For some reason, today seems epic. I feel that we have finally arrived in France. This may strike you as an odd thing to write, after all, we moved to France in 2019. So why today and why now am I discovering our home?
Today we visited our local French Christmas Market The Marche de Noel in Crocq. It’s an artisan market brimming with stalls and customers to browse and buy all of the wonderful things created, crafted, painted, printed, cooked, sewn, brewed, pressed, matured, the list goes on. It’s a treat for all of your senses and has a lovely jovial Christmas spirit about it. (loads of pictures in our photo gallery below).
I think the feeling of discovering our home is down to a combination of things. Firstly, the notion of a little familiarity. The world has been turned on its head. Not long after we arrived everything stopped so the home we find ourselves in now is just as new to everyone. We are delighted to feel calm, finding a little bit of normality I suppose. I feel like I can think and plan ahead a little. Family and friends don’t seem so far away now that we can almost travel freely. That’s so reassuring. At home, there is something very settling about finally unpacking and putting our books onto the new bookcase in our lounge. We both continue to read and learn new creative skills. It’s food for the soul. When you focus on a creative project you can lose all sense of time or worry.
Creativity and arts are integral to well-being I don’t want to see this industry suffering. Creativity is central to my dream of moving to France. Here in Creuse, we have the space to really connect with nature and branch out. At long last, we are discovering our new home. I can start planning how our creative event space might come to life. It’s always been a dream and now it is very slowly becoming reality. We would like to host four or five events per year in our renovated barn to celebrate music, creativity, and food. This dream began very slowly in the form of this blog and is gently seeing green shoots of growth. We now have a vlog and a newsletter for people to subscribe to. The barn space is emerging. We even have a few rafters and some waterproof sheeting to cover the holes.
We know it will take time, it’s a dream, it’s a journey where sharing ideas is daunting. I need all of the encouragement I can get so it’s wonderful to chat with artisans and discuss the potential of creative spaces and if they would be interested in coming along to an event at our barn. So far we’ve had very positive feedback.
My creativity in terms of artwork has sometimes been shared online between family and friends, not for sale or much discussion. I really admire artisans who put themselves in the limelight to share their creativity. I am inspired by their work and this, in turn, encourages me to be more creative, improving my skills. It’s daunting, no one wants their precious creative gifts to be copied or undersold. It can be damaging to confidence especially when so many hours are poured into evolving original concepts. I hope to provide a safe haven to inspire others to share their work where visitors can browse, buy, or even take part.
In celebration of discovering our home here are a few pictures from our day at the Marche de Noel Crocq 2021. The people who made it a treat, you know who you are xxx
Discovering our Home in creuse
Featured purchases from:
Marleen Reckers, Ceramicist – Galerie “La Lavandiere” (5 Rue De La Mairie 23700 Auzances)
Sarah Latham, Artist – www.facebook.com/sarahlathamart
Rebecca Lanfear, Seamstress & Craftwork
Dawn & Andy Osborne – Virtuoso Crafts 23
Is the gallery a flight of fancy or can it really work? Who knows, we’re not afraid of trying we do have experience of events, marketing, and exhibitions.
We will draw upon our experience and inspiration to create an event and gallery space that works. We are particularly inspired by our colleagues and friends at Messum’s and how their galleries have nurtured British impressionist artists over the years. David Messum first opened his doors in 1963. Just one man and his passion for art evolving into a growing family business. We have been working with Messums for over ten years now. Meeting a dedicated team of staff who are also passionate about sharing the work of exceptional artists and seeing their careers blossom. Messums has created several prestigious galleries Messums London, The studio and sculpture garden at Lord’s Wood in Marlow, St James’s (also London), Wiltshire, and Harrogate. Plus international gallery links with Barcelona, New York, Toronto, and Melbourne. We are starting our gallery and events space in the same way with a dedicated group of marketing and creative people. If you are interested in the concept, interested in exhibiting your work, or visiting us please get in touch. notesfromlechassaing@gmail.com
