It’s the final day of 2025, and I’ve come onto my website to do something that’s been quietly brewing for a while………to take most of it down. Writing this post is part of that process. It’s a way to mark the end of a chapter intentionally, to acknowledge what has been, and to give myself a sense of closure as the year draws to a close.
A few months ago, I added a notice to my booking page saying that Attic Batik was closed for the foreseeable future. I’d been feeling burned out from my business and no longer getting the fulfilment I once did. Over the past months, I’ve spent time reflecting on whether batik still has a place in my life, creatively, professionally, and personally.
Part of this decision is practical. After much reflection, I’ve realised that stepping back from teaching and running a business is the right choice for me at this time. But beyond that, something more fundamental had shifted. Despite teaching batik for the past seven years, I’ve increasingly felt less drawn to practise it in my own time. When I’ve created work for exhibitions in recent years, I found the process hasn’t sparked quite the same joy in me as before.
Earlier this year, I wrote about how batik still felt meaningful to me as a metaphor and a teacher, and that remains true. But meaning alone hasn’t been enough to sustain the way I’ve been working with it.
I don’t see this as a rejection of batik itself. I’ve spent many years genuinely loving the medium and its process, and it’s been a delight to teach it to others and to see their joy of discovering it. But I had reached a point where I felt I was creating out of obligation to keep a business visible, to meet expectations, and to maintain an identity and brand, rather than from creating from a place of personal motivation or genuine curiosity anymore.
Being a creative person still very much shapes how I see and engage with the world, but right now it feels freeing to create some space for new interests, new ways of working, and not knowing exactly what will come next. I don’t see this moment as a crisis or a failure. I see it as progress and a willingness to let go of what no longer fits well, and to trust that something else will emerge in time.
So, as of today 31/12/2025, I’m removing the main content of this website and the options to book a workshop. I’ve chosen to leave this blog section online, along with my Instagram and Facebook accounts, as a record of my work and the classes taught because others have told me they enjoy revisiting it and find value in it.
Attic Batik has been a significant and meaningful chapter in my life. I’ve met wonderful people, enjoyed getting to know students and their abilities and their stories, and surprised myself by doing things I once thought I couldn’t, like teaching groups, giving talks, and serving as Area Rep for the North of England membership of the International Batik Guild. I’ve valued the fellowship and connection that came with all of that.
Now as 2025 draws to a close it feels like the perfect time to open the doors for new experiences to come in whilst being thankful for what has been.
Thank you to everyone who has supported my work over the years, attended workshops & talks, exhibitions, shared kind words, or simply followed along. I wish you all the very best for 2026 and beyond.
With gratitude,
Sue x