Sometimes I Need to Step Away from Making

I run ENHANCE by myself.

I make the products, take photos, update my Etsy shop, write blog posts, work on my website, and share my work on social media.

There is always something to make, something to do, or something to think about.

I love creating, but sometimes my head becomes too full.

One day, I decided to step away from making and drive to Shiga Kogen.

It is about one hour from my home in Nagano.

I drove up into the mountains, more than 2,000 meters above sea level.

When I got out of the car, there were only mountains and sky in front of me.

For a while, I didn't need to make anything.

I didn't need to check social media.

I could just stand there and look at the view.

At that moment, I thought,

I’m glad I live in Nagano.

Maybe this kind of time is not really time away from creating.

Maybe it is part of creating.

The colors of nature, the light, the silence, and the changing seasons may not directly become my products.

But little by little, they stay somewhere inside me.

And when I come home, I sit in front of my sewing machine again.