Opening The Door

Sharing this feels a little scary, not because the work isn’t ready, but because letting something be seen often is. Vulnerability can be frightening, but it’s also warm and deeply rewarding when it’s met by good people. I’ve been incredibly lucky to meet many good people along this journey, and their openness has made it feel safer to open up too.

This website has been built slowly, piece by piece, with care, uncertainty, and a lot of learning along the way. A few whole pages have magically deleted themselves, so when I say there were blood, sweat, and tears, that’s not just an expression. Somehow, it’s also all happened very quickly. It’s only been a year, which still feels unreal to say out loud. And even more surprising is that the real formation and curation of emma.in.colour has only been since September which feels even wilder.

For a long time, my work existed in ADHD fragments: a print here, a project there, things shared in passing or left half-finished. Although I’m multidisciplinary, it became clear that I hadn’t yet settled into where my joy really lived. This wasn’t school; I didn’t have to be good at everything to be accepted. I was allowed to choose a favourite, or even a few, and simply enjoy them.

I wanted to create a space where the work could live properly too. Not just a shop, but a home for the work, the process, and the thinking behind it. You might stumble across a lino print and then find a post about my SEND work, but to me, they’re all branches of the same tree.

Building this site has been my first experience designing something like this myself. I’ve learned as I’ve gone, made mistakes, changed my mind, and tried again. It hasn’t been about perfection; it’s been about care and about finding what genuinely speaks to me. I’ve loved creating little graphic scenes to hold my words, making it playful, and of course letting colour lead the way. I’m not “professional” in a boring sense; I’m human, and that’s exactly what I wanted this space to convey.

Over the past year, the projects and communities I’ve worked with and alongside have shaped this more than I realised at the time. They’ve taught me the value of openness, of softness, and of showing up as I am. They’ve also helped me understand what I don’t want, and in doing so, made my own identity clearer.

Although trial and error has always sat well outside my comfort zone, I believe there’s something powerful in letting work be seen as it is. In allowing it to hold the marks that lino doesn’t let you choose. Its changes can be difficult, but they often lead you down unexpected paths. And there’s strength in choosing to keep going, even when things feel tender or uncertain.

Emma.in.colour will always ebb and flow. It will change and grow with me, with my business, and with what the world needs. This website isn’t a finished statement; it’s an opening. A place to begin, to build from, and to keep returning to.

If you’re here reading this, thank you. For your time, your support, and your presence. It means more than I can say.

Everyone is welcome here.