Let me start this off by stating, I am so lucky to be able to financially afford the rent of this little Foxanne HQ. it still feels unreal, after saving and months of looking I accidentally stumbled upon this little 100sq ft office.
So, why?
I currently live with my boyfriend and mother in law, we are all self-employed. Sue, Max's mum, runs her own baby clothing, prams & accessories business both online and in-person (a real-life shop, goals right?). I was working from the kitchen table & I had all my stock in boxes in the small room, we both started to take over the house with our stock and when I first started I didn't have much, I had an iPad, a few prints & that's about it. In the beginning, I didn't take up much room. Whereas now my 'business bits' have now quadrupled and I started to feel super guilty about how much space I was taking over. The kitchen table was now my 'office' the small bedroom half of it was just boxes and boxes of crafty stuff, stock, stuff for my 2nd business Rox.
Packing orders was an ✨experience✨ it would take me so long to pack because I didn't have the space to spread out, I had to go fishing for all my stock and the boxes were a nightmare to move. I would get stressed and end up in a flap, mistakes were made and money was lost replacing products, sending new items out, etc. in all honesty I was packing Roxanne was a MESS!
I started looking at office spaces, I wanted to initially be close to where I live, because my current commute to work is 40 seconds down the stairs, with a quick detour down to the bathroom on my way down. So even a 15-minute walk seemed like the most effort ever 😂 because I'm an artist, it was hard to find an office that wasn't just full of men in suits, I didn't want to be ✨that funky girl who draws stuff✨ also these offices were expensive and I just didn't vibe with it. then I found art studios up for rent in central Manchester, which in theory was perfect, but they are all located down back alleys or down dark roads. which was a big nope, since lockdown 1 I've struggled with leaving the house by myself without having intrusive negative thoughts, so realistically I knew I wouldn't go and I would be paying for the luxury of an office without using it the way I wanted too. So I kinda gave up, a big 2020 mood tbh.
But then I found my little office which is actually situated in a storage unit place, so there's always someone around, there are men at the main office 9-5 which will be the times I'm there, so I felt a lot safer. the goal is to outgrow this office by next year, I know this office will be fab for now, but with the vibes, I'm sending into the universe, next year ill need a bigger one! yassss!
How it helped...
Before moving into my office I struggled to set boundaries with time management, I would wake up, and be on my laptop all day until I went to bed. I worked myself to the bone and wondered why I never felt like I could switch off. the weeks would merge into each other, and time would pass by, I would work for a bit then go upstairs to charge my phone then spend an hour on TikTok on the bed then go back downstairs and work again. I was just so unorganised, and icky. icky? yeah, I think that the word I would use to describe how it felt. icky. I couldn't step away from work fully because I would be sat at the same place all day so I couldn't leave work, I was at work, I was work
The first day I came home from the office, I cannot explain the weight that lifted off my shoulders, I felt like I was leaving work, I got home and I could switch off and I had the best sleep id had in a long time. now every time I get home from the office (ThE oFfIce, I feel so weird saying that. don't mind me, just being a full-on business lady over here) I feel detached, I don't feel the need to look at emails or plan anything (some times I do, but you gotta do what you gotta do). Because I now have my own space, I'm showing up a lot more online, as it's just me & I'm not scared about recording videos, IG story chats in front of everyone.
I'm just so happy, I have my own space where I can grow & I can organise my time better. also, I'm so much more motivated.