Welcome to the Stress Less studio
Come to Sweden with me!
Hello, my dear friends old and new. It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me. 🙈
I have to admit, after over 80 weeks of creative prompts, it was starting to get a bit hard to - ironically - bring the necessary creativity to the table to keep going.
So I decided to take a much needed break from writing. But of course, I’ve continued to try and spread the joy of making and creating to the world.
What has happened since we last spoke?
I took The Stress Less Pencil to the magical world of the “offline”. I know, so weird! I’ve not previously heard much about this magical place, but it turns out, it’s really neat actually.
After running some in-person workshops in a shared studio with my pop-up tables and crates full of supplies, I decided I wanted to do more of those. Create a space where adults and kids can come and enjoy and be free to create whatever they want.
In November, I was fortunate to be able to move into my own space in beautiful Kungälv in Sweden. My little studio is located on the old high street, Västra Gatan.
It used to house all the big stores in Kungälv, but unfortunately, it has been a bit deserted since they build a ginormous shopping center on the other side of town a few years ago.
On one hand, good for me, because it makes the rent affordable. But on the other hand, it’s a real shame, because it’s a lovely place and could definitely use a bit more foot traffic.
When you walk into Västra Gatan, you pass some nice second-hand shops, hair dressers, tattoo parlors, and restaurants (and now my studio), before it turns into the cutest little Swedish-village-cobble-stone-road, leading to a church and the fortress. I mean, of course we have a fortress!
What do I have going on in the studio?
Since moving in, I've worked on building all the different creative experiences I can offer people in my space.
A little second-hand corner with pre-loved art supplies that are looking for a new creative life.
An open-for-all makers’ table (which sounds much better than “two Ikea kitchen counters on legs”), where people of all ages can come and sit and make, and paint, and create.
A whole series of workshops, from creative afterworks, family arts & crafts time, punch needle, gel plate printing, stamp carving, and much more.
Private events, like kids’ birthday parties, bachelorette parties, and team building events.
And what's the plan for Substack then?
Now that I've recharged my writing batteries, and built my cosy creative space, I want to bring the two Stress Less Pencils - the offline and the online - together again.
I'll be sending you new updates that will include:
New creative arts and crafts prompts (of course). A bit shorter than before, but still designed for people of any skill level to do at home.
Introducing you to my new obsession-of-the-month supplies and techniques.
Behind the scenes, updates, and events from my little studio
I'll also be inviting my small little Swedish gang to join us here, so I'll start writing the newsletter in both English and Swedish.
I'm looking forward to seeing you back here soon, and I'm very grateful to have you all along with me for this ride 💜💛
Love, Lorena
Amazing update!! Welcome back!