I want to talk about fear a little bit because it's something we often don't admit to feeling.
I was scared when I quit my job. I was scared when I set up SkandiHus, when I employed my first assistant. I was scared when I employed my second assistant. I was scared during most of the first major stages of setting up the business, but I’m pretty sure that anyone looking in from the outside would never have guessed this.
But here’s the thing: It's ok to feel fear.
The trick is to not let it paralyse you. The trick is to stop caring so much about what the world thinks or whether you might fail. So what if you fail? In fact, I dare say, if you haven't failed or taken some chances, you haven’t really lived your life.
I think it's important, again, to think about why we do things. I didn't start making ceramics because I was hoping that one day Nigella Lawson would start following me on Instagram. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing that people like what I do but I did it for me. Not for Nigella, not for my parents, not for careers advisors or anyone else I wanted to impress. I did it for me and I did it because I love making ceramics. I'm also pretty sure that this is a large part of the reason for my success. I'd like to think that when people pick up one of my pieces, they can feel that it's been made with passion, care and love. As long as your intentions are in the right place, then this will drive you through those initial fears, of risk, of failure, of self-worth, because if you truly believe in what you are doing, then other people will too.
Stine x