Why Do I Support You, Local Creatives and Communities?

Why I personally support local businesses and like to showcase creative- and community-minded entrepreneurs and community organisations.

Some of my deepest values are connection and sustainability, so supporting local entrepreneurs and building community are very important to me. If you’re here reading this, then my guess is that these values are important to you, too.

Community organisations were where I spent the first 16 years of embodying these values in my professional life. Then I had my son in 2019 and spent two years concentrating on motherhood solely, before creating my blog, Southern Harbour, to showcase creative- and community-minded entrepreneurs, and community organisations, in and around Rockingham.

What is community development? Why is it important?

‘Community development is a holistic approach grounded in principles of empowerment, human rights, inclusion, social justice, self-determination and collective action (Kenny & Connors, 2017).’

—      What is Community Development? (www.aifs.gov.au, sourced 15.11.2023)

I was a pretty lonely child. Definitely a creatively-minded introvert, I spent a vast amount of time reading, and if I wasn’t reading, I was running around barefoot with my brother, exploring the local beaches, shops, bushland, and parks. So, a sweet and good girl, but also a little explorer!

Our mother had an undiagnosed mental illness, so she was often battling her own demons, and back then in the 90s, there just wasn’t the awareness or the community support available to people with mental illness or their children that there is today. I went into foster care at age 12, and stayed there until I moved out of care at 16 and 9 months, which was the earliest I was legally able to. Now, as Marie Forleo says, I have learned to ‘adore my detour’, but I do think life could’ve been a little kinder to me, and I could’ve found my voice a lot earlier, had there been more of a focus on empowering and engaging communities to look after themselves and each other, back then.

Empowering others to have a voice, to do what they love, and to be authentic is the driving force behind my proofreading, editing, and content creation business. And the sense of connectedness I get to other creative- and community-minded entrepreneurs, and to community organisations, from providing them with my proofreading and content creation services and writing my blog , feeds and nourishes me. It’s a win-win cycle, all around.

Why is creativity important to our community?

Creativity is within art, but not just art. It is the well-spring where change and beauty originate from. It gives both to the creator in the process of making, but also to its viewers and receivers. Creativity in conjunction with action, and especially in collaboration with communities has the power to change the world, and in doing so, people change their own worlds, too. And we have some choice over where we allow this energy to flow. I say some because I acknowledge that there is a lot of privilege involved in the ability to make certain choices.

Supporting and showcasing local entrepreneurs and community organisations is how I direct my creative energy into positive change, celebrating the richness of where we live and the people who are part of that, and moving towards a regenerative way of doing business.

What is regenerative business?

Regenerative business is a term that I first heard when listening to the ‘Slowing and Settling Down’ episode of the Raising Wildlings podcast with Meg Berryman.

There are many interpretations of regenerative business, but I think the essence of it is that it can mean what you personally need it to mean. After all, when I Google search ‘regenerative business’, definitions that centralise sustainability — another core value of Southern Harbour proofreading and content creation — abound. The World Economic Forum defines it as such: ‘Regenerative business means promoting the restoration and regeneration of natural resources and social systems.’

So, the definition that resonates with me is that my business restores and nourishes my energy, my sense of fulfilment, my relationships, my finances, it is one within which I can feel ease and relaxation, and contribute in a way that feels natural and exciting. It doesn’t mean that I am never tired. But it does mean that instead of scraping from the bottom of the barrel, I can contribute in a way that fills my cup, as well as yours.

Imagine a business where meditation is a part of your workday, e.g., listening to the incredible Bye Bye, Limiting Beliefs meditations by life and business coach, Amelia Anderson. (Which I am literally just about to do!) Imagine being able to sit around a table, discussing projects that you feel passionate about with like-minded people. (Which I have literally just done, as part of the newly-minted Golden Bay Town Teams Committee.) And imagine being able to quickly answer a potentially-profitable email whilst playing in the park with your child. Imagine being able to log these as your business hours! It’s possible and it’s meaningful and authentic.

And what does it have to do with supporting local creative- and community-minded entrepreneurs and community organisations? For me, it’s about becoming a part of creating this new (but also ancient; think community tribal living) and wonderful way of working. And I invite you to become a part of it, too.