2 + 2 = 4

Each year as The Lucas Studio approaches its birthday I become very reflective, more so than I would have ever thought when I started my baby business only 4 short years ago.

I find it hard to really quantify how long my business has been awake because I had to hit the snooze button every morning for about 2 years, which anyone in a similar business will understand was a frustration so deep that I fully lost the plot.

In October 2019, I cut the metaphorical powder pink, velvet ribbon on The Lucas Studio with the most magical wedding for Fiona and Simon at Euridge Manor which led to a flurry of enquiries and an exciting wedding diary for 2020. We were about to test the real limits of the Studio (shed in my garden) and show the world what The Lucas Studio was going to be.

Well, none of that happened obviously…

I spent the lockdowns trying to launch a creative floristry company with no portfolio, no access to flowers, no money and no idea when any of that was going to change.

What I did have…

1.     Endless time.

2.     A frustrated creative brain.

3.     A home full of collected treasures.

4.     A garden with some nice bits in.

5.     A patient housemate with a lot of craft tools and paints.

6.     Nothing else to do.

The Last Big Mac by Nemco

14th April 2020

Every morning I wake up and look at The Last Big Mac by Nemco from Jealous Gallery and it serves as a daily memento mori reminding me that life is short, and also that I should probably start a diet. Never has that been more true than during Covid, the fragility of life coupled with the fact there were no McDonald’s open in the UK, inspired me to create a tablescape in honour of Ronald McDonald, something I have ALWAYS wanted to do. Missing his legendary fries terribly, Alex whipped up a wonderful alternative, earning her the title ‘Mcdon-Al,’ to create a show-stopping centrepiece in the absence of any flowers. Everything else was dug out of the studio archives and repainted to achieve the ultimate refined McDonald’s dining experience.

A Tribute to Jackson Pollock

16th April 2020

Hot off the heels of my McDonald’s homage, the next creative project dreamt up and made a reality from the comfort of my back garden, was a tribute to Jackson Pollock and abstract expressionism. I had always wanted to do a party in a plain white room, where everything was white and just flicked with paint. So I experimented by painting some bud vases white, and finding huge amounts of joy by making a neon mess everywhere. If anyone wants to actually do this party let me know!

Addisonia. Colored Illustrations and Popular Description of Plants

18th April 2020

I was on a roll, and a few days later I created a table setting inspired by ‘Addisonia. Colored Illustrations and Popular Descriptions of Plants.’ I’ve collected so many beautiful books, objects and oddities over the years, never knowing what I would do with them but knowing they had a purpose. This time allowed me to take so many things and use them to create different dreams for future weddings and events once it had all blown over.

The truth is, the last 4 years have been nothing like I expected when I dreamt of opening The Lucas Studio, but I wouldn’t change a single second of it. I’ve followed my feet and found myself in 2023, 4 years later, having created magic beyond those early dreams of what it would become. I often say that we are 4, but 2 years don’t really count because we weren’t able to trade, but what I have realised is that a business is so much more than trading and making money. It isn’t a comparative race against the industry or a question of ‘where we should be at 4.’ It is about where we are, and what we have achieved.

2+2=4.

We are 4 today.

Happy Birthday to my baby business, I am very proud of you and of how big and strong you are becoming.

You clever little thing.

You look after so many people and create a safe space for all who work within you.

Here is to the next year of unimagined magic.

I love you very many loads.

Jessica x