Entries from: February 2010
Loving our Rooms, an Interview with Lisa Baldwin
February 27th, 2010, Comments (5)
To close out the month of home for the Creative Every Day Challenge, I'm so thrilled to be able to share this interview with the super smart, funny, and lovely Lisa Baldwin of Zen at Play. Check out her awesome clutter-clearing advice below and her super cool Love that Room e-course!
1. Please introduce yourself:
Hi! I'm Lisa, and I help people make space for their awesomeness.
2. What led you into the work of helping people with their clutter?
I got interested in clutter because I had a lot of it. As I cleared, I noticed unexpected benefits that went way beyond just having a tidier house - it can be a journey of discovery and an act of self-care, and creating a less crowded environment makes way for better things. It didn't seem right to keep all that a secret, so I set about finding ways to teach others and that became my work.
3. I used to use the excuse that I'm artist as a reason for my messiness. Do you think there's a correlation between creativity and a messy house?
Ooh, the answer to this question could be a whole post. So many layers! So many angles!
Active mess is a side-effect of living and is a part of the creative process. If you've got a creative, busy mind, then that can certainly result in something that looks a lot like mess. In that sense, I do think there's a correlation between mess and creativity.
At the same time, there's a difference between that active, creative, happy mess and the passive, stagnant, stuckifying kind of mess that is clutter. (Clutter isn't necessarily messy, by the way, but that's a different question. See? Layers! Angles!) That kind of stuff hinders creativity by sucking up your energy and attention, so there's a relationship there, but not a happy one.
The trick is to determine the level of mess that feels good to your creative self, and then set up helpful systems and habits that support you in maintaining that. If your way of being tends to create mess, then run with it - just be sure to keep that mess fresh by letting go of that which no longer serves you.
Did I answer your question? I answered something, that's for sure. I really need to write a post about this.
4. The theme this month at Creative Every Day is home. Do you have any tips for bringing more creativity into your home?
Create space for what you love. Hold it high. That's all.
5. What's one small, simple thing we could try at home to enjoy our space more?
Recognise your treasures, then love them up. Some things you own light up your life with their beauty, meaning or usefulness. Other things just sit around taking up space and blocking your view of the good stuff. Once you know what your treasures are, treat them as such - put them where you can see them, take care of them, appreciate them - and create more space for them by letting go of the other stuff.
6. I love the name of your online course, "love that room." Could you talk a bit about what the class involves?
Love That Room is a clutter-clearing adventure where we focus on loving up just one room. (You know, that room.) It starts with seeing - really seeing - the space, then gently letting go of the stuff that no longer serves us. There's private blog where course-doers can download exercises, support each other, ask questions, celebrate wins and check in for gentle accountability. It's definitely not a scary bootcamp course - it's all about mindful interaction with your self and your stuff, so it's pretty special. I just opened up registrations for the next offering (starting March 22) and you can take a peek here.
7. Do you think focusing on clearing clutter in one room at a time is the way to go? And how do you deal with clutter overwhelm?
I like to focus on one room at a time because I like to set up a series of small, easy wins. Clutter can be so overwhelming when you look at it all at once, because we tend to think of it all as one big thing - The Clutter! [cue ominous music]. But it's not a big thing - it's a gathering of many little things, and little things we can handle.
8. Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Just that I'm so happy that you invited me to hang out on your lovely blog with your lovely people. Thank you! *waves to Leah's lovely people*
9. Where can people find you?
I have the beginnings of a blog over at ZenAtPlay.com and there's a newsletter there too. I'm an enthusiastic Twitterer - @zenatplay. (Let it be noted that I don't often talk about clutter on Twitter - I'm more likely to do magic tricks and show off my Wonder Woman underwear. Just so you know.)
**
Thank you so much, Lisa for sharing your awesomeness!!
Coming Home to Yourself
February 26th, 2010, Comments (15)
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Chairs in a Row, mixed-media on panel, available here.
As we move swiftly towards the end of the month of home at the Creative Every Day Challenge, I notice that I've been thinking about and working on feeling at home with myself quite a bit.
Part of my working on this has involved regular movement. I mentioned last month that in the past, I was super strict and harsh with myself around exercise and food. I realized recently that my movement practice has very little to do with how I look and is now all about how I feel. What a difference that makes! I started out the winter with a practice of at least 20 minutes of movement 3 days a week. As the winter went on, I realized that to keep my mood up, I really needed more than that, so I stepped it up to 4 or 5 days a week. Much better.
And I've found as I stay more in touch with what helps me feel good, I feel so much more in touch with my body and my whole self. I feel like a work in progress (I suppose we are always a work in progress), but I like the connection I've been developing and this returning to myself.
Making art is another way I connect with those deeper parts of myself that are not always right on the surface of things. Creating art intuitively, helps me to get in touch with the ideas and feelings that may not have words yet. Along those lines, I'm excited to be teaching a workshop about creating art from the heart in Mindy's Wish*full virtual art retreat this spring!
How do you move towards feeling at home with yourself? What are the things you do that lead to feeling this way? How can you bring more of those things into your life?
Some of the things that help me re-connect are:
- * Creating art intuitively, just letting it flow out.
- * Getting regular movement.
- * Returning to the present moment.
- * Laughter.
- * Being in nature.
- * Taking a look at what I'm avoiding/procrastinating about and making a step forward. (Recently, that meant making a dentist appointment after a 2 year hiatus. Super scary to make the appointment, but it was totally fine and I had no cavities! Phew!)
- * Writing in a stream of consciousness style (Morning pages style as suggested in The Artist's Way.)
- * Getting support from friends and loved ones.
I'm curious about how you come home to yourself, so feel free to share in the comments!
I'm going to be out of town next week, but the check-in post will be there on Monday as usual and I've lined up some fabulous guest posts to keep you thinking about March's theme of Stories! Wishing you all a fabulously creative week!
Creative Every Day Theme for March: Stories
February 23rd, 2010, Comments (24)
At the end of each month I will announce the totally optional theme for the following month. March 2010's theme will be: Stories.
As always, the themes for the Creative Every Day Challenge are totally optional. Use it if it sparks you, continue being creative every day in your own way if it doesn't, or do something in between.
I'm thinking of this theme in terms of telling stories, making art about our favorite stories, and examining the stories we tell ourselves. There are endless ways you can play with the theme and I'm open to any interpretation.
I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month on the blog to help keep you inspired. You can use the posts here for jumping off points or interpret the theme in your own creative way. If you need some suggestions, here are a few ideas to get you started. You could:
- *Tell a story in a piece of art
- *Illustrate your favorite story.
- *Write a story of your own.
- *Take a look at the old stories you tell yourself and make new ones.
- *Make story books.
- *Read stories out loud to your loved ones.
- *Tell a story through dance.
- *Re-imagine an old story and empower the characters to create better endings.
- *Create a comic-strip.
How to use the CED themes:
If you're feeling creatively stuck or blocked at any point during the month, use the theme as a source of inspiration to get you moving. Feel free to focus on the theme in your creative activities for the entire month or as much as you'd like.
Using the theme is entirely optional for CED participants. Use it if it inspires you, ignore it if it doesn't. I'll be sharing posts throughout the month around the theme (among other things) to get you thinking about how to incorporate it into your life. I'd love to hear how you use the theme in your creative world.
And have fun with it!
p.s. The art I adapted for this post is from my mixed-media piece titled, Storyteller.
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. ~Maya Angelou
Creative Every Day Check-In: February 22 – 28
February 22nd, 2010, Comments (12)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 2/22/10 - 2/28/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for February is Home. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with it here.
Happy Creating!
Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration. ~Charles Dickens
Featuring Fabulous Creative Every Day Participants
February 19th, 2010, Comments (15)
There is so much beautiful creating happening amongst the amazing Creative Every Day Challenge participants. You are all SO inspiring! Here's just a little taste of what's been created this month to go along with the home theme.
Sheree of Raven Moon Magic created this super cool outdoor kitchen for her daughter. The pictures brought back so many memories of making "food" with sand and sticks. So fun!
Sandy Coleman of Creations by Coleman created this mixed-media piece, Safe at Home, reflecting on how "home feels like an embrace." Yes, love that.
Salomé of The Sassy Cow used a photoshop tutorial to create this super cool piece. I feel at home in jeans too!
Pat of PAssionarT (I saw this piece in the CED flickr group) created this beautiful mixed media piece. Love the colors!
Eliza of Art Asana wrote a beautiful reflection on home and how she wove it into her yoga class here. She also created this beautiful art piece. Lovely!
Sara of The Painterly Hummingbird created this super sweet embroidery of her grandparents' house. I love how she's framed it like a polaroid!
As always, I could go on and on with these posts. There is so much amazing work to be seen and words to be read. Thank you all for sharing your beautiful selves. I hope you're inspired too!
Nesting
February 17th, 2010, Comments (17)
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The home theme had me thinking about nesting and then little birds, which led to some little birdy sketches. This first one I added some color to with photoshop. The second, I think would make a super cute sticker.
I hope you're all feeling cozy in your nests this week. We just got whopped by another winter storm, which has me wanting to curl up in blankets and drink cocoa til spring!
Creative Every Day Check-In: February 15 – 21
February 15th, 2010, Comments (29)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 2/15/10 - 2/21/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for February is Home. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with it here.
Happy Creating!
I think that when you invite people to your home, you invite them to yourself.
- Oprah Winfrey
The Soul of Your Home
February 12th, 2010, Comments (22)
"I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul." -Jean Cocteau
I've always loved that quote. I adore my kitties and do feel like the bring so much life to the home the hubster and I share. We've got 4 (yes, 4!) cats and they never fail to make me smile every day. Love em.
But this quote also had me thinking about what makes up the soul of a home. I think a big part of it is the people, the hearts there, that make up its soul. But there's also the life we bring into it, with our creations, the little nooks and crannies filled with the things we love, the ways that we represent who we are with our space.
I love seeing those little nooks in the homes of others, little altars (intentional or otherwise) filled with photos of family, sweet smelling candles, favorite books, bowls of sea glass. And even the messy stuff can say so much, the magazines mixed with a random sock, a cat toy, and a purple pen. Yes, I think there's soul in the mess!
What is the soul of your home?
Before we moved into our first home this fall, the hubster and I were in a run-down, rented apartment. I think we both were hesitant to put much too much work into the place because it wasn't ours, but even so, when we did make the effort in some areas, it felt great. In our home now, everything feels like a big, blank slate. At first it felt like we were house-sitting for someone else. But little by little, as we put up pictures, made cozy places to rest in, and just lived there, it began to feel like home, like a place with soul.
If you feel like your home isn't representing you, what are some simple ways you can bring its heart back?
You might try starting in one room, in one small area. You could clear off a surface (like a bookshelf) and while looking at each item, ask yourself, "Do I love this?" Keep the items that say "Yes!" And release (throw out, give away, donate, or sell) the items that don't. Perhaps frame a favorite piece of art and put it up somewhere that will bring you joy and inspiration every day. Simple, small shifts can make a huge difference in how your space feels. And that can radiate out into how you feel in your home and then how you feel all day.
Beyond the appearance of things, I think one of the biggest places I feel the soul of my home is in the laughter. the silly dances in the kitchen, the snuggles. It's also in the creativity, the love, and home-cooked meals. And yes, in our four fuzzy kitties, which I enjoyed drawing in little houses. How about you? Where does the soul in your home reside? Where does it show up? How can you bring more of your heart and soul into your space?
Gentle, Creative De-cluttering with Jennifer Hofmann
February 9th, 2010, Comments (9)
I'm so excited to share this chat with the absolutely fabulous Jennifer Hofmann, of Inspired Home Office. Jen is what you might call a professional organizer, but she's so much more than that. She's got the sweetest soul and she immediately came to mind when I knew I was going to be doing the theme of home for the Creative Every Day Challenge this month. You can listen to our chat by clicking on the link below or right-click (ctrl-click on a Mac) to download to your computer. Enjoy!
I've taken a few of Jen's Office Spa Day classes (you can read about my experience here.) It's a wonderful process that I've turned to when I felt stuck (or in major avoidance) around a cluttered-up area. The group energy is always great and Jen's questions are super helpful in making the work go smoothly.
In our chat Jen generously offered to take a question by email, so feel free to contact her. You can also find Jen on her blog and on Twitter. Thanks so much, Jen!!
Creative Every Day Check-In: February 8 – 14
February 8th, 2010, Comments (35)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 2/8/10 - 2/14/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.)
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for February is Home. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with it here.
Happy Creating!
Update: Mr. Linky has been going in and out today, so if you don't see it, you can leave a link in the comments or check back a little later. Thanks!
Life is like getting dropped off in the middle of the woods, and then year by year, gradually walking home. - April Foiles
