Important stuff for a small business. Time also to find little nuggets of joy in your day.

First up, we booked in a little time with Business Adviser Roger Williams from Intelligent Linking, based at Ascend, a new co-working space in Medway. He is a deep pocket of knowledge and inspiration. Spending an afternoon with Roger was a good step to punching though the grey and letting in the sunshine. He asked us “Why does FrancisKnight exist?” It’s a good question and one we answered in a flurry of post it notes. Roger really made us think about who we are and what we offer. He helped inject some positivity into our business thinking and actions.

Sometimes a relaxed conversation can bring out the best in what we do. We were delighted to be contacted by artist, author and well-being coach Lou Hamilton to join her on the Brave New Girls podcast, which was released this week. Co Founder and Director, Louise Francis, shared an insight into how we give artists the opportunity to respond to, make work for and celebrate our public spaces. She talked about the important role that artists play in weaving their work into the fabric of our public lives to improve our sense of place and our connection with it.

Lou Hamilton also asked, “What wellbeing & eco-friendly strategies do you put in place?” Here, Louise expands on her daily rituals and comforts:

“I’ve recently moved to the Kent coast, and I love living by the sea. My day either starts or ends with yoga and I’ve been a member of Yoga and Well-being Centre for almost a year now. Last year was tough in so many ways, not least because my lovely dad passed away at the beginning of March. Yoga has kept me grounded and helped me fly! Aerial yoga is a new class I’m thoroughly enjoying, in fact being upside down is a great stress relief and gives me new perspectives, quite literally. It’s a practice I absolutely love.

My walk to work, now includes a daily walk up the garden path to a new cabin office but I also walk at lunchtime and embrace an evening walk along the seafront. It can be dark, bracing and windy at this time of year. Those brisk days with sunshine are an utter joy, subtle colour changes in the mist are sublime and being close to water is the best form of calm.

My cat ‘Star’ is my constant companion, a spirit animal that never leaves my side. She works with me and is great at routine, telling when to stop for lunch and cups of tea. A gentle tap on the face tells me it’s time to finish work.”

February and a hint of Spring are almost here……🌷