In 2021, while the COVID pandemic was still in full effect, I moved my work office into my home.
At first, I thought I was simply adjusting to a new way of working.
But slowly, without even realizing it, it became my entire life.
I would work from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. — sometimes later.
There were nights I would fall asleep in the chair inside my office, wake up, shower, and start all over again.
It became a cycle.
A pattern.
And eventually, it started taking a toll on me in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time.
Mentally, I was exhausted.
My focus was off.
My creativity — the very thing that had always come naturally to me — started to feel forced.
I felt stuck.
Drained.
Disconnected from myself.
And deep down, I knew I couldn’t continue living that way for much longer.
One day, I heard someone say:
“You must protect your mental and physical health, your peace, your creativity, and your time. You can’t put a price tag on those things.”
That stayed with me.
Because internally, I already knew I was being pushed toward making some difficult choices.
I realized my peace had become more valuable than familiarity.
So I shifted.
I stepped away from what was comfortable and entered unfamiliar territory.
It wasn’t easy.
I isolated myself from family and friends for a season because I needed clarity.
I became closer to God.
I prayed constantly for answers, for direction, and for peace.
The world was changing so quickly, and honestly, I knew deep down that life would never fully return to what it once was.
And somewhere in all that silence, I started asking myself deeper questions.
Who am I becoming?
What do I want now?
What does this next chapter of my life look like?
As I entered a new age bracket, I became more aware of time.
I felt urgency — not panic, but purpose.
Like it was finally time to stop delaying the things I was truly called to create.
Ironically, it was in silence that I finally began to see myself clearly.
I started seeing the world differently too.
And although this new version of me came with sacrifice, I realized I actually liked who I was becoming.
But it came at a cost.
I walked away from certain things to protect my peace.
To protect my creativity.
To live life on my own terms.
And honestly?
Who says you can only be one thing?
I’m proof that you don’t have to place yourself inside one box.
That realization is exactly how House of LaDore was born.
House of LaDore became a reflection of all the things I carry creatively.
Some days that looks like art.
Some days it’s storytelling.
Some days it’s interiors, design, reflection, writing, or visual expression.
I’ve learned to stop fighting the way God created me.
Now I create from alignment instead of pressure.
And for the first time in a long time…
That feels like peace.
— Dorthy Huddleston
