2020 is the year of our 5 year anniversary! This is the first year I’ll be actually acknowledging and celebrating one of Koi d’Azur’s anniversaries. Hold on to your screens, because it’s going to get a little personal.
I’ve always felt each year I hadn’t achieved enough or wasn’t ‘big’ enough to be able to properly celebrate another year of doing what I love most. It all started when I got my ADHD diagnosis at 22. This explained why it was so difficult working for others, and I realised that if I wanted to be happy, I needed to find something that I could make mine.
During my studies I picked up my old childhood hobby of jewellery making. The obsession had officially started and let me tell you it’s still there! It was a very slow start, buying small amounts of silver, gold, and gemstones from the money I made working in a shop at the time. At one point I could afford a smithing course in Amsterdam and there I felt I could really make something real. To be able to make something out of nearly nothing is one of the most satisfying feelings. At this point in the story we’re in 2017 which is when I decided I could do this full time. I really noticed that the more time and effort I put into Koi d’Azur the more love came from it. I rented my first ‘anti-kraak’ studio space so I had an actual working space instead of making everything from my little student room.
Even though I was getting so much support from friends, family, and all the lovely people that bought a Koi d’Azur piece, I still kept comparing myself to others that went so much faster or had achieved so much more in the same amount of time. This feeling of insecurity is still very much there, but now I’ve decided to at least try and put that aside a little bit to see where I’ve actually come. Five years down the line I’m still loving every bit that comes with being a designer and business owner. The ups, the downs, and all the excitement that a person with ADHD desperately needs.xo Roxy