29.07.2023
Shaking things up
Our frequent photography trips across Africa typically provide us with the clarity to sense-check that we’re happy with where our lives are heading and to remind ourselves what we want from life. Em and I have more time to talk – hours in the open air, away from screens, and away from routine give us that much needed head space.
When that was taken away from us by Covid, and replaced with more stress, less freedom, and certainly less income, we did what a lot of other people did. We made some big decisions.
In just a few days we’re moving to Kenya. We have a couple of years until school gets a little more exciting, and we felt that if we didn’t do it now, we probably never would.
Our decision has already had a profound effect on our business, Silverless. It has encouraged us to grow, and to structure in a way that is less reliant on any one person. We have been joined by five new colleagues just this year, with each bringing skills, personality, passion and experience that we could have only dreamt of harnessing even a year ago.
We’re better organised, more efficient, more confident, more diverse, more creative and happier than ever, and I’m excited and honoured to work with such amazing people.
Say it quietly, but it feels like things run better when I’m not about.
On a personal level, it has allowed me to get back to what I love – to create – to interpret briefs and to imagine. It has brought back balance to our lives, and reinforced the identity of Silverless.
With just a small time-difference, we’ll work remotely, joining the daily production stand-ups smugly two hours further into our day. The one thing that Covid did for us was set the world up for remote working.
But things haven’t been without stress.
I’ve neglected friendships and family – consumed by the pressure of renovating our house, restructuring our business, arranging the logistics of moving a young family to another continent, and burdened by the costs of doing so.
Hopefully the sacrifices of the last 18 months will reward us with the time and the clarity to rebalance our lives and reconnect with what’s important.
You can follow our Kenyan adventure on our Instagram account here, or just get in touch for a chat. We won’t be busy renovating a house.
