welcome

Hello and welcome to The Journal.

I am thrilled to have you here and cannot wait to share what’s in store for this year and beyond. I wanted to start the Journal to delve into topics I love and to show you what goes on behind the scenes. Instagram is full of beautiful square boxes but that isn’t really how we live…at least, far from how I live! I wanted to create a space to discuss everything from living a more simple life when it comes to ‘things’ and the principle that you don’t have to have a million dollars to create beautiful spaces. I find creativity comes when you least expect it and sometimes that’s the best part.

For those of you that have been following along, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I would not be here if it weren’t for your support. For those of you that are new here, hello and welcome. My name is Lindsey, the creative and curator behind Hilba Studio. As a child, I loved everything creative and hands on. I enjoyed constructing things out of whatever materials I could get my hands on. I once made a pair of high heels out of wood blocks my grandfather cut for me. He was just the best. Some of my favorite memories as a child consist of getting creative with what I had around me.

My younger sister and late grandfather

And then I grew up.

I found a job in the corporate world and felt I was doing well. Something was missing but that’s just what happens when you grow up, right? I continued down the path I was on and then Covid happened. I struggled during that time and maybe I had been struggling for some time before that. Honestly, I’m not sure what happened but a switch was flipped. I had the realization that what I was doing and what I loved doing were nowhere in the same hemisphere. Why did I stop creating? Why did I stop painting? Why did I stop listening to music? There were so many aspects of my life I used to love that simply weren’t present any longer and that needed to change.

I decided to sign up for a ceramics class at our local art institute. The same place I had taken classes as a child during the summer months. I was nervous to get back into the creative realm but knew I needed it badly. For those few hours a week I focused on the task at hand, every other thought or worry just vanished. I’m telling you, if you feel like you’re not doing what you love, drop everything and make time for it. It may just change your life like it did mine.

When finding a name for the shop, I wanted to have a piece of my childhood with me as a reminder to continue doing what I love. I took a piece from my maiden name, representing my young creativity and a piece from my married name, the woman that was strong enough to make a change. I feel as if this was a long time coming, sharing my love for creativeness and all it encompasses.

I knew I wanted the shop to focus on handmade, vintage and antique pieces while incorporating each item into beautiful spaces. I also wanted to create on my own terms, for me that is painting. With these ideas in mind, the three focuses of my shop are objects, artwork and interiors. I will be writing journal posts that cover many topics within these three categories. From how I find one of a kind objects, to my artistic process and living with the less is more ethos. As the reader, if a there’s a topic in mind you would like to hear more about please send a message. I would love to hear what interests you.

So, that’s a bit about me and how Hilba Studio came to be. Thank you so much for being here.

Side note: I absolutely love the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, if you’re local to Kalamazoo I highly recommend looking at their classes.

xxLH