey of creative discovery. She explored a variety of disciplines before settling on macrame. She set herself the challenge of learning how to tie a different knot each day for a year and shared her process on Instagram. She leaned in and trusted the process without knowing where it would take her. Little did she know of the adventures and collaborations that awaited her.
After reading Chien’s book from cover to cover I was desperate to find my project, my ‘Year of Knots’ or ‘Julie and Julia’ style epiphany. I filled notebooks, made mood boards, chatted to friends and family, imploring them to read the book so that they too might share the yearning to find ‘the’ project. I thought about making a paper flower each day for a year, finding and painting daily colours, sculpting clay tiles and so the list went on. Frustrated that the perfect idea alluded me, I felt disillusioned and flat, until I realised that in my haste I had missed the essence of Chien’s wisdom, to simply follow my curiosity and let go of the dreamy destination. Embracing the process and the journey, trusting and being in the moment.
It was reading The Year of Knots that inspired me to create The Tiny Department Store, my year long creative project. It also encouraged me to begin sharing my story from the beginning, rather than waiting for the ‘ta dah’ moment or grand reveal. Sharing everyday moments of my journey unfolding in real time. Inviting engagement and building community from day one. My substack seeks to act as a living, breathing, interactive journal of this year of living creatively. I think often of the small white room filled with knots and the chance encounter that set me on a new path. Committing to myself and planting daily seeds of creativity for my own new chapter. Daring to believe that the best may be yet to come.
I wrote this essay in response to Farrah Storr’s challenge to write a memoir style piece about a turning point. As always I would love to continue the conversation in the comments and answer any questions you may have.
Until next week x
This is a lovely piece Kate, delighted to have discovered your Substack via Farrah's competition. I have recently had a similar experience — moving to Istanbul and leaving my job to go freelance! My substack is an exploration of all things art, design & travel through my new lens!
Kate, this is truly the most moving writing. I am so happy for you and excited to see where your curiosity takes you. Thank you for understanding the whole reason that I wrote the book, to show that focusing on your creativity is viable and good and doable. Many thanks -Windy .