I let the cat partially out of the bag in a previous post so it’s time to let it all the way out. Mr. Powers and I have made a BIG life decision to move, out of the state and sometime in the next 3-6 months! We have been thinking about moving for a year and a half at least now. Each time we go on vacation we look at the housing market, talk to people about what it’s like to live there and consider the possibilities. Some of our friends and family have probably heard our ruminations about moving to their town and have been let down by the wolf cry…but none of those places have felt right and we always had a major reason why it wasn’t the place for us. The following are some of the things we have taken into consideration as we’ve made our decision:
- Do we know anyone that lives here? Friends, family or both?
- Have we visited more than once and if so why?
- What’s the weather like? I tend towards SAD so can’t deal with soggy or freezing or dreary long winters.
- Oceans and Mountains are a plus!
- West coast, not in our budget and we want to be close to family mostly on the East Coast.
- Don’t land lock me, I’m not a mid-westerner.
- Decent economy, colleges, tourism and other industry nearby.
- Lower cost of living (and lower taxes a plus).
- Not too small of a town, not to big of a city…looking for just the right size.
- The South has it’s appeal, we’ve lived in various locations and liked the slower pace.
So, based upon the above did you figure it out? We have decided upon Charleston, SC! We’ve been there many times over the past 12 years or so and many times we have said to each other that we would love to live there. It’s finally time, after considering numerous locations mostly in NY, PA and NC we finally made our decision about a month ago. I have to say that going to Penland and experiencing a break was the final catalyst!
I’m ready for a little more of this!
Frankly, we never thought we would move back to the DC metro area but the almighty dollar and a promising job made us change our tune and I certainly don’t regret it! Being back in the DC area has given me the chance to reconnect with old friends, spend time with family, visit New England, NYC (a lot since my brother lives there and my former job took me there for business) and generally appreciate the wonderful diversity of culture here. BUT, we just don’t feel we “fit” here an longer, isn’t that strange for someone who was raised here? I’ve tried to find my tribe, really I have searched but they are not here! After having lived in various other locations and now having returned to the place I was mostly raised I feel it’s time to move forward.
“When your reasons to move forward outweigh your excuses for staying put, you will move forward.”-Ralph Marston
When I tell people now that we are moving I always get the inevitable question “oh did you or your husband get a job there”…NO! Each move we have made over the past 17 years has been for either a job or school. For the first time in our adult life we are making a decision based purely upon freedom of choice. It is so liberating that I think everyone aught to do it once in their lives!
I’ve thought long and hard about weather we could make it work here and if we are just running away but I can honestly say now that we are not. We haven’t “Failed” at anything but we’ve made certain choices and in order to continue to live those choices we need to move forward, to a different location. It’s that darn simple! I am soooo excited about this big change. It is scary, moving to a new place, moving a fledgling business and my husband’s construction business but it’s going to be worth it.
We have good friends who live in Charleston and right down the road in Savannah too. Mr. Powers parents spend their summers not too far away (close enough for weekend visits but not close enough for daily drop in’s). I love the ocean, it soothes my soul! I miss the slower more relaxed pace of the south (my Daddy’s from Bamma I must have inherited some southern genes). We don’t have our date fixed yet but the family and friends have been told and so far seem supportive! Over the next few months we will be doing some serious downsizing and I’m beyond ready for this! We will be selling, giving and throwing stuff away. Loosing the extra baggage is going to feel great. I’ll be posting about the process of moving, making choices to get rid of things and how it feels as we go. I hope you will continue to stop in to see where we are and how it’s going. If you happen to be one of my clients reading this, have no worries, together we will come up with a strategy to transition you to another organizer or continue to work with me long distance (via Skype, phone or internet consulting and coaching). Moving is pretty major but when it’s moving forward there’s nothing to feel but excitement!
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” Henry David Thoreau
I loved how expressive, spontaneous and painterly these exercises were. I found working on the black background both challenging (seeing colors in a new way) and liberating (leaving my “typical” color combinations behind). I thought that the square format would be good for me (i.e. challenge me even more) because one of the things I really wanted to explore at Penland was my understanding of composition. Sure, I’ve got degree’s in art but my past 12 years as a designer of repeat patterns has stunted my ability to create artwork with “proper” composition. I found this out as I began to explore photography. As a designer I tend to center or repeat things out in a certain manner so I wanted to throw that aside while there and focus on understanding composition better. 
I may finish this piece off with a few beads at the ends to give it a little extra pizzaz but nothing flashy. I love the simple beauty of it. As you can see there was a lot of exploration and self expression that came out of this class for me. I’ve got some other bits I worked on as well that I’ll probably share down the road but this give you a good idea of the amount and kind of work we did within the two week class. It was fabulous!
Inside the 3rd floor dorm rooms a “typical” individual non-private accommodation (above). Not bad especially with the windows and fans (they provided us with).
Below are some of the typical views looking out across Penland road and along the walkways that run across the campus. Craft House has a fantastic big porch with swings perfect for enjoying sunsets, reading, having a glass of wine and relaxing (although I felt short on relaxation time with all that was crammed into the schedule!).
The meals were really diverse and always included a vegetarian option and a great salad bar. They make a fantastic Wasabi salad dressing, man do I miss it and miss not having to cook (but really I love to cook). Each day the big chalk board in the dining hall told the daily events.
Some of the veggies and herbs are grown at Penland but they feed on average 250 people at lunch and dinner during their 5 summer sessions (each 2 weeks long).
Some of the buildings at Penland are on the National Historic Register (such as the Dye house below) and others are fairly new. They are also in the process of building a brand new dorm building. 
Clay Studio (outside kilns)
Metals Shop
Glass Studio
Northlight, houses Photography, Book making and a large hall for social gatherings and Yoga:)
Walled garden leading behind metals and clay to Lily Loom, it’s covered in clay tiles and found objects and I could always find something new as I walked past it.
View out the side of the Pines on our last morning.
I crafting in motion and several booths including 
One last thing we did before we left the show was step into the photo booth of 