The start of something beautiful

I’ll let you in on a little secret: I haven’t left a job willingly since 2012. That was when I originally made the switch from doing little more than existing in the corporate world to passionately embracing a place in the design world.

Unfortunately, the economic climate hasn’t been particularly kind to creatives in this past decade. In the last four years, I have been made redundant not once, not twice, but THREE times. Each time, I have luckily been able to put my artistic passions to work to help keep the lights on while I searched for yet another “job-job”. However, these endeavours only ever seemed feasible as part-time hobby businesses while I tried to keep my head above water and work to pay off the debt I had incurred after each job loss. But hidden in there was also a dream to build something a little bigger, something sustainable that was true to myself and my ideals. Something cohesive. Something that would help others. Something with honesty and integrity at its core.

When my partner, Tom, and I made the move from Edmonton, Canada to Auckland, New Zealand in early 2018, I was afforded the opportunity to finally able to climb out of that debt hole. This newfound freedom was dizzying, but it also opened my eyes to the possibility that now might actually be the right time to build the thing that for six—often uncomfortable—years I so badly wanted to build. I had to nurture it with a lot of thought and patience and room to grow, but that seed has finally bloomed into what you see here: Nocturne.

Each and every thing you’ll find in the Nocturne shop I have lovingly crafted with my own two hands. I hope these things can help you be a little more comfortable while you too are up late, burning the midnight oil, in pursuit of whatever it is that you are passionate about. And when your head finally does hit the pillow, I hope these things have helped you relax enough to dream even bigger than you did yesterday.

And when you do, remember that It’s easy to feel like those dreams aren’t good enough or refined enough to turn them into reality. But sometimes, the most important thing is just to get started.

xx Lauralynn