In a recent interview with Vogue magazine, Angelina Jolie opened up about her decade long hiatus from Hollywood, shedding some light on what her life has looked like in the time since we last saw her on the big screen.

The reason for the break?

According to Jolie: “We had a lot of healing to do. We’re still finding our footing,” she said. While the actor didn’t delve too deeply into the nuance behind the statement, it’s pretty obvious that the timing of her break away coincides with the end of her marriage to fellow actor Brad Pitt. 

Jolie said that she feels a “bit down these days,” before revealing: “I don’t feel like I’ve been myself for a decade, in a way. Which I don’t want to get into.” She filed for divorce in 2016, after an alleged physical altercation with Pitt and her children took place on a plane. After that, Jolie took a step back from the limelight.

Speaking to Vogue about her newest project, Atelier Jolie, an environmentally conscious fashion line, she that the new business helped her to heal as she started a new journey and continued her break from Hollywood.

“I think part of this has also been therapeutic for me — to work in a creative space with people you trust and to rediscover yourself. I’m hoping to change many aspects of my life. And this is the forward-facing one,” she said.

Jolie continued, “I’ve met a lot of artisans over the years—very capable, talented people—and I’d like to see them grow.” Her list of collaborators within the atelier includes Justin Smith, a milliner based out of London, South African lacemaker Pierre Fouché, and American artist Duke Riley. Though she says that Atelier Jolie is “not really about fashion.”

What is it about then? “I want a woman to feel safe enough that she can be soft. After I went through something where I was hurt, I had a therapist ask if I would try wearing a flowing garment. Sounds silly, but I assumed that pants and boots projected a ‘tougher’ look, a stronger me. But was I strong enough to be soft? At the time, no. I felt vulnerable. Now I wonder if I don’t know what my style is because I’m still understanding who I am at 48. I guess I’m in transition as a person.”

And she credits the love of her children for the turn away from the “dark” path she found herself taking after her marriage to Pitt ended. “I think, recently, I would’ve gone under in a much darker way had I not wanted to live for them. They’re better than me because you want your children to be. Of course, I’m the mother, and hopefully that safe place for them and that stability. But I’m also the one that they laugh at — and I see them taking over so many different aspects of our family.”