Rebekah Bashorun Expresses Creativity Through Home Organisation

“Everyone needs therapy for their home, and it isn’t just about having the functionality of a professionally organised home. Wellness includes connecting with yourself and your family. Your home is your first sanctuary, where you feel seen and figure out your place in the world. A home that is well-decorated may not feel like home. Home goes beyond the actual things inside.”

Renowned artist Henri Matisse said, “Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play.”

As a self-described creative, Rebekah Bashorun, owner of Organize For Love, grew up with two parents who were both creative entrepreneurs. With a large family, their home was always loud and colorful.

Though her parents were settled in their respective creative careers, even as a child, Rebekah felt pulled in different directions by her competing interests. “I could feel the lack of balance, so I tried to express my creativity in ways that would make me feel more stable,” said Bashorun.

By the time she was 25, Rebekah had lived in 25 different places with 100 different people. No matter her surroundings, the desire to create creative, orderly spaces for herself was constant.

“My environment was unstable, so it was essential that I learn to create a sense of comfort and security for myself,” said Rebekah.

Along the way she developed her own process– cleaning, removing things that didn’t belong, and personalizing a space– which served her well everywhere she lived.

Having an atypical upbringing made Bashorun curious about why people choose to live the way they do.

“I wondered why our family struggled to declutter. And I wanted to understand how we collectively experience home and assume certain roles and responsibilities within the home. Learning more about how African Americans view home was of particular interest to me. All of these things led me to study gender roles and psychology in college,” Rebekah said.

After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she continued her education by entering a Ph.D. program in clinical/social psychology in 2019. But it wasn’t everything she hoped it would be.

“As much as I wanted a Ph.D., the program was not a good fit for me. Though I was committed to my Ph.D. studies, I had other interests as well. I found myself using the Ph.D. program to research my business (Organize for Love). I realized that I cared more about my new business than I did getting my Ph.D, and I didn’t need a Ph.D. to validate and further my business. I knew I needed to quit the program, but making that decision was hard. Giving up on any dream has always been difficult for me. But, I had to ask myself, ‘Am I more committed to the commitment or to the thing that I am doing?’”

Rebekah left the Ph.D. program to commit herself fully to Organize for Love, her professional organizing business. Organizing had been a constant throughout her life and the idea of turning her passion into a business had been brewing for many years.

In 2018, Rebekah and her best friend were both working in education and brainstorming ways they could supplement their earnings with passive income. Rebekah thought of creating an organization course, and even started writing a curriculum, but the course outline looked more like a business mission statement. Her best friend said, “I think this is way more than a course.”

Bashorun agreed and began mapping out what her professional organizing business could look like. She researched the competition and the market, chose a name, and defined the services she would offer. Then, she decided to test her idea by offering a free organizing package to 15 to 20 people and interviewing them after their projects were finished.

Rebekah launched Organize For Love at the end of 2018. She spent a year investing her time into this new venture and creating a thriving community and business.

Because of her multi-passionate nature, Bashorun admits that it has been hard for her to stay focused on one dream. But professional organizing has been different. Rebekah has found different ways to exercise her creativity, such as video creation and editing, and graphic design. And, because her clients have such different needs, she is able to use and hone different skills in addition to organizing, like decorating and styling.

“If you know you are a creative person and get tired of monotony, you must find outlets for that creativity and find people to be on your team who balance you out,” Rebekah said.

In fact, one type of client that Rebekah enjoys working with most is other creatives. She works with people who have creative professions and professionals who have a creative side hustle or hobby and want their spaces to be creative even if their work is not.

From its beginning, Rebekah wanted Organize For Love to be as unique as she is. “When I first started and saw other organizing businesses, I remember thinking that the organization was beautiful but there was something missing. None of the organized spaces I saw reflected the way I liked to feel when I curated a space. That’s why I was purposeful when creating the Organize For Love brand. I wanted everything to evoke the same warm and inviting feel that I try to include in every space I create.”

Rebekah was also purposeful about building something special for the black community. “When someone sees an organized space, they don’t see color. They just see the organization. But it is good to see a woman of color in the home space.”

And with plans to produce a coffee table book and organizing and wellness products, Organize For Love is certainly setting itself apart in the organizing industry.

Organize For Love’s mission is to offer products and services that feel like therapy for your home.

“Everyone needs therapy for their home, and it isn’t just about having the functionality of a professionally organized home. Wellness includes connecting with yourself and your family. Your home is your first sanctuary, where you feel seen and figure out your place in the world. A home that is well-decorated may not feel like home. Home goes beyond the actual things inside.”

Organizing has proved to be therapeutic in Rebekah’s life– more meaningful than just putting items in the right place. It is the lifeline that kept her grounded when her life was anything but. And now, she uses her experiences and expertise to extend a lifeline to her clients.

Some clients need a lifeline to break generational curses. Others need more time to connect with themselves and their loved ones. But, the one thing they all have in common is a desire for a new sense of home. And, there’s no better person to help them create that than Rebekah Bashorun.