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This is my third attempt at claiming a little piece of the online world to share my thoughts/rambles/writing. However, this time (in the words of the immortal fab four and the oh-so-sexy Joe Cocker) I plan to “get by with a little help from my friends.”
This whole process was initially inspired by my struggle with balancing a love for piecing words together, turning light into memories, obsessing over music, and deepening my love of the arts, while also trying to develop a career path/life plan that won't crush my soul.
This struggle has led to a couple of conclusions.
1) I have hobby attention deficit disorder (hobby a.d.d.).
This became strikingly clear over the holidays. While running into Hobby Lobby for a skein of yarn to finish a scarf, I stopped by a local coffee shop for an afternoon pick-me-up. While in said coffee shop, I saw an adorable wreath made out of Christmas ornaments and balls of yarn. The trusty iPhone captured a photo and I spent the next hour scouring the Hobby Lobby for the perfect glittery red Christmas balls, funky green yarn, and wintry-wonderland adornments to weave into the beautiful grapevine wreaths I found. Needless to say, a month later the yarn and glittery goodness and wreaths are still in a holiday basket– untouched. That scarf, which the original skein of yarn was for, remains unfinished (maybe it will be a gift for next year?) and I’ve moved on to a new love: pottery. Oy vey.
2) My life is chaotic. Always.
I’m not quite sure why I can’t find this magic groove that some (well-adjusted) people seem to find. I know women who have it all. You know, the women who have spotless homes and active social lives and beautiful relationships and time for a weekly mani/pedi. These are the same women who transition from work to yoga class to dinner flawlessly. These are the women whom you never see sweat. I WANT TO BE ONE OF THESE WOMEN. Yet, the harder I try to “have it all” the crazier I become. I’m the woman who is consistently running 5-15 minutes late (on a good day), eating meals in the car, wearing wrinkly clothes to work, and having one night stands with creativity. I think the hobby a.d.d. perpetuates this chaos since I am constantly trying to squish my interests into an already busy life, which leaves me feeling exasperated… The art therapy aspect of pursuing all these endeavors is wasted because I can’t ever find enough time to actually finish a project or really develop an interest.
3) There has to be a way to harness my creative energy in a positive way.
After thinking about my relationship with all of these different creative whims, I came to the conclusion that there must be a way to connect my love of writing and photography with the growing list of things on my life’s “learn to do” list. And that is when this latest little brain child was born: I am starting a year-long writing experiment that can help me develop twelve different interests. Each month of 2010 will be dedicated to a hobby that I’ve wanted to explore. To jump-start this little project, I started my Creative Gratification journal and signed up for a wheel-throwing pottery class to pursue the life long urge to create functional art. So far, the class has helped me focus my energy and really learn the art of working with clay. (Plus, the wheel and clay stay at the studio which has saved precious real estate in the mini apartment:)
In addition to harnessing my own creative energies, I have recently cashed in on a whole lot of good karma by connecting with the brilliant minds behind Pursuit of Etcetera and Sweet Tranquility. These fabulous ladies and I have joined forces to support, nurture, and encourage each other’s personal pursuits of etcetera so that our once crazy lives can be sweet, tranquil, and (creatively) gratifying.
With a collaborative spirit, and a collective can-do attitude, we will be evolving as strong women who are fiercely, unforgivingly, and unabashedly independent. There are no words to express the good vibes and positive motivation that this project has created and I can’t wait to see what is to come! Here's to twelve months (and more) of inspiration!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sweet Tranquility by Heather
If you ask the all-knowing Wikipedia for information regarding indie design you'll get the following:
If ever Wikipedia got something right, this would be it. I'd like to say that my life can be illustrated by the indie movement as a whole, but you're not going to find me delving into deep, meaningful literature anytime soon, or working towards the multiple masters degrees and PhD's that even my own husband strives to achieve. I'll forget my reusable grocery bags more often than I remember them, and yes, you will catch me singing along to the lyrics of whatever bleached-out pop-star has a new hit song this month. But the art... well, that is who I am. The designs, patterns, colors, textures, emotions and meaning that goes into indie designs are what tugs on my heartstrings and takes me high above the rigid, mainstream, norm of today's society. Do I believe in the ideals of the indie world as a whole? Of course, how can you not believe in peace, love and a creative outlook on life... but my expression of these things comes out through design. My trouble is, I need a swift kick in the rear to get out my creativity.
I'm an 8 to 4, commuting, cubicle-dwelling corporate diva. Again, please let me reiterate the fact that I'm not claiming to be Ms. Indie-life over here. The fact of the matter is; I like to make art, but supplies cost money, and (quite-frankly) I like making money too. This is where my dilemma begins. How do I balance my life in a way that neither my job, husband nor home get neglected, but my creative soul remains nurtured?
I see these women who have great careers, beautiful homes, packed social schedules, but still have time to fill their living room with handmade lampshades and picture frames. I, on the other hand, have a lengthy to-do list filled with all sorts of projects, but can never quite muster up the energy to finish any of them to completion... if they even get started in the first place. I became fed-up with the endless cycle of suppressing my creativity through lack of motivation and turned to the internet in search of inspiration... only to not find any.
All of a sudden, I never felt more alone in my struggle. Where were the blogs full of newly-married twenty-somethings trying to start out on their life's path while maintaining their creative muses? Where were all the strong women balancing flowering careers with a home-life to rival those shown in Country Living and Martha Stewart? I found blog upon blog from single, corporate women trying to succeed in the world, and even more from moms trying to create a life at home full of cooking and crafts. Where was the in-between and how do I balance my own life in this uncharted lifestyle niche?
This is the question I try to answer in my personal online journal. Sweet Tranquility is my own journey of achieving peaceful existence through creative expression. However, is this a journey that should be taken on as a solo adventure? Yes and no. While the journal was started for my own benefit as a way to organize my chaotic life, I secretly dreamed of connecting with the other women in this niche who could offer mutual support, motivation and creative muse. Within days, we found each other. When the soul cries out for support and inspiration, you will oftentimes be surprised at how that call is answered. While everyone truly is on their own personal journey, the path does not always have to be forged alone.
Indie by Design is both a creative melting pot and a safe-haven from the usual problems found in relationships between strong women. We're all trying to find our individual place in the world, but we are trying to achieve our balance through support instead of competition. We have started this site to help foster our creativity, boost our motivation and grow in ways which seemed nearly unattainable in the past. In the end, we are all looking for ways to better each of our lives, and will find those ways through different means. We are not here to point out the differences, but rather embrace them and help each other succeed with both our individual and collective life-goals.
I am thrilled to be part of a project with such a huge, positive potential right from day one. I can't imagine where this journey is going to take us, but hopefully everyone will enjoy it as much as we will.
"The indie design movement is made up of independent designers, artists and craftspeople who design and make a wide array of products without being part of large, industrialized businesses. They are supported by a growing number of indie shoppers who are seeking niche and often handmade products as opposed to those mass-produced by corporations. Such products may include jewelry and other accessories, ceramics, clothing, glass, metalwork, furniture, cosmetics, art and much more. The indie design movement can be seen as being an aspect of the general indie movement and DIY culture."
If ever Wikipedia got something right, this would be it. I'd like to say that my life can be illustrated by the indie movement as a whole, but you're not going to find me delving into deep, meaningful literature anytime soon, or working towards the multiple masters degrees and PhD's that even my own husband strives to achieve. I'll forget my reusable grocery bags more often than I remember them, and yes, you will catch me singing along to the lyrics of whatever bleached-out pop-star has a new hit song this month. But the art... well, that is who I am. The designs, patterns, colors, textures, emotions and meaning that goes into indie designs are what tugs on my heartstrings and takes me high above the rigid, mainstream, norm of today's society. Do I believe in the ideals of the indie world as a whole? Of course, how can you not believe in peace, love and a creative outlook on life... but my expression of these things comes out through design. My trouble is, I need a swift kick in the rear to get out my creativity.
I'm an 8 to 4, commuting, cubicle-dwelling corporate diva. Again, please let me reiterate the fact that I'm not claiming to be Ms. Indie-life over here. The fact of the matter is; I like to make art, but supplies cost money, and (quite-frankly) I like making money too. This is where my dilemma begins. How do I balance my life in a way that neither my job, husband nor home get neglected, but my creative soul remains nurtured?
I see these women who have great careers, beautiful homes, packed social schedules, but still have time to fill their living room with handmade lampshades and picture frames. I, on the other hand, have a lengthy to-do list filled with all sorts of projects, but can never quite muster up the energy to finish any of them to completion... if they even get started in the first place. I became fed-up with the endless cycle of suppressing my creativity through lack of motivation and turned to the internet in search of inspiration... only to not find any.
All of a sudden, I never felt more alone in my struggle. Where were the blogs full of newly-married twenty-somethings trying to start out on their life's path while maintaining their creative muses? Where were all the strong women balancing flowering careers with a home-life to rival those shown in Country Living and Martha Stewart? I found blog upon blog from single, corporate women trying to succeed in the world, and even more from moms trying to create a life at home full of cooking and crafts. Where was the in-between and how do I balance my own life in this uncharted lifestyle niche?
This is the question I try to answer in my personal online journal. Sweet Tranquility is my own journey of achieving peaceful existence through creative expression. However, is this a journey that should be taken on as a solo adventure? Yes and no. While the journal was started for my own benefit as a way to organize my chaotic life, I secretly dreamed of connecting with the other women in this niche who could offer mutual support, motivation and creative muse. Within days, we found each other. When the soul cries out for support and inspiration, you will oftentimes be surprised at how that call is answered. While everyone truly is on their own personal journey, the path does not always have to be forged alone.
Indie by Design is both a creative melting pot and a safe-haven from the usual problems found in relationships between strong women. We're all trying to find our individual place in the world, but we are trying to achieve our balance through support instead of competition. We have started this site to help foster our creativity, boost our motivation and grow in ways which seemed nearly unattainable in the past. In the end, we are all looking for ways to better each of our lives, and will find those ways through different means. We are not here to point out the differences, but rather embrace them and help each other succeed with both our individual and collective life-goals.
I am thrilled to be part of a project with such a huge, positive potential right from day one. I can't imagine where this journey is going to take us, but hopefully everyone will enjoy it as much as we will.
Pursuit of Etcetera by Meredith
If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I’d say that Indie by Design is a collaboration of some quirky and creative artists trying to figure out their place in the world. A place where we can explore and embark upon our passions, while trying to maintain some resemblance of convention, without losing ourselves in the process. My individual challenge is that every time I embark on one of my personal passions, I end finding myself distracted by lack of sleep, dishes in the sink, school work that needs to be finished, or just overall poor time budgeting skills. I’ve come to the place where I’ve realized I need to find some type of balance and security in my life before I can really attack all of my ambitions and dreams with the fervor they deserve.
My journal will really focus on creating the foundation I need to nurture these goals, but I’m sure that every so often I won’t be able to help myself, so expect there to be little creative projects scattered along the way. By using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a loose guideline, my first tasks will be developing my physiological and security needs. These projects will focus mostly on my own physical wellbeing and creating a home that’s tidy and organized. The next step will center on my social and esteem needs, so I’ll be concentrating on my own sense of identity through mediation and journaling, as well as my relationship with those around me through volunteer work, joining clubs, taking classes and strengthening my connections to my family, friends and fiancé, Josh. My ultimate goal will be to finally tackle self-actualization by exploring my needs to design, create, and inspire myself and those around me through writing, and by creating music, art, and other exciting crafts. Again, these are just guidelines and I’ve never been one to stick with a clear-cut plan. I’ll be trying to stick to this specific arrangement, but there will definitely be some jumping around between the different levels.
The thing that gets me most excited about our Indie by Design collaboration, is that I think not only will I have a venue to express my own creativity and keep me accountable, but with the love and support from these inspirational and supportive woman, I’m pretty much setting myself up for success! Humans are social animals and they need the encouragement and love that they receive from others. Too many times we hear about people in constant competition (many times women!), frequently dragging each other down, instead of lifting each other up.
My goal for Indie by Design, is to create a safe place, where unique women are loved and encouraged for their individuality. This is a place where we can learn from each other, inspire each other, and cheer on all of our eccentric blessings.
I’m sooo excited to participate in the creation of our passions and the design of the lives that we deserve. I hope that you all enjoy the journey as much as we do!
enjoy it*
My journal will really focus on creating the foundation I need to nurture these goals, but I’m sure that every so often I won’t be able to help myself, so expect there to be little creative projects scattered along the way. By using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a loose guideline, my first tasks will be developing my physiological and security needs. These projects will focus mostly on my own physical wellbeing and creating a home that’s tidy and organized. The next step will center on my social and esteem needs, so I’ll be concentrating on my own sense of identity through mediation and journaling, as well as my relationship with those around me through volunteer work, joining clubs, taking classes and strengthening my connections to my family, friends and fiancé, Josh. My ultimate goal will be to finally tackle self-actualization by exploring my needs to design, create, and inspire myself and those around me through writing, and by creating music, art, and other exciting crafts. Again, these are just guidelines and I’ve never been one to stick with a clear-cut plan. I’ll be trying to stick to this specific arrangement, but there will definitely be some jumping around between the different levels.
The thing that gets me most excited about our Indie by Design collaboration, is that I think not only will I have a venue to express my own creativity and keep me accountable, but with the love and support from these inspirational and supportive woman, I’m pretty much setting myself up for success! Humans are social animals and they need the encouragement and love that they receive from others. Too many times we hear about people in constant competition (many times women!), frequently dragging each other down, instead of lifting each other up.
My goal for Indie by Design, is to create a safe place, where unique women are loved and encouraged for their individuality. This is a place where we can learn from each other, inspire each other, and cheer on all of our eccentric blessings.
I’m sooo excited to participate in the creation of our passions and the design of the lives that we deserve. I hope that you all enjoy the journey as much as we do!
enjoy it*
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