the small picture

Hey Winter ! Bye Bye // from les archives lilliput zinnias and the summertime view from my studio window

I want to sing like the birds sing, 
not worrying about who hears or what they think.

Rumi

Oh my goodness ... I feel I have so much to say and to tell you about, too much, it's still all a big jumble of thoughts & feelings & ideas. I've been quiet here, though quite unintentionally. Each & every morning I do ponder a blog post but I don't want to post unless I really have something to say and/or some beautiful photos that mean something to me. As you may have heard Winter has hung around here w-a-y longer than usual and honestly for the most part I don't really care, it doesn't bother me in the slightest but I am finding myself itching to begin photographing & enjoying the explosive splendour of green and of Spring. This morning I needed colour & green, so ... from my photo archives a favourite annual of mine - zinnias - quirky, happy, long lasting & oh so colourful fleurs.

I'm not sure if anyone's noticed but I removed my favourite blogs super long sidebar list. So many of those blogs don't exist anymore or aren't really relevant to me and what's currently inspiring me so I decided to re build that list based on places I actually visit now. One of which is my everyday, first blog visit each morning at 9am - Elise Blaha Cripe - who's just launched a weekly podcast series - Hooray Elise ! Elise is the epitome of creative Passion & Just Do It-Ness, she inspires me daily with her constant unwavering authenticity & commitment. 

In her first podcast she talks briefly about avoiding spending too much time thinking about the big picture of her creative life/job/career/empire because she finds if she lets herself get to involved in that big picture thinking she instantly becomes severely overwhelmed, stuck and almost frozen. That's exactly where I am right now.  

After nearly a year of working like a crazy person for customers (big, secret, fantastic stuff launching this summer - gift/home decor & lots of greeting cards & my first fabric collection) I'm feeling like I've lost myself a little. Creating on deadline(s) for someone else. Someone you are desperately trying to please & to thrill is hard. Last year was a year of trying new things, of learning and finding out lots of important things that I definitely do not want in my life. & things I won't tolerate. I learned how to be assertive, to set firm boundaries and to to put myself first even when it feels selfish. I learned how to care of me. Huge !

I have a new big picture. It's huge and still evolving. I'm still in the planning stages basically brainstorming by making blue sky lists of every little thing I'd like to have in my life & work life (which really are all one to me). Everything from having a booth at our Farmer's Market this summer, to planning our upcoming sale of 29 Black Street and move (to Lunenburg we're thinking), to making much more time for creating new things, revamping my Etsy shop, hanging out more in nature, continuing my journey learning to live and cope with my anxious self  ... and on & on.

I'm not letting myself stay too long at my big picture party though ... instead I'm having afternoon tea with a series of small pictures. And I'm so very excited about 2014 ! look out because I'm about to set my world on fire. Again ;-)

Set your world on fire
Seek those who fan your flames

Rumi

* ideally we would like to put 29 Black Street on the market Spring 2015 - I will be creating a blog/website for the sale. We both want to live somewhere new and we want to lighten our load ;-)