I can't explain the feeling I had when I walked into Xavina's shop. I was on the main street of a small village in France. I'm not sure what we were doing that day, but you can be sure we were fumbling our way though; discovering something, but only a faint idea of what that was, and still in awe of the journey it took to get there.

This day was another cause for awe. It was the fact that we only stopped in by chance, and I only mentioned my search for handmade lampshades in passing.

As it turned out, in this small village in the countryside, I met a woman who made lampshades and was willing to create something with me. And for her, it is a labor of love.

I mentioned that we were discovering something. Many come to France and discover a different way of life. A different pace and a different value system which places a high priority on relationships and connection. What we experienced on our journey was much more than a distant observation. It was an invitation into the hearts of the people we witnessed this from.

Over the next few weeks Xavina and I exchanged emails back and forth and I met her again in her studio. Wanting to respect her time and energy, I asked her about minimums and stripped back the design for the sake of ease. She had the complete opposite approach and showed me colors, fabrics, pleating styles. One shade in her store she had pleated at the Chanel studio in Paris. "Anything is possible", she said, "and I can make you as little as one". That's when I realized her motivation was different. It was clearly love.

Something about it resonates so deeply in me, and maybe you too.   Aligning time, energy, and resources towards making something by hand that brings joy in the process, and meeting others who are happy to purchase because it brings joy to them as well. If you don't love what you are making or doing, it's hard to sustain the energy to do it and the quality of the outcome over a long period of time. I knew this as I met with Xavina, which is why I asked her, "Why do you do it?"

"For love" she said. She explained how she used to work in the fashion industry in Paris. But when she met her husband, who lived in this small little village in Normandy, she decided to move where he was. He owns an antique shop in town. He would find these beautiful antique lamp bases, but "They were so sad." she said. "None of them had shades!" That's when she took on the year long intensive training to learn how to make lampshades. And sure enough, all the lamp bases in their shop have shades now.. ❤️

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