From Java with Love - February 2026
3 things I'm thinking, 3 things I'm doing and what's coming up. One year sober and what not to rewatch.
Hi.
Good god, February has been gruelling.
BUT, this week marks my first year sober. I have now experienced each season, across the twelve months, and all the associations that go with them, and I know I can do it again. It’s been an exorcism of sorts, letting go of something I loved and enjoyed but was ultimately destroying my body and mind.
For I was the person you could rely on to always be ready with the bottle of wine, the hair of the dog, the perfect cocktail for the time of year/meal/colour of your shirt. And now I’m not, and my life is different, but lovely.
Stopping can be lonely at times, but never as lonely as knowing you need to stop but feeling trapped in the habit. There is no one way of doing it, if it’s something you know you want to do, you can find your own way: AA, sober communities, sobriety self help books, podcasts, whatever it is, it’s out there waiting for you.
So here’s what I’ve been thinking, doing and what’s coming up. I’m caffeinated and there’s clearly some planetary action going on, so be ready for a rant.
3 Things I’m Thinking:
I have a new clarity on who’s opinions I give two figs about. I already find life pretty absurd most of the time, but it gets even funnier (in the best way possible) when you get clear on whose opinions truly matter. And spoiler, when you really break it down, it’s not many people.
Enough with the internet’s obsession with hacks! I’ve never liked the word and the definition irritates me (a clever tip/shortcut (a “life hack”)). Yes to tips! No to an obsession with shortcuts! It feels so connected to the consumer mentality of: buy this one thing and it will solve your life instantly. Do this one thing and solve all your problems forever.
Surely the process of discovery is where all the good stuff is? How will you ever have anything interesting to think or say about any given area, if you don’t allow yourself the time and space to actually spend some time thinking, assessing and just DOING it. What are we all trying to create all these shortcuts for? To free up more time to…what? Scroll?
Enjoy the process. It’s the whole god damn point.
It is hard to engage in art when the world around you shows you that there are no consequences. How stories work: the higher the stakes, the more invested we are, the more we care. But if we see all the worst things happening around us and no repercussions, how do we ever invest in a story in a book, a painting, a photograph?
When the actions we see playing out across the world (genocide, murder, corruption, abuse, racism, pedophilia) are the most extreme possible crimes against humanity, and NOTHING HAPPENS, it tells us that nothing really matters. It is a terrifying numbing of the senses, a route to cynicism designed to stop us caring.
But I do care, and I want to care and I will continue to care. And I will continue to create art and consume art and invest in the details of my tiny, vast life and those of the people I love.
3 Things I’m Doing:
Dancing in my studio to this playlist.
Swearing at the weather but filling the windowsill with spring bulbs. The North is fighting a brave fight against this endless winter.
Watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy again. Ugh don’t do it. So much earnest talking, so many battle scenes. But what I WOULD recommend: Horrible Histories on BBC IPlayer. Educational and hilarious, definitely not just for seven year olds.
3 Things Coming Up:
Tell the Story of Your Home - guided. It begins on March 15th, and this time I’m guding you through it.
Feeling creatively stuck? It will help you get unstuck.
Feeling home decor paralysis? It’ll get you moving.
Feeling bored of your environment? This will lift the apathy.
Tell the Story of Your Home is an investment in your space, your creative approach and your life.
It is a six week process, with the workbook, audiobook and three, 45 minute 1:1 consultations, giving you a sustainable method for finding your voice, style and self expression in your home and beyond.
No hacks, just creative transformation with tangible, profound results.
It worked for me, so I wrote it for you.
‘Highly recommend this for anyone who feels even a little lost when it comes to home styling, anyone who loves to gather, or anyone who is looking for a change in their current spaces.’ Heather B.
April Studio Workshops! There are TWO pairs of tickets (one ticket covers one child and one grown up) remaining for the children and their grownups Kitchen Table Creativity workshop on Sunday 26th April. Come for a morning at my studio and then an afternoon in Hebden Bridge. It’s Spring, the flowers will be blooming, the buskers will be crooning and the geese will be chasing!
‘You create magical experiences and it exceeded my expectations, as I didn’t know what to expect but it was lovely.’ Lainey
The Styling a Scene workshop and the adults Kitchen Table Creativity workshops are SOLD OUT. Next workshops will be Autumn/Winter, so make sure you’re signed up here to find out dates as soon as they drop.
Next week I start work on my new collection of originals and prints. It’s going to require a lot of coffee, Run-DMC and procrastination voicenotes to friends.
Ok, I’m off! The caffeine is wearing off and I need to make supper for the kids.
Love Java x
The rant about hacks - yes! I so agree...something so smug and irritating about people telling you things you'd kind of like to find out for yourself and probably would if they weren't banging on about it. Can't believe it's a year! you've done brilliantly. So happy for you.
Congratulations on your first full year of sobriety! I'm beginning Year 5, and what I can attest to is that what Clare Pooley (The Sober Diaries) said to me is absolutely true: "It just keeps getting better and better...." 💜