Can You (Finally) Give Yourself Permission?

I hope you had a wicked Halloween. I was so excited to see my pattern, Moonlight Jive, featured on the Make It in Design blog’s Spooky Showcase of Pattern last week.

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Can you give yourself permission?

Whether you are a painter, a dancer, a writer–your spirit soars when you lose yourself in the creative flow. You are a maker.

And yet, for some reason, your creativity is relegated to the bottom of the heap.

You have your reasons (I don’t have the time, I don’t have the money)–and they may all be good ones.

Can you give yourself permission anyway?

Can you find the time (even if it’s only in ten minute increments) to draw, to write a sentence or two?

Can you decide today (finally!) that your creativity is a priority?

Don’t miss your calling because the floors needed to be cleaned and the laundry put away (there will ALWAYS be something).

We only get one shot at this. 

It’s time to listen to the whispers of your soul.

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It was so much fun to finally share my news about Kindred Art Collective last week. Thank YOU so much for your support! If you missed the artist introductions, head on over to the Kindred blog. And if you’d like to get news straight to your inbox, please sign up for our monthly Kindred newsletter.

Growing Pains

Last week, we took the kids to Phoenix. My parents are retired and they spend their winters playing in the Arizona sun.

They have three citrus trees in their backyard. Much to the delight of my daughter, we filled boxes with fresh picked oranges, lemons and grapefruit.

The bizarre shapes of desert cactus are fascinating. I loved strolling through the neighborhood and taking it all in (all the while praying that my adventurous 3 year old wouldn’t impale herself as she raced from plant to plant).

We swam. We soaked up the sun.

We relaxed (something I can’t say happens too often with a toddler and a pre-schooler underfoot). Thank you mom and dad!!

I’m happy to be back though–when I’m away from work for too long, I feel this pull, this longing to dive back in. To create–to PLAY.

I also had a bit of time to think. To move my business forward, I need to re-prioritize how I’m spending my working hours.

Holding this space to write feels really good–I enjoy having a blog. I will continue to share new work and progress as it unfolds. But there will be weeks where I need to spend my time elsewhere.

To those of you who read on a regular basis, I am so grateful. Bear with me through these growing pains.