Hello! I’m Gemma and I spend a lot of time, well, at home.
When I was a child, I was diagnosed with a (rather serious, unnecessarily dramatic, annoyingly rare) chronic illness. I know what it is like to feel restricted by your physical health. Long story short, it sucks. Over time, you learn to focus on the things you can do, rather than the seemingly endless list of things you cannot. The things I can do involve me, at home, sat on my sofa, existing quietly in a life that revolves around a sort of gentle creativity. My hobbies are varied, yet pretty much wholly housebound: reading, crochet and knitting (yarn crafts!), sewing, baking, making- these are the things that, in spite of my illness, bring me joy.
I think the world can be very loud sometimes. It is easy for us to feel overwhelmed, to struggle, to be pulled into a fast-paced, high-stress lifestyle, without even being given the chance to consider if that is what we truly want. Sometimes it feels as if the world is not designed for the people who want (or need) to take life more slowly, more quietly. In my experience, dealing with a chronic illness makes a world that is already much too loud at the worst of times, feel like a heavy metal concert. Therefore, this blog is for the people like me (maybe even like you!) who, for whatever reason, be that chronic illness or something entirely different, could do with a bit of quietness. People who are learning to embrace the joys of a quiet life. People who are eschewing the hyper-productive, vigorous life that society has grown to expect, in favour of doing what truly makes them their happiest and healthiest self.
So, here at Gemma At Home, we’re embracing the slowness that life can offer and allowing ourselves to find joy in the things that truly make us happy. When I first became ill, I found great comfort in reading blog posts by other creative minds. I hope that one day, this blog will be to someone what all those blogs were to me. A home away from home. I’ll be sharing recipes, makes, bakes, creations, patterns, as well as the occasional observation about life with an ongoing illness (just to keep us humble), all with the intention of spreading the joy that can be found in a quiet, creative life. The joy that can still be found even in the most adverse of circumstances. I hope you will enjoy it.
A final note: I am not a professional blogger, knitter, crocheter or baker (my university education was actually in Latin!). While I have been knitting, crocheting and baking since I was very (very) young, I am entirely new to blogging/writing on a public platform. Please be understanding when I (inevitably) make mistakes in the process!
Gemma
xxx