A Chapter That Rearranged Everything
From Peaks to Petals is the story of how some seasons arrive quietly and others sweep through like a tide. From 2020 to 2022, my life shifted in ways I could never have mapped. What began as disruption became the planting of seeds that would grow into new skills, slower rhythms, and the beginnings of my craft at Soaperoni. These years taught me about trust, adaptability, and the quiet persistence that holds you steady when the ground underneath is unfamiliar.
Pivot & Craft (2020 – 2022)
🌱 2020 – Fresh Soil
The year opened with joy, a sense of “finally” in our shared life together. That happiness sat alongside deep loss, each arriving within weeks of the other and both reshaping the months that followed. The emotions were layered and complex, yet they reminded me that joy and grief can coexist and even deepen each other.
By mid‑year we had let go of our office, working fully from home for the first time. The shift freed time and space, yet brought its own learning curve. Every corner of the house became part of the workspace, and the days were a balance of tending to commitments and keeping a sense of calm in the middle of uncertainty. It was like planting into soil I had never worked with before, unfamiliar but rich with possibility. I could not yet see what might take root, but I knew the conditions were changing in my favour.
2021 – Lantern Bridge
By 2021, I had settled into the rhythm of remote work. Systems were refined, processes felt smoother, and my focus returned to creative planning.
I taught myself how to build websites and set up cloud servers, skills that were completely new to me after years in a financial background. Every step into this unfamiliar territory was both challenging and energising.
I reorganised files, ensured the tools I relied on were secure and dependable, and began working with new clients who trusted me to create and maintain what I had only recently learned myself.
It felt like crossing a bridge lit with steady lanterns — each new skill, each completed project casting its own glow to guide the way forward.
🧵 2022 – Loom Threads
In 2022, a personal change in my health redirected my attention to what I was putting on my skin. Products I had used without thought now caused irritation, and curiosity took over. I began reading labels closely, researching ingredients, and experimenting with blends of oils, herbs, and natural colourants.
The process was deeply tactile — measuring, stirring, pouring, and waiting. My kitchen became a place of small transformations. Each batch taught me something, whether it was the behaviour of a botanical infusion or the subtle difference between two essential oils. These experiments felt like threads on a loom, slowly weaving a cloth I did not yet have a full picture of. The first soaps I made for myself were humble, but they carried the heart of something bigger.
Reflections on Pivot & Craft
Part 2 of From Peaks to Petals reflects on a turning of the soil, a lantern bridge across uncertainty, and a loom weaving threads of possibility.
These three years were not a straight path. They were fresh soil turned by change, a lantern bridge across uncertainty, and a loom weaving threads of possibility. They taught me to let transitions happen in their own time and to stay present in the work of each day.
Even when the way ahead was not clear, I learned that you can prepare the ground, light your own way, and weave beauty out of what you have. This period was as much about shaping myself as it was about shaping a craft, and its lessons continue to anchor the way I work now.
