Vulnerability...

Life is so interesting. It's amazing that when you choose to follow your heart there are so many unforeseen trials to complete. I have always known that following your hearts desire requires an amount of cost...it's just interesting finding myself in the middle of the process.

Here I am in a totally new country, starting all over, trying to make a full time go of hand crafting and pursuing a simpler lifestyle.

I never knew how much it would challenge my willpower, confidence and comfort levels. It was a lot easier talking and romanticizing about this process than actually walking it out. I have always desired to live what I believe...and this is a huge test of putting my beliefs into practice.

Isaac and I had a very comfortable existence in Winnipeg. We both had good jobs, stable finances and an apartment to call our own. Close friends were literally a few minutes away and every time I stepped outside my door the patterns of life in Canada made sense to me. I was somebody in some senses and felt secure in who I was.

Throughout this time Isaac and I were (and still are) ever aware of a lot of injustices going on around us. We in some ways feel very old soul...as if we were born into the wrong time and could relate more to the values of a distant past. We both wanted to live in a such a way that we left a gentler imprint on the earth and the people around us. We both wanted to unravel our lives and learn how to live sustainably.

Stumbling onto leather craft and being exposed to the possibility of working for myself was a start in this journey. Before we left Winnipeg I was hand crafting Spirocreations full time. Moving to New Zealand was the next step.

Since living in New Zealand we have literally seen our lives unravel before our eyes. It truly felt (and still does) that everything we tried to make happen fell away from our hands. I have always believed in God but this was a brand new level of submitting our lives to his will and believing in faith for our everyday needs. Having the comfort of stability taken away really is a painful process. I really began to see how much I disliked risky life...its actually quite humbling to start all over...I struggled a lot with comparing life in NZ to life in Winnipeg and worried we had made the wrong decision.

I found myself dealing with insecurity, lack of confidence, fear and loneliness. I struggled with a lack of motivation and a strong desire to give up, pack my bags and high tail it back to Canada. In many ways, I really faced myself. The weak parts of my character that I wanted to pretend weren't there.

Thankfully...I have been (by the grace of God, friends, family and my husbands support)able to face off with these feelings, choosing to re-focus my attention and start again. I really love what I do and want to embrace living in New Zealand. I want to make it my home and carve out a place here. I don't want to give up on Isaac and I's dreams of creating for a living, living sustainably and trying to make small positive changes around us. I want to keep moving forward.

It has been really inspiring to witness miracles in small ways...friends opening their cupboards and filling bags with groceries for us, beds and even a house offered to live in for free. A van received through friends we had never met, Isaac stumbling into his creative dream of woodworking and receiving a job after chatting with someone at a skate park. Etsy featuring us enabling our creations to sell and in small ways sustain us. Waking up each day and being able to look out over the ocean...we are honestly so blessed and taken care of.

Living out our beliefs is not easy. There is a huge cost and I am often romanced by the idea of giving up getting a normal job and having my own bed to sleep in:) Working for yourself is risky...you never know if enough money will come in to feed you...there is no guaranteed paycheck at the end of the week. Isaac is not being paid by his apprenticeship...but I would rather he do what he loves then work a job he dislikes for the sake of comfort. I know in the end life will come together...and in many ways it already has...I just wanted to be straight up with you concerning my process...my attempt to go against the grain for the sake of conviction. I cannot buy into a profit before people society...I can no longer exist through life....I actually want to live it.

In retrospect I am deeply honored that we even have the choice of deciding how we will live. For most people of the world...this is not an option...their lives are subject to survival and a lot of hardship. Knowledge of the blessing of 'choice' and 'options' helps to keep my attitude in focus.

Thank you for your constant support, encouragement and prayer. We are overwhelmed by the graciousness of friends, family and kind souls met through creative exchange. Thank you also to all who have purchased Spirocreations pieces and supported our dream...in so many ways you have made our process of change possible...thank you so much for chances, options and a path forward.

much love,

Barb and Isaac

Since We Last Spoke...

It has been WAY to long since our last blog post. Our life is an ever continuing adventure and many changes have transpired along the way. Over the course of the last month we have moved from Wellington to Whangaparoa, received a FREE van, settled into a house bus and will be moving into a beautiful house in a few days as house sitters for dear friends.

But let me start at the beginning. As soon as Isaac agreed to take the Furniture making apprenticeship with Opus Libero we were in a frantic state of faith. We secured a flat in Whangaparaoa, gave our notice on our Wellington flat and began scheming how in the world we would move all our stuff eight hours North without a vehicle.

Miraculously, an Etsy seller named 'Thimble-Scratch' (check out her stuff...she makes beautiful clothing and accessories), emailed me a few days prior to our decision with some big news. She and her husband had immigrated to NZ from the states and had been living in Wellington and Nelson for the past year. We had tried to get together a few times but kept missing each other. She emailed to inform me that they had had a beautiful baby boy and were off to America for a year or so to visit family and friends...this led to the fact that they had many items they wanted to to give to us...including a van which was ours for FREE! Isaac and I were honestly stunned...we had literally prayed and asked God to give us a van as we could NEVER afford one in a million years. We had no idea he would deliver so fast! To make a long story short, we flew down to Nelson, met Tammy, Jason and London, made fast friends and picked up our new van. The icing on the cake was that the van had a built in platform and brand new mattress....exactly what we wanted. It works like a dream and is in great condition...what a special gift! Thanks Tammy and Jason!

Tammy, Jason, London and Us:



Isaac and London:



The Free Van (WOOT!):




We had to do two trips from Welly to the Mount (Isaac's folks place) in a weekend to get all our stuff up North. When we got onto the road the first time Isaac and I were very concerned that our life was going WAY to easy in contrast to our rather bumpy and chaotic experiences of past. Luckily we blew a tire (when I was driving of course) on our first trip up to the Mount with our stuff which brought us back a bit of normality. We heaved a huge sigh of relief as our life is NEVER so perfect. Isaac saved the day by changing the tire....what a hero!



Here are some pics of our journey from Wellington to Whangaparaoa:










A few days after this we received a call from dear friends in Whangaparaoa informing us that they were leaving to travel for two months and really needed house sitters over their time away. We again were stunned as this meant three months rent and bill free...perfect as we desperately needed a chance to get caught up financially. We accepted. Ironically, we were arrving a month early, so they arranged to have us stay in their mean as house bus until we could move into the house. The house bus has served us very well...it is outfitted with a full bathroom (shower included) a bedroom, and functioning kitchen. I actually laughed out loud as our life is truly so ridiculous....from tent, to flat to house bus...so funny! We truly are living the gypsy dream.

The Bus:















We were cleaning out our van and this random chicken decided to hop on in and check things out. This chicken is MAD...no fear whatsoever...I had to take a few shots...way to funny!







I was given a room in the house to use as a workshop which I have set up as Spirocreations headquarters. It's actually my friends old room so it comes complete with bed, stuffed animals and children's books. Again, I have to laugh at how loosely we hold our life at the moment...we have to be crazy flexible and adaptable to survive. My little workshop is great and I enjoy listening to bird song and basking in sunlight.

Can I say how INSANE our view is...again we are living on the coast just a few steps from the ocean. It is WAY warmer here and I am grateful to wear a t-shirt out in the dead of winter.

Stanmore Bay:





Isaac has settled into his apprenticeship and LOVES it. He is learning heaps and has literally come alive. We are reconnecting with friends and I am grateful for a bigger circle of support. I am feeling content and more at home here.

I had my first big homesick breakdown...right around the six month mark. I wanted so badly to see my friends and family and to surround myself with normality once again. More than anything I just wanted to jump on my bike and get to Winnipeg. I wanted to see people I knew on the street and visit old haunts. Isaac was able to comfort me...he arrived home armed with chocolate, candy and salt and vinegar chips...he is way to good of a husband...he knows how to fix me very well!

Isaac and I also had our 3rd wedding anniversary which is very exciting (June 16)...we are both pretty excited to have found the perfect half to love and who will manage to deal through all our crazy troubles and adventures...we make a great team!



We also managed to see the seals (EEEKKK!!) in Island Bay before we left Wellngton...I was in my glory as I adore seals so much. Here is pics of the aftermath:









I have received in a shipment of deer hide from Canada and am busily completing orders...(thanks guys!). Etsy has been featuring us again which has provided lots of traffic and sales. I have LOTS of inspiration and many new ideas to create. I have made a pile of new accessories which I will post this coming Friday.

That's about us...Thank you to all the beautiful ladies that came round to say hello to me at Kraft Bomb. It was amazing to meet you and also great to catch up! Thank you for your support...enabling me to feel more at home in NZ.

Thank you also to all our great customers for your support! We had a great June July...

Cheers:)

Barb

Changes

In a crazy turn of events, Isaac and I have decided to move again!

In two weeks we will be heading North to Whangaparaoa (North of Auckland) as Isaac has found an unpaid fine furniture making apprenticeship with 'Opus Libero'.

Opus Libero specializes in finely crafted, free standing period kitchens. Styles such as 'arts and crafts, shaker, art deco and art nouveau are some of what they can offer. Isaac nearly had a heart attack when he found this site as we both share a strong passion for the Arts and Craft/Arts Nouveau movement and appreciate the artisan-ship involved in crafting these pieces. Isaac also gets access to four different mentors and a huge workshop...needless to say he is beside himself with excitement.

So, like proper gypsies, we will once again be packing our bags and heading off into the sunset. We have secured a new flat and find ourselves excited for this new challenge and opportunity. We have really enjoyed living in Island Bay and will miss our friends and little seaside flat.

More info to come soon:) Wish us luck!

The Latest and Greatest

It has been a while since we have posted a NZ update. Much has changed and we are beginning to settle in nicely.

By random chance I happened to find a nice apartment for rent in Island Bay, which is a beautiful suburb of Wellington. Isaac and I were well over living in a single room in a university house. Though the company was lovely...it seems a clean bathroom and kitchen outweighed cheap rent. We managed to get down to Island Bay to view the place, and ended up landing a sweet little flat right across from the ocean! Honestly, I am overjoyed to be living in such a beautiful little piece of the world. Island Bay is nestled along a long and winding coast, dotted with rugged headland, jagged rocks and blue green ocean.

Our new home!

Our corner...look how close the ocean is!

The beach across the road

Much to our excitement, the new flat featured a very large master bedroom which has lovingly been transformed into my new studio and creative space. Ironically, our room is a little cave...literally a 'bed' room. We don't mind...Wellington homes are 'FREEZING', central heating does not exist...so little cozy spaces are valued.

The new studio!

The 'Bed' Room...

We have been fortunate to have such caring friends and family. Between them all we have accumulated some furniture, a full kitchen and a bed...FINALLY! I can`t express how amazing it felt to finally unpack our suitcases and actually put items into drawers and onto shelves...I was so OVER living transient that I nearly chucked our suitcases out the door! Isaac and I honestly are overjoyed to have a home at last...I almost burst cooking my first meal in our new kitchen...amazing how much you appreciate things when you can`t access them for awhile.

The only down side to our little place, is the lingering cat pee odour...this we have militantly attempted to make go away...finally after a few weeks it is disappearing. Humorously, the old tenant has moved upstairs, so the old cat still hangs out outside the house. Many times Isaac caught the cat trying to come inside our place, looking around anxiously and meowing in a very confused tone...the poor thing can`t understand why it can`t come inside...its even more distressed when Isaac pushes it out the door...no more cat pee thank you!

It has been amazing to go for walks along the coast and enjoy the natural beauty. I find it very inspiring and a nice break from work. We are now finally settling into life. Isaac is working hard with special needs adults and I have been focusing on getting Spirocreations back up and running. Ironically the leather supply in NZ is very slim (despite the 1000`s of cows and sheep) so much of what I used before will have to be shipped in from Canada. I have found two good suppliers so luckily I can source some leather from NZ. I am working on several new designs and have finally re-listed the shoes on Etsy (woot!). It feels great to get back into more of a normal routine...after our first few months of adventures we were ready for a bit of normalcy. I am still homesick but am working hard to meet new people and explore what NZ has to offer.

Lastly, the best part of living in Island Bay is the Seal colony that hangs out just up the road! I am beyond pumped! Anyone who knows me knows I adore seals...so its super crazy to stroll up the road and see them...way too cool...makes life worth living indeed!

Much love from NZ to all our friends and family in Canada...you are missed and need to immigrate here STAT!

Till next time...

More Kiwi Adventures

Hello all,

Our life has changed significantly since our last blog post. Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes...it meant A LOT and we are grateful for your love and support.

After reading about our tent saga, our lovely friends Linden and Alice had compassion on us and invited us to stay in their lovely spare room for 2 weeks. this was AMAZING as we finally got to sleep in an actual bed for a change. We had a blast living with this amazing couple..and recovered a lot after a rather rough start. Thanks Linden and Alice...we love you guys!

Isaac and I headed up to Hamilton to attend 'Hamtown Smackdown' where Isaac was asked to jump up on stage to perform with his old band 'Brick vs Face' as they played their final show after 6 years. He did an excellent job, the crowd loved it and I was proud as a peacock!



We managed to get to another craft sale in Auckland: Kraft Bomb...where we shared a table with our good friends Nate and Gem. They have collectively formed a craft company called 'Hunter Gatherer' and create incredibly beautiful and whimsical pieces. Please check them out here.

After Kraft Bomb...we jumped on a bus and headed down to Wellington with the goal of sorting out a place to live and a job for Isaac. Our incredibly awesome friend Dallas took us in for a week (even vacating his room for us!) and helped us heaps in trying to make things come together. We also attended a super fun outdoor craft sale in Wellington where we met lots of lovely Wellington people. We meant to do another craft sale the following week...but torrential rains defeated us.

We sorted out a giant room in a flat of 4 students to stay for 2 months while we save our pennies and try to sort out a place on our own. The advantage is that the room is large enough to accommodate our workshop, so I am excited to finally get back into the routine of creating. We are having some trouble sorting out a leather supplier in NZ...leather is not exactly plentiful here (which is ironic considering the sheep and cows outnumber people here 4 to 1!) so we are finding this to be our greatest obstacle. i am almost in a place to begin crafting shoes again...so all those who have patiently anticipated shoes for spring...your wait is almost over!

Once we sorted the room, we took off in Dallas's sweet van back to the mount to collect our stuff to bring back to Wellington. The trip between the Mount and Wellington is a good 8 hours....we stretched the trip there and back over 2 days. Dallas's van is equipped with a tape deck...so we rocked out to old 60's 70's and 80's favorites/metal...including Zeppelin, Neil young, Creedence, Janis Joplin, Guns n Roses and more. This provided hours of entertainment for us...though we did feel we were reliving the 69 Woodstock dream as we cruised around in our psychedelic van! I did a good portion of the driving this time...which I am proud about! It felt good and I think it is becoming more second nature. we looked so perfect in our hippie van..our dream of roaming the country as gypsy's was almost materializing!













I have to say...the trip was beautiful....now that the stress has somewhat calmed down, both Isaac and I are finding it easier to take in and appreciate the natural beauty around us...here are some lovely trip photos:









Once back in Wellington, we moved into our new room, breathing huge sighs of relief over being able to FINALLY lay out our stuff for the first time since December. One huge downer about Wellington...is the MASSIVE hills throughout the city! My out of shape body got the shock of its life as sight seeing was equivalent to small hiking excursions! Our house is at the top of a giant hill...going to get groceries is indeed a mission as I am just about dead once we reach the top. More annoyingly...Isaac can race to the top with minimal effort...grrr...this means NO biking for me...as the thought of crashing to my death is not appealing. On the flip side...I will gain legs and buns of steel within 2 weeks...one advantage I am willing to sacrifice for:)

Isaac has now sorted a job working with special needs adults (hooray) and we are crossing our fingers that he gets another position assembling furniture for a local company. We have set up our workspace and I am working hard to get Spirocreations back in business. We both feel a lot of hope and excitement for Wellington...we have already met great people and really like the bustling city itself.





We love and miss you all and wish we could transplant everyone here to NZ with us...once the Canadian migration begins to NZ...life will be just about perfect!



Much love from Barb and Isaac