Thursday, June 3, 2010

Finding inspiration in the middle of my mess...

I woke up this morning thinking that time is moving so very, very fast. It's Thursday already and I have so much left to do. Guess I better get busy-huh?

I have filled my days up with re-organizing my mess. I would show you pics today but I've decided to wait till the "afters". I would be soooo embarrassed if I just showed you the "befores". HOLY COW!! How can one little space hold so much STUFF! Seriously I had no idea there was all this junk in here. Everything from papers, magazines, books, art supplies, kids old school projects, photos, sewing supplies, keepsakes....the list goes on. So far I've taken 2-13 gallon trash bags out of here and will have at least one more. Oh, and let's not forget the yard sale pile. Sheesh! Am I gonna feel amazing without all this clutter!!!

Speaking of clutter...that is what stops me from being creative. I'm taking this inspirational ecourse from Kelly Rae (see sidebar up top) and one of the questions she asked this week was...."What is stopping you from living your dream?" Here is what I wrote down...

1. Time. I need to manage my days better.
2. My house...the disorganization and clutter. When my home is clean and organized I can create. My spirit feels lighter, my mind clearer. The energy and creativity seem almost effortless. I am working on this:)
3. Lack of computer knowledge. The more I learn the more people I can reach out and inspire. {inspiring others is my dream...}

So, yes...clutter drives me NUTS. When I come home and my house is a mess {and a mess to me are shoes on the floor, piles of papers on my dining room table and dirty dishes in the sink} I feel claustrophobic. I feel like I must get all those things picked up before I can work on something for just me...my writing, scrapping, etc. My creativity gets put on hold too many times a day. Therefore too  many times I day I can {and do} feel a tiny bit grumpy. It's a feeling I'm tired of experiencing...ya' know the one where you give and give to others all day and then when the end of the day comes around you may have 30 minutes or so of "you" time but then you are so crazy wiped out that all that creativeness you had felt earlier is gone.


One of my very favorite books of all time is by Sarah Ban Breathnach "Simple Abundance". Each time I read a passage from this book it touches something deep inside me. The other day I pulled it out and just randomly opened it...Here's what I read...

"A Nook of Your Own"

 In solitude we give passionate attention to our lives, to our memories, to the  details around us. -Virginia Woolf

"Many of us today experience creative silence. Not the hush of the heart necessary to bring forth the unexpressed from Spirit, but the creative silence brought about by circumstances we feel are beyond our control: lack of time, and/or space to create. Perhaps we also suffer from a lack of clarity, a failure to realize how necessary it is to nurture our sacred creativity daily."

Sarah goes on to say...


"{We} need a space that offers passionate reminders to attend to our private, artistic impulses, a place to encourage you to reclaim your creativity."

She emphasizes that even though we may not be able to utilize a whole room for our own...it is important we find a corner in a bedroom to place a chair along with our favorite books and a journal or create space for a bookcase filled with our most cherished things.

So, see...I'm doing so much more than just clearing out and organizing. I'm creating a special place of my own. A room filled with all that inspires me. That nurtures my creative side. That lifts me up...feeds my soul and fills me with a passion to write.

What about you? What is stopping you from living your dreams? Do you have a space you call your own? I would love to hear all about it!!!

6 comments:

  1. I am a HUGE neat freak. Dosorganization & clutter drive me nuts! I can't even stand for appliance to be left out on the kitchen counter(ex: coffee pot, toaster,can opener) I put EVERYTHING away after I use it and when I go to a friends house & see theirs sitting on the counter I am thinking..."doesn't that bother them cause is is driving me crazy!"
    I know I am so strange when it comes to that.
    Everything has it's place in my house so don't mess with it! :OP
    I would have to say my haven is my front porch. I could sit in my white wicker chairs with my Polka-a-dot pillows and sip my wine and read for hours.

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  2. i am so glad you are making a space for yourself, it will become like a sanctuary...finding time for yourself is so hard when raising a family. now that my kids are grown and on their own, i have time to do my art and it feels amazing. and yes, i did make the "practicing courage" canvas you saw on my blog. those words really jumped out at me and i say them to myself...alot...
    check out my etsy shop leslie...i have alot of faith based art in there you might like...
    soulblessings.etsy.com
    have fun working on your space, you will love, love, love having it!!
    xo

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  3. Wow, Les!! We are SO much alike! One of my biggest obstacles in the whole "Create" department, is not having the SPACE to do it in. Or, I like to tell myself that. I really need to do what you are doing ... and MAKE the space I have work (ie; the WHOLE organizing thing would really come in handy.) I'm finding that Kelly Rae's class is really helping take a good look at so many things, you know? Scary!

    Good luck with your journey, and I can't wait to see photos!

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  4. Oh, I so need a space of my own Leslie! I know it is cramping my creative ability. I was actually just cleaning up some of my clutter and for some reason I needed to "check" something on the computer and here I sit procrastinating, again! Maybe I should get back to that pile of clutter and make a space for myself :D Thanks for yet another little nudge!

    Nicole

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  5. I'm with you, I don't allow myself to do so many of the things that I want to do because of clutter and cleaning that isn't done and doesn't get done. It's overwhelming.

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  6. Oh you hit it dead on with #1 and #2!!! As for the special place of my own

    http://treaures.blogspot.com/2009/09/day-8.html

    I don't think i've sat in the chair once in the last year... :(

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I appreciate your thoughts and ideas...they inspire me!! I will be visiting you soon. Have a CREATIVE day!!