Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine July 2019 | Page 138

easi L iving
easi L iving , owned and
operated by Shirley Osborne,
has become known for its one-
of-a-kind take on showcasing
artisan goods by local artists
that are all handmade and
crafted with locally sourced
materials. On the beautiful
island of Montserrat,
comfortably situated in the
north at Top Hill, St. Peter's,
locals and visitors alike have
come to enjoy a unique store
that has recently celebrated its
first anniversary.
Shirley, former journalist and
now Speaker of the House
of Assembly of Montserrat,
dreamed up her perfect vision
of supporting local artisans
after studying abroad in
both England and the United
States, then returning to her
homeland of Montserrat in
2014. Finding her idea for
this storefront a perfect fit for
aiding in the redevelopment
of the island in the wake
of volcanic eruption, she
wasted no time in setting up
easiLiving to help locals
not only fuel their craft and
Shirley Osborne
creativity, but also make a
living doing what they love. in turn, by providing beautiful
and practical home goods.
In addition to offering a
professional space in which
these artists can market their
crafts and home goods, Shirley
also provides formal training
for artist development. This
grants even more support
in encouraging the artists to
create at the highest level
they can personally attain,
one step at a time. The
training workshop aids in
self-discovery and expression
of innate creativity - teaching
the attendees what they can
bring to the table by helping
them fine tune their skills and
refine their techniques to make
their crafts and handiwork
more marketable, thus more
economically valuable to
them. This not only enriches
the artists, but the consumers Before easiLiving got its start,
Shirley utilized her knowledge
of writing from her journalist
days to produce books, one of
which is Tolerance Is No Virtue.
It focuses on the valuable life
lesson that “similarities draw
us together, and differences
move us forward.” She truly
found a way to incorporate
those values in her life's work
within easiLiving , as her store
not only brings artists together
with their similar position as
makers, but also helps them
to move forward due to their
differences in mediums, styles,
and products by marketing
them as unique, locally
sourced, and beautiful crafts.
The artisan crafts available
through easiLiving range