The home edit and a call to action
Home has been on my mind a lot the last few weeks. With the arrival of two precious nephews it's hard not to hop on the next flight and cuddle their little bodies. When I reference home here I'm talking about the childhood house I spent my entire growing up years in. It's a beautiful home tucked away in the forests of Montana where it's not uncommon to see a bear mosey through your yard or a fawn wobble past. It's a place of safety and security- the place I learned to run free and create stories. In that place I came to know myself. Not only was I secure in my home's physical location but in the people who filled our space. I was surrounded by a big, bustling family that tripped over each other constantly and fought over bathrooms more often than not.
It was the people, much more than the place that gave me a certainty of who I was and where I fit. That intense sense of belonging has provided a lifelong tension. Between the mountains calling me home and being sent out to an unfamiliar space in search of new stories. In the security of that home my family created a sensitive, fierce female who not only wanted to see the world but wanted to change it. And at this point in time, the easiest place to do that is in a city. And for me that city is one of the biggest in the world, and also happens to be across the ocean- in London.
When I left home to sail of to college in Seattle I unknowingly packed away that safe space of home for a very long time. I always thought I would brb - be right back - after getting my degree. I had no idea the string of white washed squares that awaited taking the shape of dorm rooms, lofted apartments and European styled flats. Enter Blake Balcom (who's name you might note is now my own). He challenged me to step outside my comfort zone and asked to begin our careers in Seattle. We stayed and as we stayed we became comfortable and the city that felt so foreign slowly transformed into a canvas with such depth of color I couldn't help but stay and play a while.
When the opportunity came to move to London, it wasn't really a question of yes or no but a knowing that we had to go. We had to experience life in someone else's shoes. So now I have a home in Montana, a home in Seattle, and a home in London. Each place with a unique picture of belonging. As I write this and the words role on I'm refreshed to be sharing a tension with friends. To miss and to go. But my intent is to highlight the true gifts gained in journeying down a river you never imagined you'd travel.
And now autumn has arrived in London and with it all the nostalgia of starting up school again, football season and those cliche homecoming dances (yes, they happened; cringe). And with that nostalgia is an urge to turn back inside, literally, to retreat to home and wait out the dark months in peace. Every place I've lived has needed unique elements to evoke that feeling of shelter and belonging but one thing that stays the same across the continents - a place to retreat and a place to welcome in others to live life along side me.
In London this has been particularly challenging as most our belongings are in boxes at my childhood home. Our place is small, not filled with our "things", and [insert all the excuses to not invite others into your home]. But I want to change that. To pack my place to the brim with faces so different from mine; people from cities and towns, spiritual and not, men, women, kids. And make a home for each of them where we sip on too many cups of coffee (or wine) and eat food by candle light. We're planning to pack our place for a friendsgiving here in Clapham and I've never been more excited to host a gathering.
I'm on a mission to find out what qualifies home to you. Do you have one or many? Is it really where your heart is? In a city, suburb or town? What makes your physical house home? Are you a nomad feeling more at home living from a suitcase? Or is a book and cup of coffee enough to elicit a sense of belonging. I'm really interested. Please keep reading to tell me what home is for you.
[insert CTA BUTTON HERE]
I'm setting of on an adventure this winter to begin curating a magazine. Not sure if it will be digital or print- one issue or several. But in a global world, more connected than ever, I want to explore the concept of home- belonging, comfort, and shelter.
If you want to share your skills of story telling, photography, interior design, cooking, or graphic design with me send a note in the comments below or to shannon.m.balcom@gmail.com. I'm looking for people to partner with along the way. An open casting for friends, known and unknown, interested in telling stories about topics that matter.
If you're in London I'm immediately looking for:
Photographers
Graphic designers
Story tellers
Artists of all types
Print house recommendations
If you're in the states with an interested in your home or business being written by yourself or another, send a note to shannon.m.balcom@gmail.com.