nurturance
it’s been over six months that i’ve been away from otràvie. at first it was not an easy decision; i had to let go and trust deeply that you would all still be here when i was ready to start again. while difficult, it was a conscious choice that i made late last year, to take an energetic pause from the project in order to create more space for a needed season of nurturance for myself. coming back to my why and architecting a new way for myself to approach otràvie that flows more harmoniously with my life is where i’ve been able to arrive after these many valuable months of going inward. this pause came with the temporary luxury of being absent from social media and the subtle but ever present pressures that small brands face to “stay relevant” and keep up with the algorithms of a platform that isn’t designed to support them in the first place. i surrendered to the patterns that distanced me slowly from the heart of what i do, the message within my work and what truly lights me up when working on this beautiful brand. during these months, while i was away from sourcing and launching new drops, there was a constant that remained for otràvie; gatherings for RWNE, our book club. for me this says so much about the type of community i have fostered over the last years, how much human connection is linked to my why, the support that stands and remains for otràvie and a soft reminder of the who i want to continue to show up for; first and foremost myself and our environment but secondly, the people that make the experience of otràvie what it is today. i will be always grateful to those who walk this path with me.
with this evolution, establishing a new online destination for otràvie felt timely, to visually hold space for how otràvie has shifted and what it is today. in the process of my website redesign, i had the opportunity to step back into my work with a deeply reflective lens. as with so many things oftentimes, i find that stepping out is the only way to step back into something with a renewed reverence for one’s truth.
it was here in the redesign process between the mundane task of adding category tags to over 200 product items in my shop archive and the inspiring glimpses of the new site taking shape into something i’ve always envisioned for the brand where i found another feeling of connection back to my why and what i do. the stories that are woven into each article that i’ve curated, renewed and have had the honor to let go of in the process of giving them new life — each journey in sourcing, each customer and each exchange i recall clearly with so much warmth.
in this process was also where i could acknowledge myself deeply for opening myself in the act of creating otràvie four years ago and allowing myself to be seen trying in the process ever since. everything is an evolution and when i look back with a gaze of compassion on the creative direction, the vintage pieces from the first collections and more from the early days of otràvie, i feel such admiration for who i was then and how i’ve grown into who i am now. this humbling truth on how i have navigated otràvie has informed my personal life, acting as a mirror — creating more space for transparency, for trying, and ultimately for trust as the journey continues.
so what does this renewed era of otràvie look like? it’s one that ebbs and flows more lightly through the seasons of my life. it’s fully embodying sustainability — not only in the products i offer and core mission of my brand, but the very way in which i choose to navigate it, enabling a foundation and way of working that is truly sustainable, on my terms. it’s letting my why take me back to my truth while collecting and curating articles that light me up allowing for even more joy and excitement for me to be woven throughout the process. it’s the slow curation that’s always transpired through building the collections but maybe at times, it might be even slower. it’s launching deeply intentional collections when the timing feels aligned for me, not because of any invisible calendar that anyone expects me to abide by, especially not the old version of me. it’s continuing to be present for my community and knowing that doesn’t equate to a constant presence on social media but rather real life connection, engagement and moments of shared space.
making the conscious decision to step away from otràvie wasn’t easy…. until it was. it was in the process of arriving to this eventual place which was at first open ended and unknown — that i could realize the kind of monumental shift taking shape. the kind of brand i want otràvie to continue to be and the renewed version of me.
through this past season of nurturance, i found my way back to my why.
thank you for being here and for seeing with me.
