We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Annette Ridge . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Annette below.
Annette , so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
My optimism was born in the dark. Not the quiet kind of dark, but the kind that presses against your skin and makes you question your place in the world. I know what the bottom looks like, the kind of low where you stop pretending and start surviving. The kind where every voice around you tells you what you’re not, while your own voice is fighting just to be heard.
So when I finally decided I was done surviving and ready to start living, something shifted. It was small at first, a flicker, a breath, a whisper of possibility, but it grew. And once you’ve seen yourself rise from a place that deep, everything after that feels different. Every challenge feels softer. Every step forward feels like a victory. Even the setbacks lose some of their weight.
Life moves in cycles , good days, hard days, quiet days, days full of fire. Instead of resisting the waves, I learned to ride them. Each rise and fall became part of the story, part of the rhythm. And somewhere in those cycles, I learned to find the good tucked inside the hard moments. A lesson. A shift. A spark.
Creative wellness became the place where that spark turned into something steady.
Sewing, painting, crafting, anything that allowed my hands to move while my mind softened, became my grounding. Those moments gave me space to relax, to reflect, to remember who I used to be. And more importantly, they helped me imagine where I could go.
Every stitch taught me patience.
Every brushstroke reminded me of possibility.
Every creative moment became a doorway back to myself.
So my optimism doesn’t come from having a perfect life, It comes from knowing that no matter how dark things get, there is always a way to create light. I’ve done it before. I know how. And I carry that truth with me everywhere I go.
My optimism comes from rising, from knowing the bottom, and choosing, every single day, to look toward what’s next.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am Annette…the creative heartbeat behind Patchwork Farm and Patchwork Hues, two visions that will soon grow into places where artistry, storytelling, and wellness meet in the most soul-nourishing way. I’ve always believed that creativity is more than a talent; it’s a doorway. And everything I create lives in that doorway between expression and transformation.
For me, it begins with the hands.
Hands stitching a story.
Hands painting a feeling.
Hands shaping something meaningful from scraps, memories, and imagination.
My “story clothes” are made from that place where emotion becomes fabric and fabric becomes voice. And one day soon, these pieces will live alongside creative wellness retreats in nature, designed to help women remember what joy once felt like before the world told them to grow up and stop imagining. I want them to feel the sun on their skin, the quiet hum of nature around them, and the safety to reconnect with their inner child’s wonder.
What excites me most is helping people slow down.To breathe deeper.To notice themselves again.
Creativity has a way of doing that, inviting you to soften, to listen, to see the beauty in your own story. Whether through sewing, painting, or crafting, I will guide women to explore their emotions, find clarity, and rediscover the joy that’s been waiting beneath the noise. Every experience will be hands-on, heart-first, and rooted in presence. Nature will hold the space; creativity will open it.
As I look ahead, my focus is on bringing Patchwork Hues to life and shaping Patchwork Farm into a sanctuary where community, art, and storytelling intertwine. My philosophy is simple: “I Wear My Joy.” And everything I build from retreats to garments to creative spaces will reflect that truth. It will be about celebrating the light, honoring the shadows, and embracing the endless possibilities stitched into every new beginning.
My work isn’t just about art.
It’s about transformation.
It’s about presence.
It’s about connection to yourself, to your story, to your joy.
Whether someone is picking up a brush for the first time or stepping into a retreat surrounded by trees and silence, the intention will always be the same:
To leave feeling inspired.
To leave feeling empowered.
To leave wearing their joy.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
When I look back, I can recognize three qualities that changed everything. They grounded me, guided me, and held me steady but fierce, anchoring me out of survival mode and into a life that finally felt like my own.
1. Sitting Still
In the beginning, the hardest thing for me to do was nothing. Sitting still felt foreign. But when I finally stopped moving, the world’s noise got louder, the rules, the expectations, all the versions of me that weren’t truly me. And then, quietly, it began to fade.
In that stillness, I heard myself again.
I learned to peel back the layers of who I’d been told to be and reach for the woman I actually was. Those quiet moments became a doorway, one where creativity, intuition, and courage began to breathe again.
2. Building Confidence
Confidence didn’t arrive in a flash; it arrived in pieces. A realization here. A small win there. A moment when I whispered, “There is nothing wrong with me,” and actually believed it.
I stopped trying to shrink myself to fit someone else’s blueprint.
I stopped chasing worthiness in titles, degrees, or the approval of people who couldn’t see me.
Brick by brick, I rebuilt belief in myself. And with every brick, I stood a little taller.
3. Mastery Through Repetition
And then came mastery, not the kind built on perfection, but on persistence.
I learned to follow what I was passionate about, even when it felt messy, unfamiliar, or uncertain. I let myself try, fail, try again, fail better. Over time, those repetitions shaped me. They turned hesitation into skill, and skill into confidence.
Success stopped being a destination and became a definition, MY DEFINITION!
And the moment I owned that, success became inevitable.
My Advice:
Rebel!!!
Not for chaos, but for truth.
Rebel until you stumble straight into yourself. And when you find that spark, nurture it like your life depends on it, because it does. Your inner compass is already pointing the way. Give yourself permission to listen, to experiment, to fall forward, and to rise into the person you were always meant to be.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes! I’m looking to collaborate with dreamers, makers, and bold creators who love storytelling, wellness, and the magic of authentic expression. If you believe in the power of creativity to spark joy, awaken curiosity, and reconnect people with their inner child, we’re already on the same wavelength.
I imagine us co-creating experiences, art, or projects that make joy tangible, from immersive retreats in nature to wearable stories that carry meaning and emotion. The kind of collaboration that leaves people smiling, inspired, and seeing the world a little differently.
If this resonates with you, let’s connect! Reach me on Instagram @ PatchworkHues
Or by email [email protected]
and let’s make something that feels bold, joyful, and full of magic ✨
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Sharetha Cooper, Patty Barham, Annette Ridge
