I have a brand new happy place. Okay, it’s not completely new – but it sure feels better than ever. Several years ago, as I began professionally selling my art, I took over our dining room table with paints and papers. Pretty soon, there was crap everywhere – and we realized I was using the room far more for my art than for dinner. So, we renamed it “the dudio” and I had free reign to fill the table with my art supplies. They eventually spread to different corners of the room…and even into the china cabinet. And, upon the advice of Feng Shui goddess Carole Hyder, I started to fill a wall with art from friends. It was great to have space where I could create, but it still felt like a dining room with a giant – albeit cluttered – table in the middle.
In recent months, I’ve toyed with the idea of renting out studio space somewhere or leasing an office a few miles from home – just to have a place that feels like mine, where I can feel equal parts focused and inspired. But my heart kept leading me back home, where I can still be available for the kids after school or refill my coffee cup as often as I want or, heck, work in my pjs. My studio assistant, Claire, lives nearby and is happy to pop in, even on the weekends. So, someday I’ll fly the coop, but it doesn’t feel right right now.
So, last month, Brad suggested we just turn the dudio into my full-fledged office; push the table against a wall, move a desk in, move the printer in, rearrange the room, officially make it mine. He helped me do it and has been such a cheerleader through the transformation; I am so grateful. I have spent tons of time over the past few weeks going through papers and piles, re-organizing my work life. It feels so damn good.
And it’s definitely not a dining room anymore! I can make art in there, blog in there, teach ecourses there, imagine in there. It feels magical to me, like a place where possibilities are endless. Wanna see more?
I turned the chandelier into an art mobile just by hanging tiny pieces of goodness from artist friends. Sitting beneath it feels amazing, and I love being watched over by this angel made by soul sister Lori Portka.
Yep, that’s me – as a little girl, reminding me to play each day. I’ve tucked little treasures in the window panes of the china cabinet, which is full of supplies (dishes and glasses we never used have been relegated to the basement).
I wish this for all of you – a happy place of your own. What part of the place where you dwell can become even more of a retreat for you? How could you turn a room or corner or closet upside down to make it something unexpected and totally divine in your life?
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Before I go, I wanted to give you a quick tip about Instagram, which I used to take all the pictures above – but I hardly shared any of them on Instagram. Sometimes, I like to use the app’s filters and frames for family pics or photos for an upcoming blog post – but I don’t necessarily want them to be public yet (or at all). So, what’s the trick?
On your smart phone, go into your settings and turn the “Airplane Mode” ON. Then, go into your Instagram app and take a photo, add a filter (if you want) and click to share it. It will immediately say that uploading the pic “FAILED.” Click on the “x” that appears to delete the pic from Instagram.
Okay, here comes the magic…go into your regular photos on your phone and – voila! – you’ll see the Instagram pic is in there! YES! Your phone saved it, but Instagram couldn’t grab it because it had no wireless connection allowing it to grab it. Go ahead…do a happy dance. And then go back and turn your Airplane Mode off. See you (or not!) on Instagram!
