Holiday Spirit
I miss good ‘ole fashioned holiday spirit. These days is feels like the holidays are wrapped in shame and tied with a big fat ribbon of guilt. Even just a small sampling of recent conversations with my friends reveals that we’re all suffering from the same feelings of lack—there’s just not enough time to get it all done. For example, one of my girlfriends wrote, “I’m hunched over my computer, feverishly ordering yet more last-minute xmas gifts and pouring over my extensive end-of-year to-do list (gets longer, not shorter, why?)!” That was on December 10th.
The Art of Display
One of the things I love most about browsing my favorite stores is to see how they reinvent their space. As a frequent visitor, I may be familiar with their merchandise, but I’m always amazed at how the art of display can make me see things in a whole new way. Products I thought I new are showcased in a new light, and suddenly everything in the store feels fresh and unexpected.
Flower Box
The majority of my creative inspiration comes from wandering around my life with my eyes and heart wide open. Creativity, I find, is like Starbucks—it’s everywhere, unless you’re looking for it, in which case it’s nowhere to be found. One day, while strolling aimlessly through the city, I happened upon a pretty little flower shop where they packaged tiny bouquets in what reminded me of old hat boxes. How cool, I thought! I immediately imagined offering this to someone as a gift. The last thing anyone would expect when opening the box would be a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, and that’s what I just love about this idea—they’ll never see it coming.
Summer Home
There’s something about the summertime that begs us to settle in, spread out, and relax. The spring and fall, by nature, encourage us to move through change; we’re prompted to explore and transform within the context of transition. Winter is the time to hibernate, so while we might be nestled in our homes, the focus is on retreating inward to conserve enough energy to burst open come spring. The beauty of summer is that all has already been achieved—the seeds we’ve planted and tended are now ripening before our eyes. Our job is simply to enjoy the fruits of our efforts. For me, summer is the perfect time to practice the art of being.