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A love letter to the black sheep. You found me. And I found you:

I didn’t mean to start a brand.
I wasn’t trying to “build a business” or become an artist.
I was just trying to find art for my room — but nothing out there felt like me.
So, I started making my own. Even though I didn’t think I was artistic. Even though I didn’t think anyone would care.

Then something weird happened.
People did care.
People started buying it. And not just buying it - connecting with it.
For a while, I was shipping 15 orders a week from my tiny workroom. It was surreal.

But life doesn’t always go easy, does it?
Brexit made shipping a nightmare.
The economy crumbled, and suddenly no one could afford small business art.
Then came personal losses. Failed long-term relationships. Illness. Grief.
I’ve had the worst five years of my life and if I’m honest, some days I’m still crawling through it.

But in all of that, Black Labyrinth never left me. Because you never left me.

There was a point, maybe a year, maybe two - where I had to step away.
Not because I wanted to, but because life forced me to.
Stepping back felt like admitting I’d failed.
Black Labyrinth was my baby. I had poured everything into it, my time, my heart, my money and it still felt like I was losing.
I was terrified that if I left, even for a moment, it would all disappear.
But sometimes, survival means stepping back to catch your breath.
Even when it breaks your heart.
And when I thought it was all over, when I didn’t know if I could come back - you were still here.
Waiting. Rooting for me. Holding the door open.

Through this tiny little art page, I found people who felt like me.
The black sheep. The misfits. The ones who always felt a little out of place.
You’re scattered across the country, some across the world. But you’ve become my people.

I’ve always struggled to make friends.
I’ve always been the “other.”
But through Black Labyrinth, I’ve found people who understand. Who support.
And when life’s been at its worst, this community has been the reason I kept going.

Some of you have been here from the start.
Some of you still message, still like, still share - even when I’ve gone quiet for months.
Some of you have stuck around through every algorithm change, every political post, every breakdown.
And that loyalty? That love? You’ve no idea what it’s meant.

This isn’t a shop.
This is a space.
A space for the ones who don’t fit into neat little boxes.
A space for people who need to feel seen, in the darkness, in the chaos.

Thank you for being here. For keeping me here.
This isn’t the end of Black Labyrinth.
It’s just the next chapter.

We’re not done yet.
Not even close.

- Emily xx
Black Labyrinth