I always return to a simple truth in my own work. Limitations foster creativity. The psychology of limitation is so interesting, don't you think? Have you noticed this in your own work too? We can become so paralyzed from innumerable opportunities - for instance, have you heard of this new term, "Pinterest Depression?". I heard this recently, I think from a friend, and I was like Yes, omg yes! You see so many ideas and you just freeze or feel like a giant loser because Pinterest stuff looks so much prettier than your stuff. Or you try to work on a few of the recipes you've pinned or a craft DIY and they don't turn out nearly as good as what you saw on Pinterest and you feel depressed about it. Or you simply do nothing because there is just so much out there to see and do that you don't know where to begin. This is called the paralysis of too much choice.

Has this ever happened to you... You want to bring a cake to your sister's housewarming party but instead of baking one, you go to the corner bakery and select something from the dozen or so displayed there. Think about it though - if that bakery didn't exist, or you were really broke, you would be forced to bake a cake and who knows, that cake may really inspire you, give you a sense

of pride and accomplishment, taste great and make your sister feel super special. See what I mean? Limitations foster creativity. This leads me to telling you about this nice story of how one Dutch stylist felt limited and instead of getting depressed or heading to a big box store to stock up on something similar, she put her ideas to action and this resulted in a beautiful collection of very special pieces to display at home.

I was so impressed when I saw the work of July Adrichem for the first time because not only is her styling gorgeous but her product line, Second Skin Collection, is quite gorgeous. July graduated as an Interior Stylist at the Artemis Academy Amsterdam and was hired the same year by Piet Boon, where she worked for two years and created several styling products used for national and international projects which included creating themes for mood books and color palettes that would ultimately be applied to styling projects.

July currently works as a freelance product stylist who recently launched the product line that you see throughout this post which was driven by her passion for finding tactile and very unique props that she couldn't quite find which she has named the Second Skin Collection. “As an Interior Stylist I am always looking for that special material, shape and colour combination. When I start with a new product design, I love to combine different materials and try out if that new combination can work. At this moment I’m working on new designs for a ceramic collection. I want to develop a new line, in which the colour is the most important aspect of the design.”

This very exclusive collection began as an experiment last year that was primarily focused on new pieces crafted after old ones like bowls and vases using a plaster-cotton paste to form shapes then treated with a protective coating to prevent damage (though they are only for dry products and not for eating or drinking from). Her experiment grew in popularity and so she began to offer pieces for sale as part of an exclusive collection called Second Skin.

You can follow July's beautiful Instagram stream for more inspiration too. Thank you July for sending me these beautiful photos!

(photography + styling: july adrichem)