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Out with the Old~Inviting in the new

September 7, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Wellness & Mindset 3 Comments

Lately my mind is on de-cluttering, purging and making space for new things in life. Out with the old!

My husband and I spent the last week going from room to room gathering things that we no longer needed, loved or wanted. We decided we wanted to try something different and gathered all of these items together to head to a local flea market! Our community has a regular flea market (does yours?) and they make it pretty easy to show up just once or on a regular basis.  We’ve had plenty of garage and yard sales but thought we would give this a try. There are a lot of flea market regulars and certainly a guaranteed amount of foot traffic that you may or may not get at a yard sale. Anything is worth a try when you want to get rid of a lot of stuff at once (say for an upcoming move?)!

On Saturday morning we headed out very early in order to go to a flea market and sell a bunch of stuff that’s taking up too much space in our lives. This included clothing, tools, home goods from the kitchen to linens, gardening supplies  and more. Basically, anything you would sell at a yard sale. We have a 10′ pop up tent, which I highly recommend for any outdoor affair.

We had made a decision that whatever didn’t sell wasn’t coming back into the house. At the end of the day, I was left with only a few boxes of items to donate.  The weather was mostly beautiful (a little am mist)! It was fun to interact with other vendors and a challenge to not be tempted, as I was, to bring something new (to you) home.  I got the two antique games below because I love the charming images on them!  I also found a couple small hand stitched textiles. All in all, much more went out than came back!

out with the oldMaking room for “new” can mean a lot of different things but in my case I am not trying so much to make room for physical things as much as new ideas and inspiration.  Another area of my life that I am doing this is in the exploration of old design sketches and concepts I’ve completed to some degree over the last 10 years.  I am really enjoying bringing these designs beyond concepts and sketches and into fully rendered ideas.

Moving through old stuff and ideas can help us to release them and move forward and create space for new creativity!

You can not “hoard” your own ideas, they must be released in order for the new creative ideas to move through you, the same can be said for our stuff!

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Something for nothing?

September 3, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Art, Handmade, Wellness & Mindset Leave a Comment

Something for nothingHave you ever been asked to do something for a client only to find out that they can’t actually pay you? If not be prepared to be in that situation sooner or later in your creative career.  As I have started this journey of self-employment I have encountered quite a few opportunities to do something for someone where I was not necessarily “paid” in monetary terms.

Depending on your situation you have to ask yourself a few questions to determine if this project is a good idea or not.

1.  Is this project something I would enjoy or love doing?

2.  Is the client offering me something I can truly use in return for my time and services -is it truly of VALUE to me?

3.  Can this client lead me (or refer me) to other clients who can pay me?

4.  Are the project and the expectations of you and your client clearly defined?

5.  Is this an opportunity to expand in a new direction that you have been wanting to gain experience in?

If you answered yes to at least 3 of the questions above then you may want to consider this sort of arrangement.  I am finding that I am being asked to participate in various types of projects by other entrepreneurs and when someone else is just starting out as well I am more inclined to help them out if they are serious, professional and can offer me something equally valuable (relative to the time I would spend for them).

I’ve also been approached by mid sized/large companies asking me to work a barter deal with them.  Frankly, this is not as appealing to me unless they rarely have something valuable to offer me in return. We all have to earn a wage at some point, here in the US it would be virtually impossible to survive on a barter system alone.

The whole subject of “Free” is one that is continuously being discussed. I’ve participated in a few online discussions over at the former website “Make and Meaning”.  You can find an archive of these discussions on the subject of free over at Crafty Pod. This subject really gets people worked up, they either love or hate the idea of sharing their ideas and services for free or for the exchange of publicity, referral or some other less monetary exchange.

Either way, be prepared to explore the possible advantages and disadvantages of doing something for “free”.

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Creativity and Spirituality

August 31, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Wellness & Mindset Leave a Comment

The process of creating can be deeply spiritual experience if I allow it to be.  Going within myself and allowing a creative expression to flow from within me, ideas that my conscious mind may not have thought of.  The process of creating, being an artist or living a creative life also requires a certain discipline that I liken to a spiritual discipline. 

When you tap into intuition surrounding your creative process, you let it flow from you rather than trying to control it.

This can be a difficult lesson to learn for some of us.
Creativity and SpiritualityMany artists and appreciators of art have recognized this connection between spirituality and creativity.   Rothko’s chapel is one such example where the artist was commissioned to create a spiritual and meditative space through the installation of his art.  I find his paintings to be deeply meditative as well as the work of Yves Klein’s Blue series.

Each of us is capable of having a strong spiritual or emotional reaction to art, whether positive or negative.

This reaction may not be related to the artists spiritual or emotional experience of creating the art, sometimes it is obvious the message the artist is sharing and sometimes not.  I often got through dry spells but my creative friends remind me that this is part of the process.  You must recognize the necessity of this still period and allow it to happen, let the ideas gather, build and eventually they will flow again.  There are certain actions we can take as artists to nurture this creative process.  Reading things that may be completely foreign and letting ideas about new topics create sparks of energy.  In my last

You must recognize the necessity of this still period and allow it to happen, let the ideas gather, build and eventually they will flow again.

There are certain actions we can take as artists to nurture this creative process.  Reading things that may be completely foreign and letting ideas about new topics create sparks of energy. In my last post, I spoke about play and collaboration as a way to invoke the creative process.

A natural sense of curiosity can spark many new creative fires.  When we are anxious and our minds are busy processing the many lessons of life we may feel emotionally drained and this is like a big wet blanket putting out the fires of our creativity.

Creativity and SpiritualityThe biggest challenge I face as an artist is to recognize that being an artist is a process, creating art is a process.  It is not about the outcome, the recognition or the completed piece of “art” it is about the need to create something that is an expression of yourself.  Personal and unique and only something you could create, this is yours alone.

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Invoke the Spirit of Play

August 27, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Inspiration & Education, Wellness & Mindset Leave a Comment

Cats, dogs play and children usually play on a daily basis…why don’t we make the time Invoke the Spirit of Play (as adults)?

Some of us play sports, some of us play board games, some of us play musical instruments.  When I get particularly stressed my automatic response is the opposite of play.  I think of all the things I need to do or that I should be doing.  What I should actually do is make some play time, give my brain a little time off and free myself of all that is causing me stress.  Last year for the holidays I broke down and got my husband a PSP player and I’ve found myself playing video games now and then. I don’t “Play” any musical instruments but love to hear my husband play guitar.

Sometimes play for me means sitting down and creating jewelry, knitting, making something with my hands or taking a walk with my camera and not taking the end “product” too seriously.  

During one of the blizzard we had last winter we lost power for about 12 hours.  One of the most fun parts of that blizzard is bundling up with blankets and candles and playing monopoly on our bed and Humm… my husband still owes me the completion that game!


How do you invoke the spirit of play?

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Metamorphosis and meaning

August 6, 2010 by Heather Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Wellness & Mindset 4 Comments

metamorphosis and meaning= transformation or rebirth

I started this blog back in January after many years of fantasizing of starting my own studio. I put blogging aside and even though I have thought over the last 6-7 months about posting here I remained hesitant as I’ve undergone many changes in my life over this period.

At the end of January I lost my job of over 7 years as a senior designer working on custom rug and carpet design. I was shocked, devastated, afraid, excited, angry, hopeful, relieved, worried just to name some of the emotions I have experienced. It is pretty ironic reading back to my early January 1st entry. I will still be exploring this process here but will no longer be doing so anonymously.

I realized pretty quickly that this loss was also a wonderful opportunity to make my own dreams a reality.

Dreams are funny though because sometimes when you come face to face with them you flounder and don’t know where to begin.

I began my metamorphosis by doing a lot of introspection, reading, researching, talking with supportive friends and family and giving myself time to revel in this chance to enjoy my life and recreate it.

As much as I loved moments of my corporate career it had become terribly unsatisfying over the last 2 years as I became bored, unchallenged and lost creative enthusiasm. In hindsight perhaps these were the exact reasons that I lost my job but I also worked very hard and was a loyal employee; something that is becoming more of a novelty in today’s corporate environment.

I decided pretty early on after my job loss that I didn’t want to pursue the same type of career path. I contemplated going into Non-Profit arts, beginning a Non-Profit (which I still aim to do one day), working in a Museum environment or working on a farm. After these ideas of radical change subsided I slowly realized the value in the many years I’ve invested in the world of textile and carpet design. I love so many aspects of design, I love working with clients to create something that evolves from a collaborative vision into a reality.

The process of collaboration is one that I love and am fascinated by. It is something I have explored over the past years as I’ve participated in and organized many collaborative art projects with fellow artist friends. This will be a place for me to share news, sneak peaks, inspiration, and bits of knowledge I will share about this process of launching my dream business.


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