The environment we live in plays a pivotal role in our lives. It can influence our health, our habits, and our attitude. How does your home impact your soul?
Is it cluttered and neglected? Is it sterile and hard to get cozy in? Look around? Is it filled with memories that you would rather forget? What is the story of your environment?
As an artist it is easy for me to get lost in the sea of creative materials. They can consume my house, but it's interesting, I am more happy and more productive with my supplies out on my dining room table (which is now officially the art table).
I have always found it fascinating that creatives will build an entire room around a tv but put their real passion and truth in another room stuffed away until they "get around to it". I'm not sure how that encourages the creative process or honors the artist within us. I prefer to have my home be my art studio that I happen to live in. I keep it tidy and clean because a fresh creative space inspires me to sit in my chair and paint! But I don' t put it all away for presentation purposes just in case someone stops by. Those who know me know I am an artist and having my work front and center makes it interesting. Besides, who cares what others think?
The artwork on our walls matters. The mood and the meaning behind the impact has important messages for our subconscious. It's color therapy. It is never just decoration. It has story. There is meaning. Art and image was the first form of recorded expressive history. It is how we understand when words can't quite put a finger on it.
Do you like the artwork on your walls? Do you have sentiment behind it? Or is it an old piece your ex picked out one day on a trip that was filled with bickering? What are you hanging on to right now that needs to be donated and released? Does it reflect who you are today?
Spring cleaning is coming and a new year is before us. Are you intentional about your surroundings? If you are a creative I challenge you to design your space around your gifts. If you are an admirer of the arts, I challenge you to ask yourself if what you have out is a great treasure trove of joy or a collection of "stuff" that is collecting dust.
Repurpose, remove, revitalize. All of it matters. Stuff is not just stuff. It holds energy. What is yours holding?
Regardless of your interests, this is the year to make your home all about the reflection of your authentic self. Decoration for the sake of presentation is out dated and frankly, not interesting. Open yourself up and share you with your own world. You will find that you have a very interesting self that has been waiting to be honored and recognized.
We no longer need Pottery Barn to show us who we are. We get to create our worlds our way.