Today’s Home/Work blog is a bit different as I am revisiting Jo, who has a new workspace in her garden – the Oil Shack. Jo runs a holistic therapy business from home called Oils By Jo, for which she uses DoTERRA essential oils. You may remember I featured Jo’s office and treatment room in her lovely light and calming home in June last year, so it was great to see how her setup had changed. You can see her previous workspace here: https://www.jaynelloyd.co.uk/blog/2016/07/home-work-project-jos-home-office-and-treatment-room.
I asked Jo a few follow-up questions to find out a bit more about her new workspace:
What made you decide to build a new workspace at your home, rather than continuing with your existing setup, or taking on space away from home?
The reason I wanted my outdoor space was because I was having many clients coming to me with huge health issues and they all seem to get very emotional during the process so I wanted them to relax in a professional but caring atmosphere. I wanted a relaxed, honest and comfortable area for every client to relax in.
I have a few crystals in certain areas that allow people to talk without judgement and in other areas such as the massage area to relax. There is a salt lamp to help with calm and relax too. It is a no shoe environment to enhance the grounding feeling.
What do you like best about from home, but outside of the house?
I love working from home as it all seems like 1 big unit being with the family and working with more clients because of the flexibility. I can pop out to the shack on a Saturday or a Sunday if a clients wishes to talk.
Are there any difficulties?
There are no difficulties apart from not enough hours in the day to help everyone!
What is your favourite feature of your workspace?
My favourite feature has to be sitting up to the long table sharing the oils with people, I’m so happy with all of the amazing results I am having and changing people’s lives drastically.
To find out more about Jo’s work visit www.oilsbyjo.co.uk or follow her on Facebook: facebook.com/oilsbyjo, Twitter: twitter.com/oilsbyjo or Instagram: www.instagram.com/oilsbyjo/
Home/Work is my current project documenting people who work from home. ‘Home’ is a recurring theme in my work – I am fascinated by our interactions with objects and spaces, particularly our homes, and with the number of home workers on the increase I thought this would be fascinating to investigate.
According to the Office for National Statistics, “There were 4.2 million home workers in January-March 2014, or 13.9% of those in work. This was the highest rate of home working since comparable records began in 1998.” Visit www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lmac/characteristics-of-home-workers/2014/sty-home-workers.html for further information on these statistics.
I am hoping to photograph the workspaces of lots of different people, working in a wide range of industries, but all of whom work from their home or within the grounds of their home. I am interested in how people create these workspaces and how the lines between home and work are defined or blurred. If you work from home and are interested in participating in the project please get in touch!