A few short months ago, we had a Feng Shui expert on Get Real (the radio show I co-host in Minneapolis). I asked her for a little advice about rejuvenating my dining room. Since we eat as a family at the kitchen table and rarely entertain large groups, the dining room had slowly morphed into a corner of complete chaos. It was a catch-all for crap: shopping bags, gift boxes, laundry, review books, receipts, half-completed projects, you name it.
I thought our interviewee would urge me to just clean up or add a water fountain to the room. Instead, she suggested I make our dining room a functional space with good energy flow by turning it into an art studio. Whaaaat??? I laughed and told her I had no need for an art studio (yes, you can start snickering here). So she urged me to at least turn the room into a sort of art gallery with prints and pictures from my favorite artists. Now THAT got me excited! I ordered a bunch of works by artists I adore including Valentina, Rachel, Aimee, Leah, and Bella. Their creations all make my heart skip a beat and once I put them all together on the blank wall in our dining room, it was magic! Every time I passed by, it was like having a group of friends calling me over, asking me to come out and play.
Well, I began answering the call a few weeks ago, turning my photos and words into something more via mixed media collage, and loving my new creative outlet (and, yes, my intention is to have an etsy site up and running this summer – wheeeeee!). But I was still feeling really disorganized in that room. Perhaps it was the pile of unfolded pants next to my paints.
So, yesterday, I cleaned and organized it all…and created a make-shift but beauty-full studio. People! This feels like a minor miracle! There are special places for papers, vintage treasures, sponges, paints, even a box just for brushes! And it is now home to inspiring treasures, like the glorious pair of seashell wings from my sweet friend Rachel, who knew I might need them for this leap of faith. Oh, and by this afternoon, my boys had discovered the room and its newfound mojo – they were playing, dancing, even making art! We’ve dubbed the space the “dudio,” since it’s a studio-slash-dining-room. Feels like I just added a brand new room to my house with a giant open door that leads right into my soul.
