Creating an Artist’s Cottage 🌸 How I Made a Home for My Inner Child

When I was a child, one of my favorite movies was Matilda, the adaptation of the classic children's book by Roald Dahl. It's the story of a brilliant young girl with special powers who has a difficult childhood, but ultimately learns to find her strength and create a better life for herself. I always loved the part of the movie when Miss Honey, a teacher at Matilda's school, invites her to her cottage for tea. Miss Honey's home is very small and humble, but for Matilda, it's a place where, unlike her own home, she can finally feel safe to be herself. When I was young, I dreamed of one day finding a place like Miss Honey's cottage, somewhere where I would feel understood and accepted exactly the way I was. When things were difficult in my real life, I would sometimes sit in my bedroom and imagine I was there with Miss Honey playing in the garden and drinking tea. Recently, I had this realization that now as an adult, I've somewhat subconsciously created my own version of Miss Honey's cottage, a home filled with things that bring me joy and comfort where I can be creative and most importantly, a place where I feel safe to be myself. I've moved around a lot in my life, but somewhere along the way, I've created the home I once dreamed of growing up, a home for my inner child. When I used to think of an artist's home, I'd imagine a place with the perfect conditions to create, tucked away from the rest of the world and the demands of everyday life. When I was younger, I would dream about living in a place like this, where I would finally have all the time and space I needed to make the art I dreamed of. But early on in my creative journey a few years ago, I realized that if I kept waiting for the perfect environment to become an artist, I would never start. So I needed to make it work with what I had. Before I began making videos, I started My Moonstone Kitchen as a food blog back in 2019 when Alex and I were sharing a single room in a tiny apartment. We had so little space back then that I would actually store my food photo props under our bedside table. But the joy of making and sharing recipes was enough to keep me creating despite the lack of space. And even before then, in my childhood and early adulthood, I would always keep a small space in my room or even inside a notebook where I could write, draw and live inside my imagination. When we moved into our current home, this small 200 year old rental cottage, it was the most space I'd ever had, but we still had to come up with some creative solutions to work around the house's quirks and limited space. And while having more space and time these past few years has definitely made it easier for me to create, especially in terms of videos and recipes, I really believe that if I hadn't started my creative journey before I had those things, I wouldn't be who I am today creatively. I think that having limitations has taught me to be a better artist because I've learned to be creative with the resources I do have and focus on what matters most. To me, this idea of an artist's cottage isn't about finding a perfect place with the perfect conditions to make art. It's about creating those safe spaces in our lives where we can truly be ourselves and nurture our creativity. And as Alex and I have decorated these past few years, we've been really intentional about making our home a reflection of how we want to live. For me in particular, I really wanted to create spaces throughout my home that made me feel comfortable resting and relaxing and areas where I could feel free to just be messy and have fun creating. When I was young, I was under a lot of pressure to be perfect, and achievements and productivity were seen as the most important things, while anything fun or unproductive was often seen as a distraction or a waste of time. So when I thought about making a home for my inner child, I wanted to create areas around the house where I could just let myself relax and have fun without feeling guilty or needing to be productive. I made my art desk a dedicated space for creative projects separate from my work desk, and I made a little reading corner by my bookshelf with pillows and cozy blankets. Even in my kitchen, I set everything up and decorated in a way that would inspire me to have fun and get creative in the kitchen. Making dedicated spaces just for creativity and rest in my home have really helped me heal this part of myself. I've also been really intentional about decorating the way I want to instead of feeling like I need to follow these rules of how a home should look. I've decorated my home on a budget with lots of thrifted items, cozy, colorful decor and whimsical pieces. It's definitely eclectic and unconventional, but that's one of the things I love most about my home. Creating the home I have today has been a journey, and I know it's something that will continue to evolve as I move and grow throughout my life. But this house in particular has taught me so much about embracing imperfection and turning what I have into something beautiful and meaningful. I've learned that it's not about waiting to one day have a perfect home. It's about finding those places in our lives right now where we feel safe to truly be ourselves. I think that when we put love and intention into our homes, however that looks for each of us, that same energy is reflected back not only to us, but to everyone who lives in and visits our space. The greatest compliments I've received about my home are that it makes people feel comfortable and safe, because that's exactly how I imagined Miss Honey's Cottage would be when I dreamed of it as a little girl. Thank you all so much for being here, friends. It's been such a joy to share my home with you in these videos, and I can't wait to keep creating and sharing with you. I'm sending you all a big hug, and I will see you soon.