The emporium of possibilities

Published: Oct 12, 2020
By: Loretta Milan

In my childhood town, there was a magical shop that was overflowing with wonderful things. I used to love browsing up and down the shelves at the paints, canvases, stickers and stationery, imagining what I could create. It felt like an emporium of possibilities. 

I loved having hot chocolate and fruit cake with a thick layer of icing in the store’s cosy café before walking home with a brown bag filled with creative things. I’d unpack it as soon as I got home and lay out a canvas, pieces of card and all the other bits and bobs before me, my imagination overflowing with ideas.

At that age, I was never limited by fears that I could not do something. I would simply open my tubes of acrylics one by one and let my imagination play. I’d paint owls fluttering in the moonlight, hares bounding through fields and abstract delights. If my creations didn’t go right, I’d rework the layers or wash over them with a white coat and start again. 

A blank page is not to be feared. See it instead as a possibility.

Touch your pen to the surface and create something. Anything. It doesn’t need to be brilliant, right or what you first imagined but, it can be the start of something.

When you have words on a page, you can build upon them. You can make them sing.  

Creating new possibilities together

Recently, writers all around the world joined us for our very first #100Words challenge and it was a wonderful opportunity to embrace the possibilities of blank pages and spur each other on to write. Following on from its success, I’m delighted to let you know that:

• From January, we’re going to be running a free #100Words writing challenge every month so we can continue turning words into magic. 
• Each challenge will last 10 days and will include a virtual writing retreat which you can join live or at a time to suit you.
• There’ll be opportunities to join in word sprints each day.
• We’ll share writing tips, wisdom and writing prompts throughout the challenge to keep you inspired. 
• We’re also going to be running another #100Words writing competition in November with free entry for all and prizes to be won!

A little gift for you…

Today, I’m excited to let you be the first to know that we’ve created a beautiful stationery range to inspire your writing. Please do take a peek here!

As a special gift for all our readers, we’re offering a 10% discount on all pre-orders if you spend over £40 (or the equivalent in your local currency) on items in the collection up until 25th November. Simply enter the code ‘LIGHTBOX10’ when you check out.

The collection began as a sketch on a blank page a few months ago in my garden, began with a belief in the possibilities every new page can create. The greatest honour would be for our creations to inspire yours.

Your words and the stories inside you are important. Something you create today could change someone’s life tomorrow.

Words brighten our world. Imagination is magic.