By now most of us are getting back to our normal routines. I for one am struggling and have been for the past two years. Being derailed from my plans, has been an enlightening experience, both frightening and intriguing waiting to see what happens next. Some of my fellow business owners have thrived in such inspiring ways, others have been hanging by a thread, literally. All these very extreme ways of surviving have not been enough to move me to create something that could make me smile. The only difference this time however, is that I am calm about it. I feel wiser somehow knowing that things have a way of working out. Thank goodness the fine lines around my eyes aren't for nothing.
I have always loved being in a busy studio full of people working away in their designated stations. The humming of machines, someone cutting, others planning a shoot, the phone ringing none stop, interns taking smoke breaks for the third time before 10AM. I really miss that high, yet at the same time I crave a different experience, just like this but different. “I will know it when I see it”, a phrase I used to laugh at, I now use repeatedly in my head. Yes, this humble pie is sweet.
Truthfully, I have felt this way even before the plot twist to all our lives. It started as a whisper the day after I opened my first Loin Cloth and Ashes store in Maboneng, Johannesburg in 2012. Was making clothes enough for me? I worked so diligently for so many years, ticked off every Post It list. But i was still stuck with this question “Where to next, kiddo?”, the desire to explore my unidentified yearning became loudest when they said “lockdown!”.
So, to answer my own ask, I have dedicated 2022 to this "IOS upgrade" of my company, to be bold with a capital B, my year of Yes! And as I discover the story line of my new 5 part series to Anissa Mpungwe Atelier (Hello Amazon Prime), I will be leaving a trail of thoughts in these love letters to you, as i trust the process.
Anissa Ami Mpungwe