Photographer and stylist, Emily Quinton, and her tips on slowing down this summer. "If I could have one wish for this Summer it would be for life to slow down a little. This week I am working in Portland, Oregon and if there is one thing that stands out as soon as you arrive here, it’s that it’s ok to go a little slower. That’s not to say that people here don’t work hard, they certainly do but there is a beautiful, calmer vibe that goes with it, which I am breathing in and soaking up in the hope that I can slow down a little for the Summer when I return home.
"When I’m away from home I always plan how to do something differently when I go back home. I’ve always been like this and can remember redesigning my bedroom in my holiday notebooks as a child. As an adult I’ve made plans to be more organized, to take up a new hobby, to exercise more, and the list goes on. But this time, it’s definitely about slowing down for the Summer - while working out how to write my book and look after four children during the school holidays - so this isn’t a ‘take a long break’ kind of slowing down but a more of a realistic goal of slowing down a little bit each day. It’s about allowing myself time to go slowly each day, whether that is for five minutes or for a couple of hours.
"Making time to sit down with a favourite magazine, to potter in the garden in the early evening, to go for a walk when I don’t have anywhere to rush to, to share a meal with friends, to play a game with my children, to make things, to bake a cake, to watch a film, to write a letter, and sometimes to just simply potter, are all things I plan to do this Summer. And, most importantly, I want to do these things at a slow pace, embracing being in the moment and not while simultaneously trying to tweet, Instagram and answer five emails. I want to create moments of slowness every day. To make time to be in the moment and to slow down time. To breathe, to stop and look around, to stretch, to feel free, alive and calm.
"The Summer feels like the perfect time to build moments of slowness into my every day in the hope I can carry it on into the Autumn and beyond. I hope this inspires you to slow down a little too."
Emily Quinton is a photographer, maker, blogger and mother of four. Find out about all her activities on her blog, Makelight. For The Simple Things this month, she shot the jug of hybrid tea roses on page 83 of the July issue.